County attorney says recent truck purchase permissible; residents and auditor call for review

The Walker County Board of Commissioners heard a multi-part briefing and extended public comment about a recent procurement of two heavy trucks and whether the county followed its purchasing rules.

County Attorney Ken Gerard reviewed the facts of the purchase and told the board it has discretion as the county’s governing authority to choose equipment it deems in the public interest. Gerard said the county purchased two Mack class-8 trucks that were on a dealer lot and could be delivered immediately. “First of all, the governing authority of Walker County is you,” Gerard told the board, and he later said the commissioners “are a fiduciary. You are a steward of the public purse.” He said Georgia’s competitive sealed-bid statutes govern specific capital projects (not routine equipment), described…