Rockdale County adopts changes to alcohol licensing process, approves contracts including $3.7M resurfacing

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 23 adopted an ordinance to move alcoholic beverage license fees out of the county code and into administrative policy and ratified multiple contracts and requisitions, including a $3,695,051.87 SPLOST-funded road resurfacing contract and a not-to-exceed $2,999,926.39 sanitary sewer rehabilitation contract.

The ordinance, presented at second reading by a staff member who summarized changes to licensing procedure, removes fee schedules from the code and establishes an administrative policy process so fee changes need not be codified. "The fees are being removed from the code and placed into policy so that every time there's a fee that's changed, you don't have to pay to codify, to go through that," the clerk said. Commissioner Smith moved to approve the second reading and adopt the ordinance; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

The board also approved a series of contract ratifications and awards. Major items included: a SPLOST-funded resurfacing contract with Bridal Paving and Construction for $3,695,051.87 covering about 8.26 miles of roadways with a 180-day completion term; a change order to CMES for additional work on the Courtesy Parkway extension totaling $444,908.27; and a water enterprise item for Vortex Services to rehabilitate 8-, 10-, and 12-inch sanitary sewer lines in an amount not to exceed $2,999,926.39. Staff identified the resurfacing work as part of SPLOST 5C projects and the sewer work as enterprise-funded, both budgeted items.

Other items approved or ratified included a $224,233.65 contract with Air Products and Chemicals for bulk liquid oxygen delivery and tank rental for a water treatment plant (one-year term with renewal options), an InfoTech Research Group contract for a $32,544.08 ERP workshop, an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Conyers on remittance of hotel-motel tax receipts (term 07/01/2025–06/30/2028), Collective Data fleet-management software at $18,050 per year (auto-renewal language noted), and multiple parks and recreation and general services requisitions such as an ADA bus for senior services ($125,522) and roof replacement at the Fire Training Annex ($44,412).

Commissioners asked questions about renewal provisions and pricing language on several contracts. On the Air Products item, Commissioner Smith asked whether contracts could be written to be "optional to renew" rather than automatically renewing; staff agreed to follow up and check whether a price-freeze or optional-renewal term could be inserted.

A request to add six miles of Highway 138 medians to a landscape maintenance contract prompted questions about jurisdiction and cost. An agency official said the county will partner with the GDOT contractor on a cadence of alternating cuts to address citizen concerns about beautification and debris.

Procedural motions to ratify grouped items passed by voice vote; one contract (item 485 in the packet) was deferred to the next budget meeting at the board's request.

Actions at a glance: - Ordinance adoption (alcoholic beverage licensing): motion to adopt made by Commissioner Smith and seconded; adopted by voice vote. (Provenance: SEG 283–SEG 335.) - Contract award: Bridal Paving and Construction — SPLOST resurfacing, $3,695,051.87; approved. (Provenance: SEG 450–SEG 457.) - Contract/Work order: Vortex Services — sanitary sewer rehabilitation, not to exceed $2,999,926.39; approved. (Provenance: SEG 648–SEG 676.) - Contract award: CMES — Courtesy Parkway extension change order, $444,908.27; approved. (Provenance: SEG 458–SEG 466.) - Contract award: Air Products and Chemicals — liquid oxygen and tank rental, $224,233.65 (one-year term w/renewal); approved; staff to follow up on renewal language. (Provenance: SEG 528–SEG 561.) - Multiple additional ratifications and requisitions (InfoTech workshop, Collective Data software, ADA bus, roof replacement, fleet equipment, pump replacements, intergovernmental agreements, recreation contracts); all presented as budgeted items and ratified or scheduled for later action as noted in the meeting packet. (Provenance: various items listed in timeline.)

The board concluded this set of business after voice approvals and a deferral; the meeting record shows staff will return with proposed contract language changes where requested.