Hart County commissioners advance opioid ordinance in second reading, extend batting-cage bid deadline and approve fire engine purchase

The Hart County Board of Commissioners convened May 12 and took several procedural and procurement actions, including advancing an amendment to Chapter 54 for a second reading, extending a bid deadline for park improvements, approving a food-service pricing amendment, and authorizing purchase of a used fire engine for Station 9.

The board voted unanimously, by voice vote reported as 5–0, to take the amendment to Chapter 54 (an ordinance described in the packet as an "opioid substitute" measure) for a second reading. The motion was made and seconded and advanced by the board, which treated the item as the meeting’s primary old-business ordinance action.

Why it matters: A second reading is a formal step in the county’s ordinance process that keeps the amendment on the board’s legislative schedule. The transcript records the board’s motion and vote; the text of the ordinance and any changes were contained in the meeting packet and were not read into the record during this segment.

Procurement and parks: the board opened bids for turf and batting-cage work but received two bids, one of which arrived late. Commissioners discussed options — rejecting and reissuing the project or extending the deadline to accept resubmissions. The board voted to extend the bid deadline (the group discussed 14-day and 30-day options and settled on an extension so resubmissions could be accepted before the next meeting). Commissioners expressed frustration that the community’s batting-cage project remains unfinished during the baseball season and said they wanted better follow-through on completing youth-sports infrastructure.

Food service contract: the board approved a quarterly price amendment for the TRIO meal service program. Packet materials showed the provider increased the per-meal amount by less than $0.10 for this quarter; the board authorized the Chair to sign the amendment.

Fire engine purchase: in new business, the board reviewed a used fire engine offered as a replacement for Station 9. The packet shows an original starting price of $118,000; presenters said they negotiated the price down and reported the negotiated figure in the meeting materials as "849," which is ambiguous in the transcript and not clearly a full dollar amount. Commissioners confirmed the truck will fit the station and approved the purchase; the engine currently assigned to Station 9 will be repurposed for training use. The board voted 5–0 to approve the purchase.

Public comment and transparency: during public comment, resident Faith Adams asked how the county communicates upcoming agenda items and project discussions beyond posting meeting packets and recordings on the county website and YouTube channel. Commissioners said agendas and meeting packets are posted online (the stated goal is to publish Friday by noon before the meeting) and noted legal limits on board members discussing agenda items outside public meetings. Adams asked whether additional outreach (for example, social media posts or other notices) could be used to inform residents about topics like the batting-cage discussion; the board said official notices are posted online and to the press as required by open-meetings law.

Next steps: the amendment to Chapter 54 will remain on the board’s legislative schedule for its next statutory step (the transcript records the second-reading vote but not a final adoption). The extended bid deadline means the county’s procurement team will accept resubmitted bids under the new timeline; the fire engine acquisition will proceed per the board’s authorization. The meeting recessed into executive session to discuss litigation and personnel matters at the end of the agenda.

Speakers who appear in the meeting record and are quoted or paraphrased in this report include the Chair (who called the meeting to order), Commissioner Brown (who led the invocation), Public Works Director Jason Spencer, Commissioners Teasley, Bennett and Dorsy, and resident Faith Adams.