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Whitfield County commissioners approve budget amendments, grants and multiple procurements; public hearing held on 2024 budget
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Summary
At its Dec. 11 meeting the Whitfield County Board approved 2023 budget amendments, accepted a Judicial ARPA grant to fund a DA investigator, approved detention HVAC upgrades and the purchase of sheriff vehicles and a water truck, and heard public comments on the 2024 budget.
The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 11 approved a package of budget amendments, grants, contracts and procurement actions while holding a public hearing on the county’s proposed 2024 budget.
Finance director Debbie Godfrey presented and the board approved 2023 budget amendments that included $2,503.80 from ARPA unrestricted funds to a CDBG-Food Bank grant for administrative costs; adjustments in the Special Revenue Opioid Fund reflecting $118,650 in expenditures and $36,416 in revenue (with the $82,234 difference to be covered by prior settlement funds); and a $1.6 million charge to cover additional medical and pharmacy expenses incurred in 2023, approximately $1.18 million of which will be charged to the General Fund. The motion passed 3-0.
The board unanimously accepted a $38,051 State ARPA award from the Judicial Council of Georgia for the Conasauga Circuit to fund an existing full-time investigator position in the district attorney’s office beginning January 2024, intended to help address a COVID-related backlog and focus on serious felony cases.
On facility and equipment spending, the board approved HVAC improvements at the detention center from Trane Company for $99,457 to be paid entirely from a previously approved Georgia Southern COVID-19 mitigation grant. The board also approved purchase of 17 sheriff vehicles and a Silverado pickup ($807,114 total) using 2020 SPLOST surplus funds, and approved a separate low bid to purchase a 2024 Ford F-750/Valew water truck for Public Works from Lee Smith Inc. for $144,700.
Emergency Management approved a six-month Motorola service agreement for $91,568.38 with TACN to begin contributing to the contract mid-2024, and the board amended the county procurement policy to permit procurement of rolling stock using state contracts when appropriate.
The board approved multiple contracts and personnel arrangements: independent-contractor indigent-defense agreements for Juvenile Court with attorneys Jerry Moncus, Bryan L. Rayburn and Joshua J. Smith; a guardian ad litem/attorney contract with Matthew Thames; and a $49,000 sole-source purchase of the First Due cloud-based software package for the Fire Department.
Other approvals included up to $78,000 for fire department uniforms, a $607,000 low-bid award to Graphite Construction to remodel bathrooms at Fire Stations 2–6 (SPLOST 2020), adoption of ACCG guideline recommendations for non-chief magistrate base pay for any new magistrate elected after Jan. 1, 2024 (no current-pay impacts), and a change to permit fees for new residential building projects to a flat $100 per square foot. The board also approved three planning commission rezoning recommendations and registered no land use objection to a Town of Cohutta annexation request. All recorded motions in the minutes passed with the three voting commissioners in agreement.
During the public hearing on the 2024 budget, Kathryn Sellers urged the board to consider increased funding for the library and Clyde McDaniel asked the board to raise salaries for the coroner’s office; the hearing closed with no further public comment. The board adjourned unanimously.