At Dec. 22 work session, coroner seeks $2,000 for deputy and county weighs radio upgrade quote

At a Dec. 22 work session, Coroner Ron Hedgecoke asked the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County to amend the coroner budget by $2,000 to retain an additional deputy coroner, saying deputies receive $25 per pay period and must attend annual training. Hedgecoke said the county has had two deputy coroners since 2010 and seeks funding to ensure 24-hour coverage. County Manager Thomas Weaver said he had recently approved $2,000 in expense reimbursements for staff and that he would bring a more detailed recommendation for the Commission to review; Chairman Charles Coffey said the board would not provide an answer that day but would follow up.

Weaver used the work session to revisit ambulance-fee questions raised at the Dec. 2 meeting, reiterating that the $75 "treat, no transport" fee covers on-scene care, payroll and fuel costs. He again cited example transport fees from the area as context for the county's pricing.

Commissioners also discussed a quote for upgrading the county's public-safety radio system; staff cited an equipment subtotal of $68,152 for the sheriff's component of the quote and noted handheld units could cost roughly $7,000–$8,000 each. Commissioners asked staff to invite the vendor and sheriff's office to the Jan. 6 meeting to explain the proposal and to provide hands-on examples of equipment and a full cost breakdown.

Other items at the work session included staff updates on a potential rodeo arena site and an alternate Riverbend parcel (water service to Riverbend requires coordination), Broad Street parking-lot planning slated for February, a storage building power hookup, sanitation-route schedule changes, water-tank maintenance and parks programming updates. The work session entered executive session at 10:02 a.m. for personnel matters and reconvened at 11:16 a.m.