Troup County commissioners approve $1.743M for jail upgrades, authorize county manager to implement

The Troup County Board of Commissioners on May 5 approved funding for a jail infrastructure and improvement project, authorizing the county manager to obtain quotes, bids or proposals and execute contracts in compliance with public‑works bidding requirements. The board approved the request in a motion stating an amount not to exceed $1,743,799.49.

Sheriff's Office representatives described the planned work, which includes kitchen equipment upgrades, cameras in common areas (not in bathrooms or showers), locks for high‑security pods, AC controls, epoxy resurfacing for showers, replacement of hot‑water heaters with tankless units in specified pods, security lights in certain pods, and a body scanner the sheriff noted would cost more than $100,000 to detect contraband carried internally.

"We're gonna spend over $100,000 for a body scanner that when a person walks through it, it can detect they have marijuana, anything inside of their body as they're trying to sneak into the jail," the agency official said. The sheriff's staff also described placing a mental‑health liaison on duty who has helped identify placements for several inmates.

County counsel recommended wording to approve the funding and delegate authority to the county manager to implement the project, including determining applicable public‑works rules and signing contracts. Commissioner moved the motion (seconded) and the board approved the funding by voice vote; board members did not record individual roll‑call tallies in the transcript.

The county manager said spending will follow state bidding and purchasing guidelines and will be tracked through purchasing with staff updates provided as expenditures are made.