Glynn County assessors discuss office move, security upgrades after threatening visit

The Glynn County Board of Assessors spent a portion of its brief meeting outlining plans to relocate assessor staff to a new office and to implement security upgrades after a recent threatening incident.

Board members were told that a safety and security meeting with the Glynn County sheriff’s office is scheduled for the "20 fourth" (transcript wording) and that Deputy Beckham is expected to attend. Speaker 2 said furniture is already in place, signage remains pending, and staff will move computers and switch offices simultaneously with the signage installation before the office goes live.

Speaker 2 said protective glass and other safety changes have been identified and will be included in the next budget cycle, which staff said will be developed starting in November and will take effect after July 1. "We're gonna implement that during the budget process for, for next year," Speaker 2 said.

The security discussion followed a report that an 81-year-old woman came into the office and told staff she intended to kill herself and "come and ... shoot us." Staff called police; officers visited the woman, who did not own a gun and later apologized. "No charges were filed," Speaker 2 said. Chair advised staff to be vigilant: "just be careful and, you know, try to identify the threats before they happen and ... insulate yourself from them," Chair said.

Members also discussed encounters with so-called First Amendment auditors who film in public buildings. Speaker 2 said staff are trained to allow photography in common public spaces and to avoid escalation. "If the public is in a public space, they can be trying to go to everything," Speaker 1 said, noting the disruptions have occurred across the Georgia coast.

The board did not take formal action on security upgrades at this meeting; staff said recommendations from the sheriff’s office will be incorporated into the upcoming budget process and presented in a future meeting.