Board accepts judicial ARPA funds and approves court contracts; financial report shows revenues above projections

At its Jan. 12 meeting, the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners accepted a $30,426 State ARPA award from the Judicial Council of Georgia to fund an existing full-time investigator position in the District Attorney’s Office for roughly four months in 2026.

The board also approved an annual Superior Court interpreter contract with Silvia Andrade for $103,750 (through Dec. 31, 2026) and Independent Contractor agreements for Juvenile Court indigent defense with Jerry Moncus, Sarah Dixon and Joshua J. Smith at $3,034.22 per month; the board separately approved a guardian ad litem/attorney contract with Matthew Thames at $3,677.92 per month. All contracts were approved by recorded votes noted in the minutes.

Chief Finance Officer Debbie Godfrey presented the November 2025 financial statement showing local option sales tax (LOST) collections for November at $1,318,612 (0.79% under budget for the month) but a year-to-date total higher than the prior year. Total YTD actual revenues were reported at $38,386,768, exceeding projected revenues by $3,212,540 (9.13%) largely due to unbudgeted payments from Solid Waste and LMIG; YTD expenditures were 0.24% over projections.

Court and grant decisions and the financial report were recorded as approved by split department and commission votes in the minutes. The board also approved applications for Bureau of Justice Assistance State Crisis Intervention Program continuation grants to fund a Domestic Violence Court counselor and a handgun intervention program for Juvenile Court (performance period April–September 2026; no local match required).

Next steps: The DA’s Office will onboard the grant-funded investigator and courts will proceed with contract administration and grant application processes; the finance office will continue monthly reporting.