[I. OPENING]
[00:00:11]
LOT MORE ENERGY IN THIS ROOM THAN THAT. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. ALRIGHT. HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY TO EVERYONE. LET ME WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO OUR. TUESDAY, MARCH THE 17TH, 2026 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING. IN JUST A MOMENT, WE'RE VERY HONORED TO HAVE CHAPLAIN JB BROWN WITH THE LAGRANGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THAT'S GOING TO GIVE OUR INVOCATION. AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THAT, WE'LL HAVE THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG. AND I WILL ASK COMMISSIONER THRAILKILL TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG. SO IF CHAPLAIN BROWN WOULD COME FORTH AND IF EVERYONE PLEASE RISE. SIR. GOOD EVENING. LET US PRAY. GOD, THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY. YOU'VE GIVEN US A BEAUTIFUL DAY. AND I JUST PRAY NOW, LORD, AS THIS MEETING GOES FORWARD, THAT YOU'LL JUST GIVE WISDOM TO THE COMMISSION BOARD. LORD, I PRAY GOD THAT EVERY DECISION THAT COMES ACROSS THEIR DESK, LORD, THEY THEY SOUGHT YOU AND SEEK WISDOM FOR THAT. AND I PRAY NOW, LORD, FOR ALL THE EMPLOYEES OF THE COUNTY AND IN THE CITY. LORD, THE FIRST RESPONDERS TAKE CARE OF THEM AND KEEP THEM SAFE. BUT I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND ALLOWING US TO BE ABLE JUST TO COME BACK IN THIS BUILDING ONE MORE TIME TO DO THE BEST WE CAN ABOUT TAKING CARE OF THE CITIZENS IN THIS COUNTY. AND I JUST PRAY NOW, LORD, THAT YOU'LL GUIDE US, TAKE CARE OF US. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN. AMEN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALRIGHT, THE
[III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES]
NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA AND THE MINUTES. SO FIRST I WOULD SEEK APPROVAL OF THE FINAL AGENDA. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MAKE A MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. NEXT IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE TROUP COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION, WHICH WAS HELD ON MARCH THE 3RD, 2026. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO BE APPROVED? SO MOVE. I HAVE A SECOND. JUST SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. AND FINALLY, THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE TROUP COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOARD MEETING, WHICH WAS HELD ON MARCH THE 3RD, 2026. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED. MR. CHAIR, DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MOTION IS CARRIED. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA. AND THE ONLY ITEM ON OUR AGENDA TONIGHT IS A SPECIAL RECOGNITION. AND I THINK I CAN SAY IN MY ROUGHLY 12 YEARS NOW THAT I DON'T EVER REMEMBER US HAVING AN AGENDA WITH JUST ONE ITEM ON IT. SO THAT WILL MAKE IT A VERY SPECIAL ITEM. SO AT[IV. Special Business]
THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE COUNTY MANAGER. THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN, COMMISSIONERS. FIRST ITEM AGENDA IS A SPECIAL RECOGNITION. AND I'LL INVITE ZACH STEELE AT THE FRONT TO PRESENT THE RECOGNITION. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. GOOD EVENING. FOR SEVERAL DAYS, AIDS DOCTOR GARY SOLTZ SERVED IN THE COMMUNITY. HE GRADUATED FROM MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA AT AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY IN 1980 AND SERVED AS AN ARMY RANGER UNTIL HE MEDICALLY RETIRED. HE'S BEEN THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR TROUP COUNTY AND LAGRANGE FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, AND HAS OVER 45 YEARS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD. IN 2006, HE RECEIVED A COMMENDATION FROM THE LAGRANGE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR HIS ROLE AT ESU MEDICAL DIRECTOR. THIS WAS IN RECOGNITION OF HIS COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO TRAINING WITH THE ESU TEAM, AS WELL AS HIS PERSEVERANCE AND PROMPTING PROMPT EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE. DURING THE CALL, HE RECEIVED THE EMS MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR FOR REGION FOUR HEALTH IN 2017, AND IN 2018, HE RECEIVED THE EMS MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA BY GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP. DOCTOR SALT HAS BEEN OUR GO TO PROFESSIONAL FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS IN TROUP COUNTY. HE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO SEE US WITH ANY NEEDS THAT MAY ARISE AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO DONATE HIS TIME HAS SET A HIGH STANDARD FOR THE FUTURE MEDICAL DIRECTORS, HE WAS QUOTED AS ONCE SAYING IT WAS MY WAY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS GIVEN SO MUCH TO ME. THERE WAS A NEED. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE IN A POSITION THAT I COULD AT LEAST PROVIDE THIS SERVICE TO THE FIREFIGHTERS AND EMS OF TROUP COUNTY. DOCTOR SAUL WAS THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR TROUP COUNTY FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND STILL CURRENTLY IS A MEDICAL DIRECTOR, BUT HAS PROVIDED THAT SERVICE AT ZERO COMPENSATION. WERE ASKED FOR ANYTHING OVER ALL THESE YEARS, SO IT'S MY HONOR TO ASK DOCTOR SULTAN TO COME UP SO WE CAN PRESENT HIM WITH THIS PLAQUE AND HONOR.[00:05:17]
THAT. WILL YOU GUYS HELP ME? WHEN I WAS SAYING MIGHT BE NICE, RATHER THAN ASKING EVERYBODY, COME UP HERE, WHY DON'T WE PUT DOCTOR SOUL IN THE MIDDLE AND EVERYBODY JUST KIND OF PULL IN A LITTLE BIT, GET A BIG PICTURE, AND WHO'S THE PHOTOGRAPHER WON'T STAND UP. WOULD IT BE BETTER COME UP HERE.YOU CAN GET A BIRD'S EYE VIEW. YOU WON'T COME UP HERE, TOMMY. EVERYBODY LOOK IN HERE. ONE, TWO, THREE. ONE TWO. 123. DOCTOR. SO DO YOU WANT TO.INFO? NOT SO. WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME AND SAY A FEW WORDS TO EVERYONE? SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE MILITARY. I CAME TO LAGRANGE. THIS IS MY FIRST JOB AND. THE COUNTY, IT JUST CAME ENDEARED TO ME. PEOPLE WERE SO CLOSE IN THAT EMERGENCY ROOM AND IT FELT LIKE FAMILY. AND SO WHEN I LEFT, I DID AIR WORK ABOUT MY PLACE AND EVENTUALLY PAID FOR IT. EVENTUALLY I OPENED IT AND. I HAD AN ER DOC CALL ME THE OTHER DAY, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HIM BEING A PHYSICIAN FOR CITY OF LAGRANGE. AND HE ASKED ME WHY I DIDN'T CHARGE ANYTHING. I SAID, WELL, WHY WOULD I CHARGE? THESE ARE PEOPLE I TAKE CARE OF. THAT'S MY WAY OF PAYING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S HOW I FELT ABOUT IT. HE JUST LOOKED AT ME AND I DON'T KNOW. LAGRANGE HAS BEEN VERY SPECIAL TO ME IN THE COUNTY. WHEN I SAY LAGRANGE COUNTY, YOU KNOW THAT. YEAH. MADE SOME UPS AND DOWNS, BUT MORE UPS AND DOWNS AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH PROBLEM CHILDREN. IF I HAD A POLICE OFFICER THAT WAS ON ALCOHOL, I WOULD PUT THIS MEDICINE IN MY NAME THAT HE TOOK. IT'D BE IN FILES DRAWER. SO IF ANYBODY SAW IT, THEY WOULDN'T KNOW HE WAS ON IT SO HE COULD KEEP HIS JOB. LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW? I JUST. I FELT LIKE FAMILY HERE.
I REALLY DID, AND THAT'S A GOOD FEELING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS. I DEEPLY APPRECIATE IT. I WISH I COULD HAVE WORKED A LITTLE LONGER, BUT IT'S NOT TO BE. AND I GUESS GOD DECIDED TO INTERVENE. SO. THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE HAVE MEETINGS AT NINE AND FIVE. SO WHEN YOU'RE RETIRED AND YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, COME UP HERE AT 9 A.M. YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME JOIN US. AND I HAD
[00:10:04]
ENOUGH HEADACHES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOUR DEDICATION TO THIS COMMUNITY AND ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE THESE ARE JUST A SMALL SAMPLING OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE TAKEN CARE OF OVER THE YEARS, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.THANK YOU SIR, I DON'T THANK YOU. I WANT TO THANK YOU. I MEAN, YOU IN MY LINE OF WORK, YOU KNOW, I GET CUT AND I'D WALK IN. YOU SHOW ME BACK UP. I'LL BE BACK. I'LL BE BACK AT WORK IN AN HOUR AND A HALF. YOU'D HAVE ME BACK. I MEAN, IT'S JUST THE WAY YOU WERE.
APPRECIATE IT. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU EVERYONE. THAT TOOK TIME TO COME TODAY AND BE HERE PART AS WE RECOGNIZE DOCTOR SOAP FOR ALL HIS DEDICATION TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT WAS THE ONLY ITEM. SO I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT WE ADJOURN. SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.