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Chattahoochee County work session advances road projects, budget amendments and planning follow‑ups; chair raises public‑records concerns
Summary
At a March 25 work session county staff briefed commissioners on a Local Road Assistance grant that complements LMIG funding, prioritized road repairs, impending quarterly budget amendments totaling about $294,725, cemetery bylaw work and the planning & zoning conditional‑use permit review; Chairman Charles Coffey urged better public‑records transparency.
County staff used a March 25 work session to update commissioners on road funding and department activity, to review upcoming budget amendments and to set follow‑up tasks for planning and cemetery bylaws.
County Manager Thomas Weaver reported that Chattahoochee County secured a Local Road Assistance grant that will piggyback onto LMIG funding, enabling work on additional roads. He said McGlaun Road and part of Smith Road were reworked with #7 stone in 2017 and will need rework again; Liberty Hill Road and Wells Street had localized repairs with riprap after an inspection of the landfill area required excavator work. Manager Weaver also noted the county has begun receiving SPLOST receipts for 2025.
Work session participants also discussed the Friendship Road LMIG item that the commission had tabled at its March 4 meeting pending bid packet review; staff reported bid packets were issued and the commission will review technical specifications at the next work session.
On planning matters, the manager said Samantha Hedgecoke will coordinate cemetery bylaws with the county attorney (Bin Minter) and that the attorney will attend the March 27 planning & zoning meeting to explain conditional use permit procedures. Commissioners asked that Planning & Zoning have a clearly defined CUP process and quicker scheduling for hearing dates.
Finance and the county manager provided a summary of proposed quarterly budget amendments that would draw approximately $294,725 from reserves to cover EMS salary adjustments, prisoner housing costs, legal services (the county noted ongoing litigation), library accounting corrections and a coroner salary correction. Manager Weaver asked departments to meet with finance on amendment details and proposed regular quarterly review of amendments.
Chairman Charles Coffey raised concerns about the county’s use of nondisclosure or redaction for public records. He said some exemptions are appropriate (for example law‑enforcement matters) but that the county has not consistently made routine property and official records available on QPublic; he urged commissioners and staff to review public‑records obligations and to bring county practice into alignment with state law.
Recreation and community development updates included a Rabies clinic scheduled for April 5 and upcoming 4‑H events and a car show; Mordie Askew and Samantha Hedgecoke provided those briefings. The work session adjourned at 9:44 a.m. on March 25.
