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County ratifies opioid and senior-hunger grants, approves sheriff software and K9 gear and funds three transit buses
Summary
Whitfield County ratified a $26,550 opioid-abatement grant and a $2,500 senior hunger grant, approved a three-year PowerDMS contract for the Sheriff's Office and purchased K9 equipment; the board also approved three transit buses with a $37,500 Transit Trust Fund match.
The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners on March 9 ratified grant agreements and approved public-safety and transit purchases that county staff said will support treatment courts, senior nutrition programming and law-enforcement accreditation.
The board ratified the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust award of $26,550 to buy drug-testing supplies for the Conasauga Drug Treatment Court; the chairman had already signed the contract and the board ratified it by a 4-0 vote. Commissioners also approved a $2,500 Senior Hunger Innovation Grant from the NWGRC Area Agency on Aging to fund the 'Easy Healthy Eats for Seniors' project; vote 4-0.
The Sheriff's Office received authorization for a three-year subscription to the PowerDMS policy and training platform to support accreditation efforts; the first year will be funded from Asset Forfeiture Funds and the office requested the subscription be included in the FY2027 operating budget. The board also approved K9 equipment from West Chatham Warning Devices for $44,247.72, the low bid on a competitive solicitation.
Whitfield County Transit will add three Ford E450 16-passenger buses (two wheelchair positions) to its fleet. Each bus costs $121,224 for a total purchase of $363,672; Whitfield County's local match for the three buses is $36,367.20 (10% total), and the county received $37,500 from the 2025 Transit Trust Fund Program to offset the required match. The remainder of the cost will be reimbursed with state and federal 5307 grant funding.
What happens next: Grant funds will be applied to the specified programs and Sheriff's Office staff will implement the PowerDMS rollout and K9 equipment outfitting; transit vehicle procurement will proceed through the state contract process.
