Whitfield County commissioners approve routine business, allocate ARP and SPLOST funds

The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners approved a slate of routine business and funding actions at its Aug. 9, 2021 regular meeting at The Wink Theatre.

The board approved the June 2021 financial statement (motion approved 3-0). Finance Director James Garvin reported June Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) collections of $1,112,723 (16% over budget) and year-to-date LOST of $6,318,392, about 15.8% higher than the previous year. Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) collections for June were reported at $475,977.

Rezoning approvals recommended by the planning commission were adopted: Robert B. Collier’s 7.95-acre parcel (GA to R-5) and DixiBrix, LLC’s 22.55-acre request (R-5 and C-2 to M-2) on Old Dixie Highway were approved; a request by Gloendy Santana Pineda (R-2 to C-1) was denied (motions passed 3-0).

The board approved selling 522 School Street to the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority (3-0) and declared multiple vehicles and equipment surplus to be sold on GovDeals.com.

American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds: the board approved a $25,000 donation to the Coalition of Latino Leaders (CLILA) for COVID-19 education, PPE and outreach, contingent on the City of Dalton matching the donation; Commissioners Robbins and Thomas voted yes and Commissioner Jones abstained. The board also approved a $212,350 bid from Odin Technology to replace analog intercoms at the county jail with a digital communications/security system, with staff recommending use of ARP funds to reduce staff exposure to infected inmates (motion passed 3-0).

SPLOST and other capital items: The board approved C.W. Matthews, Inc.’s low bid of $1,796,450 for SPLOST Road Construction Project 5.8T to add a fourth leg to the South Bypass–Riverbend Road intersection and modify turn lanes and signalization. The minutes record approval as "2-0, with Commissioners Thomas and Jones in agreement;" no further tally is listed. The board approved Dana Safety Supply’s $72,174.90 bid to upfit 10 Sheriff’s Office vehicles using SPLOST funds (3-0) and ratified a $19,027 IT purchase for a backup air-handling unit (3-0).

The meeting adjourned unanimously. The minutes list actions and vote outcomes for each item; where the minutes record incomplete tallies (for example the SPLOST item recorded as 2-0), this article reports the vote as recorded in the minutes rather than inferring missing votes.

Votes at a glance (selected motions recorded in the minutes): - Agenda approval: motion approved 3-0. - July 12, 2021 minutes: motion approved 3-0. - June 2021 financial statement: motion approved 3-0. - Unified Zoning Ordinance text amendment (second reading): motion approved 3-0. - Rezoning approvals (Collier, DixiBrix) and one denial (Santana): motions approved 3-0. - Sale of 522 School Street to Dalton-Whitfield JDA: approved 3-0. - $25,000 ARP donation to CLILA (contingent on Dalton match): approved (Robbins, Thomas yes; Jones abstained). - Jail digital intercom system (Odin Technology) $212,350, ARP funds: approved 3-0. - SPLOST Project 5.8T (C.W. Matthews) $1,796,450: approved (minutes record approval 2-0; see note above). - Equipment upfitting (Dana Safety Supply) $72,174.90: approved 3-0.

All vote outcomes and motion language below are taken directly from the board minutes and are reported here without inference beyond the minutes’ content.

Ending: The board carried its agenda items and adjourned; follow-up items include bid advertising and contract execution for SPLOST Project 5.8T, ARP match coordination with the City of Dalton for the CLILA donation, and surplus sales processing.