Chattahoochee County sets 2026 qualifying fees, presses sheriff to return truck and adds cemetery rule changes to agenda

The Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners unanimously set qualifying fees for the 2026 local election at a called meeting on Jan. 26. Chairman Charles Coffey read the fees and the board approved $362 for county‑commission candidates and $72 for school‑board candidates. Qualifying will run from 9 a.m. on March 2 through noon on March 6. The commission recorded the adoption and directed the County Clerk to publish fees in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 21‑2‑131.

County Manager Thomas Weaver provided department updates including water‑department repairs, renewal of permits for wells 2 and 3 (noted as current for roughly 10 years), progress on a dock project subject to Corps of Engineers review, and a possible trail‑grant extension. Weaver reported a 2025 average ambulance response time of nine minutes, a figure that includes mutual‑aid responses from neighboring counties.

Commissioners discussed ongoing talks with vendors about public‑safety radios after Mr. Sullivan of Southern Link demonstrated equipment on Jan. 6. Weaver said the sheriff prefers higher‑cost radios (one model referenced at approximately $70,000); commissioners asked staff to seek additional quotes (including from Motorola), pursue grant funding where feasible, and explore using neighboring‑county repeaters to reduce expense.

A dispute over a recently purchased county vehicle was sent to executive session. After reconvening, Chairman Coffey said the closed session concerned personnel and legal matters and that no votes were taken there. The commission directed the sheriff to return the truck to the county manager’s office by noon Friday or provide the truck that had been promised in trade. Commissioners said a formal fleet‑use policy will be drafted and added to a future agenda.

County Manager Weaver asked the board to add proposed cemetery‑rules and fee changes and a request to declare several buildings near the courthouse as surplus to the Feb. 3 meeting agenda. Weaver described proposed cemetery changes to allow certain citizens to purchase more than one plot in defined circumstances and a one‑time $500 plot purchase fee; staff recommended prohibiting glass on monuments for safety during grounds maintenance.

What’s next: The County Clerk will publish qualifying fees as required; staff will solicit revised radio quotes and grant opportunities, draft a fleet‑use policy, and place cemetery rules and surplus‑property declarations on the Feb. 3 agenda. The sheriff’s compliance with the truck‑return directive was ordered but not recorded as completed in the transcript.

No formal vote on the vehicle directive was recorded in open session; the return deadline and additional actions were described after executive session.