Consent items, grants and county contracts reviewed at work session; staff presented details

Cherokee County staff summarized consent agenda items and operational contracts at the Sept. 2 work session. The transcript records presentations of the items but does not record final votes on each consent item within the provided excerpt.

Hazard mitigation planning grant: Emergency Management staff asked the board to accept a subrecipient agreement passed through the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) for $51,755 to prepare the five‑year countywide hazard mitigation plan for the period Jan. 2027–Jan. 2032. Staff said 75% of the grant funds would pay plan preparation and the remaining portion would cover administrative costs; the required 25% local match would be met with budgeted personnel expenses and require no additional cash outlay.

Surplus and equipment disposition: The Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management requested authority to surplus obsolete equipment, including radios and office chairs, respectively, and to dispose of them as appropriate per county policy.

Waters Lake subdivision private streets: County engineering staff presented a petition from the Waters Lake homeowners association requesting conditional acceptance of private subdivision streets for county maintenance. The subdivision (started 2005, final plat Feb. 2006) includes a roadway constructed across a lake/dam. County rules generally require that roadways across dams remain privately maintained; the HOA provided a Schnabel Engineering dam evaluation and completed recommended maintenance items. Staff said conditional approval would require a waiver of the rule and that the county would work with the HOA to execute a right‑of‑way deed before formal acceptance. Staff cautioned that accepting roadways over dams can create future county dam maintenance obligations.

3000 Hunt Road lease for park caretaker: Recreation and Parks staff presented a proposed short‑term lease of an existing house at 3000 Hunt Road (future Woodworth Park site) to a county employee to serve as caretaker. The house would remain until park or recreation center construction begins later in the SPLOST 2024 program; the caretaker would be responsible for upkeep and utilities and residency would be contingent on continued county employment and subject to vacating when construction begins.

Other operational items summarized during the meeting included procurement and contract items presented elsewhere in the agenda: Fire and EMS records system procurement (ESO) to replace a ZOLL product; road resurfacing intergovernmental agreement amendments with the cities of Canton and Woodstock to add mileage to county resurfacing contracts and allow city reimbursement; a change order for Allatoona Pass drainage improvements due to unforeseen utility conflicts; a change order for intersection stabilization work on Damascus Road at Upper Bethany; a banquet chair purchase for the conference center; and discussion of a proposed cell tower lease at Klein Park that would grant the tower company a lease area, access easement and multi‑term renewal options with a cited initial monthly rent of $13.75 (noted in staff remarks). For several of these items staff indicated funding sources or that the costs are budgeted in FY2026. The transcript records the presentations; final board votes on these consent or operational items are not shown in the provided excerpt.