Fayette County approves agreement to administer Soil and Water Commission county contests

The Fayette County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 on March 12 to approve a Memorandum of Agreement with the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission that allows Fayette County Elections and Registration to act as superintendent for county contests in commission elections.

Elections Director Brieanna Garrett told the board that many counties historically administered these contests without a formal written agreement. "With modern election auditing, accounting, and intergovernmental contracting standards, the agreement was now necessary to clearly establish legal authority for the County to administer the election, and define the responsibilities between agencies," Garrett said.

Vice Chairman Edward Gibbons moved to approve the MOA; Commissioner Charles W. Oddo seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The agreement formalizes responsibilities between the county and the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission for administering county-level contests, including recordkeeping and auditing obligations specified in the MOA.

The agreement was presented as a procedural update to align county practices with current auditing standards; no fiscal impact to the county general fund was identified in the discussion. The board did not amend the MOA during the meeting. The board’s approval allows Fayette County Elections and Registration to proceed with administration under the terms of the agreement for future county contests tied to the commission.