[CALL TO ORDER]
          [00:00:09]
          MAY THE 5TH, 2026 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION. WE ALWAYS START WITH THE WORD OF PRAYER. AND SO I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY THIS MORNING TO PICK ON SOMEBODY. SO, REVEREND MIKE REESE, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO COME AND GIVE OUR OPENING PRAYER FOR US THIS MORNING. SEE, THAT'S WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE NICE TO ME BECAUSE I CAN PICK ON YOU. 
          RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU PRAY WITH ME? FATHER GOD? WE DO. THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU THAT WE LIVE IN TROUP COUNTY. WE THANK YOU FOR THE LEADERSHIP AND WE ASK YOUR BLESSINGS UPON THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES. WE THANK YOU FOR THOSE THAT ARE HERE TODAY. WE ASK YOUR BLESSINGS ON THIS MEETING AS WE CONDUCT BUSINESS THAT PROTECTS AND. AND THESE CAN SERVE OUR COUNTY AT THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN. AMEN, AMEN. WHILE YOU WALK BACK TO YOUR SEAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR DEVOTION TO DOING THAT. SO THANK YOU, SIR. ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE COUNTY MANAGER. THANK YOU. 
          [1. LaGrange Optimist Club, Respect for Law (Hilliard Daniel)]
CHAIRMAN. COMMISSIONERS. FIRST ITEM ON THE DAY'S AGENDA IS LAGRANGE OPTIMIST CLUB RESPECT FOR LAW. AND I'LL INVITE HILL DANIEL UP TO THE PODIUM TO PRESENT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. TO COME BEFORE YOU TODAY TO PRESENT THIS ANNUAL AWARD FOR THE OPTIMIST CLUB. WE HAVE BEEN OPERATING INSIDE OF TROUP COUNTY FOR THE 76 YEARS, AND THIS HAS BEEN A HIGHLIGHT OF OUR AGENDA OFTEN. THANK YOU. SO I ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU GUYS AND PRESENT THIS AWARD. SO A LITTLE BACK HISTORY ON THE AWARD IS THAT IN 1951, THE OPTIMIST CLUB OF LAGRANGE WAS FOUNDED BY SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND IN 1965, OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CREATED THE RESPECT FOR LAW PROGRAM. THIS WAS AN I. THE IDEA FOR THE PROGRAM CAME FROM A MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL AND J. EDGAR HOOVER, AND THE CLUB WANTED AN OPPORTUNITY. THEY WANTED TO CREATE AN AWARD THAT COULD BE USED BY THE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THE GOOD WORK THAT OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DOES IN THE COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. SO SINCE THE INCEPTION, THIS HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR CLUB AGENDA, ANNUAL AGENDA. AND ORIGINALLY WE ONLY RECOGNIZE MEMBERS OF THE LAGRANGE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TROUP COUNTY SHERIFF. BUT FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, THE CLUB FELT THAT IT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE MEMBERS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS WELL. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO HERE IN TOWN, UNIQUELY, IS ALSO RECOGNIZE ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO IT IS ALWAYS AN HONOR TO WORK WITH THE THE SHERIFF AND THE FIRE CHIEF TO RECOGNIZE ONE OF OUR OWN HARD WORKING PUBLIC SERVANTS THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND IN THEIR DAILY LINE OF DUTY. AND THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE WILL RECOGNIZE TODAY TRULY ARE MAKING LAGRANGE A BRIGHTER AND MORE OPTIMISTIC PLACE FOR OUR YOUTH. SO TO GET STARTED, IF THERE IS ANYBODY WITH THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT THAT WOULD LIKE TO BE WILLING TO COME STAND UP HERE WITH ME. OH, THERE WE GO. APPRECIATE IT. 
          FANTASTIC. ALL RIGHT. SO. THANK YOU. FANTASTIC. SO TO BEGIN STARTING OUT AS A JAILER AND WORKING THEIR WAY UP TO PATROL THIS, THE INDIVIDUAL SELECTED AS THE TROUP COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY OF THE YEAR HAS PROVED THEMSELVES THROUGH GOOD OLD HARD WORK. SPEAKING WITH HER CAPTAIN, YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT HOW DEPENDABLE, DEPENDABLE THIS INDIVIDUAL IS DAY IN AND DAY OUT. SHE'S THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT IS ALWAYS WILLING TO LEND A HAND WITHOUT ASKING TWICE. 
          SHE'S INDEPENDENT AND DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MICROMANAGED AND ALL AROUND GREAT EMPLOYEE. AND THAT IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THEIR CAPTAIN. AFTER MOVING FROM THE JAIL AND COMPLETING HER BASIC MANDATE, THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN SERVING THE CITIZENS OF TROUP COUNTY AS A PATROL DEPUTY FOR AROUND THE LAST TWO YEARS. AND INDIVIDUALS LIKE THIS MAKE ME A GREAT PLACE. WE ARE ALL SO LUCKY TO HAVE DEPUTY AYANNA STROTHER WITHIN THE RANKS OF TROUP COUNTY SHERIFFS, AND WE ARE HONORED TODAY TO RECOGNIZE HER FOR HER OPTIMISTIC ATTITUDE SHE BRINGS TO HER POSITION FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO, DEPUTY SCHROEDER, PLEASE COME UP TO ACCEPT YOUR AWARD. 
          [00:05:29]
THAT'S COUSIN NOW. GOT NEXT TO THE FAMILY. AND YOUR FAMILY. YOU GOT TO HAVE THAT DAUGHTER. 
          YES, I WOULD LIKE TO. AND MARK, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO ADD TO THIS. AYANNA CAME TO US AS A DOES A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. NOW REMEMBER TO THE MIC WALK UP TO THE MIC. WE ALWAYS TELL NEW DETENTION OFFICERS ME AND MARK DOES. AND WHEN THEY COME IN, WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO EXCEL. 
          WE SAY, WE WANT TO GIVE YOU THE TOOLS TO TO DO YOUR JOB AND TO ADVANCE. SO IF YOU IF YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO BE A DEPUTY ONE DAY OR WHATEVER, YOU GO AHEAD AND PREPARE. NOW IF YOU NEED TO RUN, RUN. IF YOU NEED TO SHOOT AND PRACTICE SHOOTING, GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. AND AYANNA CAME TO MY OFFICE ONE DAY AND SHE SAID, I'VE NEVER SHOT A PISTOL BEFORE, BUT I WANT TO GO TO THE ACADEMY. 
          AND SHE WORKED AND SHE WORKED AND SHE WORKED AND SHE WORKED EVERY DAY. WE, ME AND MARK WOULD MEET HER AT THE RANGE. SHE WAS THERE AND ONE DAY SHE BOUGHT HER OWN GUN. SHE CAME IN AND SHOWED US A TARGET WHEN SHE WAS DOING IT ON HER OWN, SO TO SAY. WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF YOUR HONOR IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. SHE ALWAYS DOES HER JOB WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE. SHE NEVER COMPLAINS. SHE NEVER COMPLAINS. IF YOU CALL HER ON A SATURDAY OR A SUNDAY AND SAY, HEY, THIS JUST COME UP, WE NEED SECURITY AT THIS AREA OR THAT AREA. SHE ALWAYS SAYS, I WILL DO IT AND SHE IS JUST AMAZING PERSON. SHE HAS EXCELLENT CHARACTER AND I HOPE ONE DAY I CAN ASPIRE TO BE JUST LIKE HER BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO ME. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I FELT LIKE SHE DESERVES THIS AWARD AS MUCH AS ANYBODY. AND I DON'T THINK THIS IS ENOUGH FOR THE PERSON THAT HE IS. THANK YOU. 
          SHE CAME IN WITH YOU, DIDN'T SHE? WE. SOMEONE WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO COME JOIN ME UP. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. FOR OUR SECOND AWARD, THE INDIVIDUAL SELECTED AS THE TROUP COUNTY FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR STANDS OUT BECAUSE OF THEIR DEDICATION, ATTITUDE AND COMMITMENT TO THE CITIZENS OF TROUP COUNTY. SINCE THEIR FIRST DAY, THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS DEMONSTRATED WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE WITH EXCELLENCE. WHETHER IT'S AN EMERGENCY CALL STATION DETAIL OR WORKING WITH NEW RECRUITS, THEY'RE ALWAYS UP FOR THE TASK IS THE SORT OF THING YOU WILL HEAR FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP WHEN TALKING ABOUT THIS INDIVIDUAL. BEING WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THIS INDIVIDUAL CONTINUES TO PUSH HIMSELF TO GROW PROFESSIONALLY AND HAS RECENTLY EARNED HIS EMT CERTIFICATION, FURTHER SHOWING THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY. TROUP COUNTY IS BETTER OFF FOR HAVING PEOPLE LIKE FIREFIGHTER AND EMT DERRICK UHLER SHOWING UP EVERY DAY WATCHING OVER US. SO PLEASE HELP ME. JOIN ME IN A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR FIREFIGHTER EMT DERRICK, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND COMING UP TO THE PODIUM TO ACCEPT YOUR AWARD. 
          [00:10:29]
THIS IS. ALL RIGHT. ONE. TWO. THREE. WELL, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOMINATIONS THIS YEAR, I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYBODY MORE DESERVING THAN DERRICK FOR THIS. 
          AND HIS WIFE'S HERE. AND WHAT'S HIS NAME? OLIVER. SO WHEN DERRICK WAS IN THE FIRE ACADEMY, OLIVER WAS BORN. DERRICK CAME HOME FOR TWO DAYS AND WENT STRAIGHT BACK TO THE FIRE ACADEMY. SO THE SACRIFICES THAT NOT ONLY HIS FAMILY MADE, BUT HE MADE TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE SCHOOL AND GET BACK, SHOWS THE DEDICATION THAT HE WAS WILLING TO GIVE THE CITIZENS AND THIS FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYBODY MORE HONORABLE TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD THIS YEAR. 
          SO CONGRATULATIONS, DERRICK. AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND PRESENT THIS AWARD AT THE IN THE MEETING. IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS IN FRONT OF A GOOD CROWD AND AND JUST GIVE THEM ALL THE THE ROUND OF APPLAUSE THAT THEY DESERVE. SO BEFORE WE EXIT, I WOULD LIKE ANY OF OUR OPTIMIST CLUB MEMBERS. WE'VE GOT THREE OF US, THREE OTHER MEMBERS HERE WITH US TODAY. IF YOU GUYS DON'T MIND STANDING UP TO BE RECOGNIZED, WE REALLY ALWAYS APPRECIATE IT. WE THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU GIVE US YOUR REST OF THE YEAR. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. HILL AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE OPTIMIST CLUB. 
          WE THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE RECOGNIZING HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HONOR THESE FOLKS THAT HAVE SERVED OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR WHAT Y'ALL DO. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, 
          [2. The Richard English, Jr. Strongest Link Award of Excellence for April 2026 (Chardonnay Scott)]
I'LL INVITE CHARDONNAY SCOTT TO ANNOUNCE THE 2020 6TH APRIL STRONG LINK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE. 
          GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING AND CITIZENS OF TROUP COUNTY, THE RICHARD ENGLISH JUNIOR STRONGEST LINK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IS GIVEN MONTHLY TO A DESERVING EMPLOYEE WHO HAS DEMONSTRATED EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTIVITY, LOYALTY AND PROFESSIONAL PRIDE, AND OTHER NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THIS AWARD RECOGNIZES THAT ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES LINKED TOGETHER TO FORM A CHAIN THAT PROVIDES THE CITIZENS OF TROUP COUNTY WITH EXCELLENT SERVICE. NO ONE BETTER EXEMPLIFIES THAT SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE AND DEDICATION THAN MR. ENGLISH, WHO IS A TRUE LEADER AND WHO DEMONSTRATED OUTSTANDING DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS. TODAY, WE HONOR HIS MEMORY AND LEGACY AS WE RECOGNIZE. RECIPIENT FOR APRIL 2026. I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY READING A PORTION OF THE NOMINATION FORM THAT WAS SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF THE RECIPIENT. SHE DESERVED THIS AWARD BECAUSE SHE WORKS ABOVE AND BEYOND HER DUTIES EVERY DAY. SHE DOES AN IMPECCABLE JOB AND IS ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP ANYONE WHEN SHE CAN. SHE TAKE CLASSES THAT ARE NOT MANDATORY SO SHE CAN BE A BETTER DEPUTY. SHE DOES NOT MISS WORK AND HELPS OTHERS AS NEEDED. IT IS MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE TO YOU THE RICHARD ENGLISH JUNIOR STRONGEST LINK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE RECIPIENT FOR APRIL 2026. DEPUTY SHERIFF WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AYANA SCHROEDER. 
          WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR FAMILY TO COME BACK UP? ONE THING I'D LIKE TO SAY, COMMISSIONERS, IN ADDITION TO THESE TWO AWARDS THAT SHE GOT, SHE GETS TO BE SHERIFF FOR A DAY. ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. AYANA, WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION AND 
          [00:15:05]
LOYALTY THAT YOU HAVE PUT INTO TROUP COUNTY. YOU HAVE PROVEN THAT YOU ARE THE STRONGEST LINK AT THIS TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO CREATIVE COLLINS AND LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE AS THEY GRACIOUSLY DONATED ITEMS FOR THE RECIPIENT'S GIFT BACK THIS MONTH. THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, I'M GOING TO INVITE 
          [3. Leadership Academy Class of 2025 Graduation - LEAD Advisors (Denise Smith)
]
THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM LEAD ADVISORS AND DENISE TO TALK TO YOU GUYS ABOUT THE GRADUATION OF OUR RECENT LEADERSHIP COHORT CLASS. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. MORNING. WE'RE HERE THIS MORNING TO CELEBRATE THE TROUP COUNTY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASS OF 2026. WITH ME, I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WELCOMING ALAN KEMPER, THE OWNER OF LEAD ADVISORS. ALAN AND HIS TEAM PARTNERED WITH TROUP COUNTY TO DELIVER THIS YEAR'S LEADERSHIP ACADEMY PROGRAM. CLOSELY WORKING WITH OUR MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS THROUGH AN INTENSIVE, HANDS ON CURRICULUM DESIGNED TO BUILD STRONGER AND MORE EFFECTIVE TEAMS. TODAY, ALAN WILL SHARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS AND WILL ALSO WILL ALSO HAVE THE HONOR OF PRESENTING CERTIFICATES TO OUR GRADUATES, MARKING THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PROGRAM AND CELEBRATING THEIR HARD WORK, DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT OF EXCELLENCE TO IN PUBLIC SERVICE. ALAN. THANK YOU. 
          DENISE. SO THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS AN EXCEPTIONAL COUNTRY, AN EXCEPTIONAL GOVERNMENT, AN EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESS, OR EVEN AN EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY THAT IS NOT MADE UP OF EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUALS. THE POWER OF US TOGETHER ULTIMATELY COMES DOWN TO OUR STRENGTH AS INDIVIDUALS. 
          AND SO PART OF LEADERSHIP IS THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE INDIVIDUALS WHO MAKE UP OUR COMMUNITY. SO THIS PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY WAS DESIGNED TO HELP GROW OUR INDIVIDUALS AND GROW OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. AND ONE OF THE SIGNS OF AN EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUAL IS A PERSON WHO IS CONSISTENTLY COMMITTED TO GROWTH AND BETTERMENT. ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAY AT LEAD IS THAT GROWTH AND COMFORT RARELY COEXIST, MEANING THAT IN ORDER TO GROW, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO STEP INTO GROUPS WHERE YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYONE. YOU HAVE TO STEP INTO A NEW ENVIRONMENT. YOU HAVE TO GET ASKED TO DO A PRESENTATION, MAYBE THAT YOU WEREN'T COMFORTABLE WITH DOING. AND WHAT WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE TODAY IS A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO, WHO STEPPED FORWARD AND PARTICIPATED IN A YEAR LONG LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED SO THAT THEY COULD GROW THEMSELVES AND THEN SECONDARILY, BENEFIT OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING. FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, LEAD HAS PARTNERED WITH TROUP COUNTY TO HELP GROW OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS INTO THE BEST MEN AND WOMEN THAT THEY CAN BE, SO THAT THEY CAN BEST SERVE US AS A COMMUNITY. AND WE'VE BEEN HONORED TO DO THAT. A COUPLE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS. AND YOU HAVE A YOU HAVE A REPORT ON YOUR DESK REALLY FOCUSED AROUND A LOT OF INDIVIDUAL INTROSPECTION, OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN ABOUT THEMSELVES. WE NOTICED THAT THE BEST LEADERS ARE OFTENTIMES THE MOST SELF-AWARE LEADERS. AND THESE, THESE PARTICIPANTS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THEMSELVES AND HOW THEIR INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES IMPACT HOW THEY LEAD. A LOT OF THE COMMENTS IN THE IN THE REPORT POINT BACK TO THEIR APPRECIATION FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE AND CONNECT WITH OTHER LEADERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. THIS WAS A CROSS DEPARTMENTAL ENGAGEMENT. SO YOU CAN YOU CAN LOOK AT THE REPORT FURTHER TO GET MORE DETAILS AND SOME QUOTES FROM THE PARTICIPANTS. BUT TODAY, MOSTLY WE WANT TO JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND HONOR THE PEOPLE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE STEPPED FORWARD TO GROW THEMSELVES FOR OUR BENEFIT AS A COMMUNITY. SO. OKAY, SO IF YOU WERE A PART OF THIS YEAR'S 2026 CLASS OF THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, IF YOU COULD COME FORWARD, PLEASE. AND HANG OUT OVER HERE. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. SO WE 
          [00:20:09]
HAVE HILL DANIEL FROM COURT SERVICES. CHARDONNAY, SCOTT FROM HUMAN RESOURCES. JESSICA MADDOX FROM PARKS AND RECREATION. THE ACTIVE LIFE. WE HAVE. LET'S SEE. SORRY. AMANDA V IS AMANDA. NO. AMANDA VEAL. OKAY. AISHA DAVIS FROM JUVENILE COURT. WILLIAM HUFF FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. SCOTT MCCRAY FROM PROPERTY APPRAISAL. CHADWICK HENDRIX FROM THE TROUP COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND RUSSELL REED FROM THE TROUP COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND I JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE KARINA GOMEZ GOMEZ CALVO FROM JUVENILE COURT. SHE IS ON MILITARY LEAVE RIGHT NOW. SO THIS IS OUR LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASS OF 2026. GREAT JOB. 
          ALL RIGHT. GOOD JOB. ALL RIGHT. BENEATH YOU SAY THAT THAT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GROW. YOU GOTTA STRETCH OUT A LITTLE BIT. IT MIGHT DO SOMETHING UNCOMFORTABLE. I'M GOING TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY. IF THERE'S ANYBODY IN THAT CLASS, IF THERE'S ONE OF YOU, YOU'D LIKE TO SAY WHAT THE CLASS MEANT TO YOU PERSONALLY, I'LL LET YOU GROW. OH, I, I KNEW IT'D BE YOU. I KNEW IT'D BE YOU. I JUST WANTED TO THANK THE COMMISSIONERS AND EVERYONE IN TROUP COUNTY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CLASS. I WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT SAID I REALLY ENJOYED THE CROSS DEPARTMENT, LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER AND LEARNING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WITHIN TROUP COUNTY. THIS CLASS DID HELP ME TO LOOK MORE INTO MYSELF AND HOPEFULLY TO BETTER MYSELF, NOT ONLY FOR MY DEPARTMENT, BUT FOR THE COUNTY AS A WHOLE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF 
          [4. Georgia State Patrol Annual Report (Sgt. Michael Nolan)]
YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, I'LL INVITE SERGEANT MICHAEL NOLAN FROM THE GEORGIA STATE PATROL TO PROVIDE THEIR ANNUAL REPORT. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. HOW ARE YOU? FINE. GOOD, GOOD. 
          WONDERFUL. ALL RIGHT. SO MY NAME IS SERGEANT FIRST CLASS MICHAEL NOLAN. I'M WITH THE GEORGIA STATE PATROL. SO I'M THE POST COMMANDER HERE FOR POST TWO, WHICH COVERS LAGRANGE, OUR POST ITSELF. WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR ROADWAY OPERATIONS IN BOTH TROUP AND HARRIS COUNTY, WHICH PUTS US COVERING APPROXIMATELY 920MI■!S, WITH APPROXIMATELY 70 OF THAT BEING INTERSTATE, BOTH INTERSTATE 85 AND INTERSTATE 185. I'D LIKE TO MAKE MENTION THAT OBVIOUSLY, THE NUMBERS ON THE PAGE DON'T NECESSARILY TRANSLATE TO EXACTLY WHAT MY GUYS ARE DOING DAY IN AND DAY OUT. WE ARE OUT HERE DOING A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY RELATED EVENTS. WE'RE OUT HERE WITH, YOU KNOW, ABANDONED VEHICLES, STRANDED MOTORISTS, MOTORIST ASSIST. BUT THERE ARE SOME NUMBERS THAT I'D LIKE TO THROW OUT THERE THAT THE STATE PATROL IS OPERATING. AND WHAT WE'RE CONDUCTING JUST SPECIFICALLY HERE IN TROUP COUNTY. SO IN 2025, WE STOPPED APPROXIMATELY 11,227 CARS HERE IN TROUP COUNTY ALONE. WE ISSUED 5488 TRAFFIC CITATIONS, 6291 TRAFFIC WARNINGS WERE ISSUED TO INDIVIDUALS OUT HERE. 
          I KNOW EVERYONE THINKS THAT WE DON'T GIVE WARNINGS AND WE WRITE TICKETS TO OUR OWN MOTHERS. THAT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT TRUE, BUT WE DO ALSO GIVE OUT A LOT OF WARNINGS HERE. 158 DUI INVESTIGATIONS WERE CONDUCTED HERE IN TROUP COUNTY. WE INVESTIGATE APPROXIMATELY 1191 CRASHES IN TROUP COUNTY ALONE, AND UNFORTUNATELY, TEN OF THOSE WERE FATALITY CRASHES 
          [00:25:01]
WITH 13 FATAL VICTIMS, ALONG WITH OBVIOUSLY, GENERAL TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT THAT WE DO HERE. WE DO ENSURE THAT WE'RE OUT OPERATING IN THE COMMUNITY. HOPEFULLY, YOU GUYS ARE OUT THERE SEEING US. IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT GOES ON IN YOUR SPECIFIC AREAS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THE STATE PATROL BE A PART OF, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE. WE'LL BE GLAD TO GET A TROOPER TO YOUR AREAS. I AM AWARE OF KIA TRAFFIC. I AM AWARE OF INTERSTATE 85, SO THOSE TWO ARE PROBLEM AREAS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON. BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, YOU GUYS ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO REACH OUT TO US. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING. YES, SIR. YOUR OPINION ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN IN SPEEDING AND ALL IS IS IT GETTING BETTER OR ARE WE SEEING MORE ISSUES WITH THAT? SO, SO SPEEDING IS A VERY LOADED QUESTION, TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST WITH YOU. I BELIEVE THAT PART OF THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE FACING NOW IS A PROBLEM THAT WE CREATED. WE ALLOWED AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT THAT WAS POSTED ON THE SIGN IS NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU SEE LAW ENFORCEMENT OUT THERE ENFORCING. AND SO WHAT I MEAN IS WHEN YOU SEE A SPEED LIMIT SIGN THAT SAYS 55, THERE'S A GENERAL NOTION THAT NINE, YOU'RE FINE. TEN YOU GET THE PEN. THAT'S WHAT I WAS ALWAYS TOLD GROWING UP. ADDITIONALLY, PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF WHEN TROOPERS OR LAW ENFORCEMENT, SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES, LAW ENFORCEMENT, POLICE OFFICERS WILL BE OUT THERE ENFORCING ON SPECIFIC ROADWAYS. AND SO WHAT WE'VE KIND OF CREATED WAS THIS MONSTER OF RIDING AT TEN OVER OR 12/15 OVERS IS TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE, WHICH THE NUMBERS SHOW US THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE. I DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE THAT SPEEDING WILL EVER GO AWAY. I DO THINK THAT IT'S BECOMING A MORE PREVALENT ISSUE, BUT YOU MAY NOT SEE IT AS OFTEN BECAUSE LAW ENFORCEMENT IS OUT THERE AND WE'RE PULLED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS THAT WE CAN'T JUST BE SPECIFICALLY SEATED SOMEWHERE DEDICATED SPECIFICALLY TO SPEED DETECTION. 
          ALONG WITH SPEED DETECTION, WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF FATALITY VICTIMS FROM DISTRACTED DRIVING. 
          THAT SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON THEME THAT SEEMS TO BE ON THE RISE, ALONG WITH A LACK OF SAFETY RESTRAINTS, SEATBELT USAGE. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE THOSE NUMBERS ON THE SIGNS. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHO CREATES THEM. THAT SAYS 92% SEAT BELT USAGE FROM MY OFFICE. THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SEE. BUT THOSE THOSE THREE FACTORS ALONE ARE OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE FIGHTING EVERY DAY TO TRY TO KEEP THE PUBLIC SAFE, DISTRACTED DRIVING, SEATBELT USAGE AND SPEEDING ALONG WITH IMPAIRED DRIVING ARE FOR THE CAVEATS THAT REALLY DRIVE OUR DEPARTMENT. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK Y'ALL. WE APPRECIATE 
          [5. Discuss Approval of Resolution Authorizing Submission of Georgia DNR Recreational Trails 
Program (RTP) Grant (Lance Dennis)
]
Y'ALL HAVING US. ALRIGHT. HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE DAY. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, I WILL INVITE LANCE, DENNIS AND DENISE. YOU ARE YOU GUYS KNOW LANCE. ALL RIGHT. SO THIS IS FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION TO THE GEORGIA DNR FOR THE RECREATIONAL TRAILS PROGRAM GRANT. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING. IF YOU REMEMBER, WE CAME BEFORE YOU A FEW MONTHS AGO ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO APPLY FOR THE RTP GRANT, WHICH IS THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES. IT WAS A $200,000 GRANT, WHICH WAS CONSISTED OF 100 000 COMING FROM DNR, 100 000 IN A MATCH. WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MADE IT THROUGH PHASE ONE, THE HARDEST PHASE OF THAT. WE'RE INTO PHASE TWO, WHICH IS A LOT OF THE DOTTING THE I'S AND CROSSING THE T'S, WHICH IS THE SIGNATURE OF THE RESOLUTION FOR THE GRANT. 
          AT THAT STAGE. I WILL COME BEFORE YOU TONIGHT ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO SUBMIT THE RESOLUTION TO DNR, WHICH WOULD JUST REQUIRE THE COMMISSIONER TO SIGN OFF ON IT WITH YOUR APPROVAL. THIS GRANT, LIKE WE SAY, IS FOR TRAILS AT PINE ROAD PARK, A TRAILHEAD, SIGNAGE AND OUR MATCH OF THE $100,000 HAS BEEN COMMITTED BY LOVEJOY CAPITAL TO PAY THAT MATCH ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY, SO IT WOULD NOT BE OF ANY EXPENSE TO TROUP COUNTY. IS THIS GOING TO BE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF 109 ON THE PINE? ALL OF IT WILL BE ON THE PINE ROAD SIDE. ALL OF THIS WILL BE ON THE ON THE PINE ROAD PARK SIDE WHERE OKFUSKEE IS. YEAH. OKAY. AND THEY WILL BE A D A TRAIL HEADS THROUGH THERE FOR WALKING AND BIKING AND SOME THAT WERE ON THE EXISTING ORIGINAL MASTER PLAN THAT WAS DONE 2530 YEARS AGO. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THOSE TRAILS WITH THIS MONEY AND WITH THE MATCH FROM LOVEJOY CAPITAL. OKAY. HOW LONG IS THIS TRAIL IS GOING TO BE LANCE? I THINK THERE'S ABOUT APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES OF TRAILS IN THERE. THAT SOUND ABOUT RIGHT, DENISE, WITH. YEAH. SO THEY CAN GET FOR AS LONG AS THEY HAVE TO STICK TO THE PLAN AND MAKE SURE IT'S SUSTAINABLE. THE THE GRADE WHERE THEY CUT IT OUT AT, THAT'S THE HARD PART. THEY HAVE TO STICK TO WHAT WAS ON THAT ORIGINAL MASTER PLAN. AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE COURT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR HORSEBACK RIDING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF PIONEER PARK, ONLY ON THE NORTH SIDE. SO THESE TRAILS WILL BE LIMITED TO PEDESTRIAN AND MOUNTAIN BIKERS ONLY. AND JUST JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION TOO, THERE WAS A GRANT THAT WE HAD A INDEPENDENT 
          [00:30:03]
GROUP WRITE ON THEIR BEHALF FOR THE HORSE TRAIL SIDE FOR 7500 $0 THROUGH THE CHESTNUT FOUNDATION. THEY RECEIVED THE GRANT AND THEY HAVE ALREADY STARTED WORKING OUT ON THE RED TRAIL. THEY'RE REGRADING IT AND CLEARING IT MORE TO MAKE IT MORE SUSTAINABLE FOR THE HORSES THERE. SO THAT WAS ANOTHER ONE THAT WAS AT ZERO EXPENSE TO THE COUNTY. AND WE'RE BLESSED TO HAVE THAT ONE AS WELL. THAT WAS OUT THAT WAY THIS WEEKEND. AND ALL THE LANDSCAPING THAT'S WENT WENT OUT THERE ALONG 109 AND AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE PARK LOOKED REALLY GOOD TO. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SIR. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP WE'LL INVITE JAY ANDERSON TO 
          [6. Discuss Harris County Parking Lot Expansion (Jay Anderson)]
DISCUSS THE HARRIS COMPLEX PARKING LOT EXPANSION. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING. GEORGE HARRIS. BASEBALL COMPLEX NEEDS TO SOME MORE PARKING SPACES TO ACCOMMODATE OUR OUR OWN PARKS AND REC LEAGUES THAT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AS WELL AS THE WEEKEND TRAVEL TOURNAMENTS. WE'RE SHORT PARKING. PEOPLE ARE PARKING ALL OVER THE PLACE, HOPPING THE CURBS. THE STAFF HAS WORKED WITH HARRIS GRAY ENGINEERING AND WE HAVE CREATED A NEW SITE PLAN THAT IS GOING TO ADD 129 MORE PARKING SPOTS. AND FOR THAT 129, THAT'S THAT'S OUR EXISTING PARKING LOT RIGHT THERE. IF YOU COME IN, HARRIS, THERE'S THE ENTRANCE, JAMES'S HIGHLIGHTING, AND YOU CAN EITHER GO TO THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT. IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IT, MOST OF YOU ARE. THE NEXT PAGE SHOWS THAT IF YOU WENT IN AND WENT TO THE RIGHT, WE CAN ADD 41 MORE PARKING SPACES IN THOSE AREAS RIGHT THERE THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED. SO IT'LL BE 41 ON THE SOUTH SIDE OR THE RIGHT SIDE, AND THEN TO THE NORTH OR LEFT SIDE. WE CAN GET, I BELIEVE IT'S 88 MORE, WHICH ADDS UP TO 129. WE BASICALLY CAN TAKE THAT WHOLE PARKING LOT RIGHT THERE AND MAKE IT A LITTLE WIDER, AND THEN ALSO EXTEND IT ALL THE WAY TO JUST IN FRONT OF THE BATTING CAGE THAT'S RIGHT THERE. AND SO, SO THAT GIVES US A TOTAL OF 129 MORE PARKING SPACES THAT WE CAN ADD. AND THEN WE'VE, WITH JAMES'S HELP, WE'VE PUT A BUDGET TOGETHER. IT'S A $209,615 TO DO THE WORK. AND SO TONIGHT WE'D ASK PERMISSION TO ACCEPT THAT BUDGET OR APPROVE THAT BUDGET AND PERMISSION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT. 
          WE PLAN ON DOING IT DURING THE SUMMER AS SOON AS OUR SPRING SEASON IS OVER, WHICH IS PRETTY SOON WHEN SCHOOL GETS OUT AND GET IT DONE DURING THE SUMMER BEFORE FALL BALL STARTS. WHAT WAS GOING ON LAST NIGHT AT THE BASEBALL AND HOUSTON? IT WAS. LAST NIGHT WAS JUST REGULAR NIGHT OF BASEBALL. IT WAS. YES, THAT'S THAT'S THAT'S THE REGULAR NIGHT. LIKE THE REASON I SAY I GOT A PHONE CALL LAST NIGHT AND THEY SAID THEY WAS JUST WHAT JAY JUST MENTIONED. 
          PEOPLE PARK ON THE GRASS, NO PARKING SPOTS. AND THAT WAS ON HARRIS AND SHUFORD. YEAH. 
          SHUFORD SHUFORD IS SAYING, I DON'T KNOW IF SOMETHING SPECIAL WAS GOING ON LAST NIGHT BECAUSE IT WAS A LOT OF THEM ARE DOWN TO THE FIVE AND SIX YEAR OLDS ARE GETTING DOWN TO THEIR LAST GAME OF THE SEASON. AND WHEN IT GETS TO THAT LAST GAME, EVERYBODY WHO DIDN'T SEE THEM ALL SEASON, GRANDMOTHERS, EVERYONE TRIES TO COME OUT. AND, YOU KNOW, FOR ONE CHILD AND SOME OF THOSE YOUNGER AGE GROUPS HAVE 10 OR 15 CARS FOR THAT ONE CHILD. AND YEAH, AND IT'S JUST AS BAD AT SHUFORD TOO. WE, WE KNOW WE HAVE A PROBLEM THAT WE'LL HAVE TO ADDRESS EVENTUALLY OVER THERE AS WELL. OKAY. THIS WILL HELP THERE. AND, AND I STARTED WORKING WITH THE STAFF SOME TOO. WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT LIKE IT. WE MAY TRY TO STAGGER SOME OF OUR TEE BALL GAME STARTING AS EARLY AS 530 SO WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERLAP IN THERE. YOU KNOW, SOME WANT THAT EXTRA TIME TO GET HOME FROM WORK. BUT YOU KNOW THE TEE BALLERS, THEY JUST WANT TO BAT. IT'S OKAY IF THEY COME A LITTLE LATE, BUT SO WE MAY TRY TO START THEIR GAMES AT 530 NEXT YEAR JUST TO EVEN WITH THESE SPOTS TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN OVERLAP. SO WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, IT GETS IT GETS DANGEROUS WITH AMBULANCE, FIRE TRUCKS, STUFF LIKE THAT. BECAUSE PEOPLE WE DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO MAN THE PARKING LOT AND, YOU KNOW, GET PEOPLE OFF THE GRASS, GET PEOPLE OFF THE CURBS. AND IT, IT GETS A LITTLE DANGEROUS OUT THERE AT TIMES, BUT WE'VE BEEN PACKING THEM IN THERE AND IT'S, IT'S PRETTY CONTINUOUS. I KNOW YOU HAVE A LIKE A 6:00 GAME GOES TO SEVEN AND YOUR 7:00 GAME SHOWS UP AT 645. THAT'S THE. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH THE OVERLAP RIGHT THERE. AND LIKE I SAY, I'M, I'M GOING TO TRY TO START THOSE TEE BALL GAMES NEXT YEAR AT 530 SO THAT THAT WHOLE GROUP WILL BE LEAVING AROUND 630 AS THE OTHERS ARE STARTING TO COME FOR THE 7:00 OLDER ADULT GAME AND ADULT GAMES AND STUFF. WELL, THE GOOD NEWS WE DO, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER IS THAT, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE STREET, YOU'VE GOT THE HAIR, YOU'VE GOT THE ACTIVE LIFE, AND THERE'S A PRETTY LARGE PARKING LOT THERE. PEOPLE JUST TYPICALLY ARE TOO LAZY TO PARK THERE. THEY'LL JUST PARK ON THE GRASS INSTEAD. AND SO THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM. AND AGAIN, THIS WILL JUST PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SPACES TO AUGMENT THAT. IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA TO START LOOKING AT SHUFORD FIELD TO SEE WHERE WE CAN EXTEND SOME EXTRA 
          [00:35:03]
PARKING OVER ON THAT SIDE, TOO. YES, SIR. I MEAN, HOW MANY PARKING SPACES ARE THERE AT AT HARRIS RIGHT NOW? DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT NUMBER IS 400 AND THOSE NUMBERS. ANOTHER THING I DIDN'T MENTION WHILE JAMES IS DOING IT IS JAMES'S CREW CREWS ARE DO A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THIS WORK. SO THE MORE THAN THIS, IF WE CONTRACTED IT OUT. BUT WE'RE WE'RE MANAGING IT OURSELVES, SUBCONTRACTING PARTS OURSELVES AND THEN JAMES'S CREW DOING THE REST. AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S THE 209,000. IT'D BE PROBABLY DOUBLE THAT IF WE JUST HIRED A CONTRACTOR AND PUT IT ALL OUT. BUT JAMES'S CREW IS GOING TO PROBABLY DO HALF THE WORK. YEAH, MOST OF THAT'S JUST THE MATERIALS IN THE BUDGET TO DO THE WORK, BECAUSE THE LABOR AND THE EQUIPMENT WE'VE ALREADY GOT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. AND THE FUNDING WILL COME FROM SPLOST FIVE, JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR. IS THAT OUT OF THE PARKS AND REC BUDGET, OR IS THAT IT'S OUT OF OUR COUNTY WIDE RESURFACING PARKING LOTS ROAD BUDGET. OKAY, GOOD. THE ONLY MAIN PART THAT WE'RE SUBBING OUT IS THE CONCRETE WORK, THE CURB AND GUTTER AND SIDEWALKS AND SOME WATER FLUMES THAT HELP CONTROL THE STORMWATER. SO IT'S, IT'S THE CONCRETE WORKS, REALLY THE, THE MAIN THING THAT WE'RE SUBBING OUT, JAMES'S CREWS WILL DO SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE REST. 
          SO WE'LL BE DONE. THAT'S WHY HE HAD TO HELP ME PULL THE NUMBERS TOGETHER. ON HOW MUCH GAB BASE, HOW MUCH ASPHALT, A LITTLE BIT OF STRIPING, A LOT OF THOSE NUMBERS JAMES HELPED ME PUT TOGETHER. WE DONE. BY THE TIME FALL BALL STARTS, THAT IS OUR GOAL. YES, OUR GOAL IS ONCE THIS IS DONE, THEN WE'LL GO BACK OVER THE ENTIRE PARKING LOT IN AN ENTRYWAY WITH THE RESURFACING AND RESTRIPING, WHICH NEEDED TO BE DONE ANYWAY. SO THE NEW STRIPING WILL GO EXACTLY WHERE THE OLD IS NOW, CORRECT? YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. 
          [7. Discuss Transfer of FAA Airport Improvement Program Entitlement Funds (Dexter Wells)]
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT, I'D LIKE TO DEXTER WELLS UP TO DISCUSS THE FAA AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING HERE THIS MORNING. 
          TO ASK PERMISSION TO TRANSFER FUNDS ENTITLEMENT FUNDS FOR AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT TO ANOTHER SPONSOR IN THE STATE. SO LET ME BACK UP. THESE ARE NOT FUNDS THAT WE HAVE. THESE ARE FUNDS THAT ARE BASICALLY SET ASIDE FOR TROUP COUNTY. THEY'RE SET ASIDE FOR AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR SAFETY THAT ARE APPROVED BY GDOT AND THE FAA. THE CURRENT PROJECT WE ARE WORKING ON IS A LIGHT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ON TAXIWAY ALPHA. THEY HAVE EXPANDED THE SCOPE OF THAT PROJECT TO INCLUDE SOME MAINTENANCE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THE TAXIWAY. SO THAT IS GOING TO EXTEND THE START OF THAT PROJECT UNTIL AFTER THESE 2022 FUNDS EXPIRE. BECAUSE WE ARE A BLOCK GRANT STATE, WE ARE ASKING PERMISSION FOR THESE FUNDS TO BE DESIGNATED BACK TO GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO BE SENT TO ANOTHER AIRPORT IN GEORGIA. NOW, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DID NOT DO THIS IS THESE FUNDS WOULD NOT GO TO TROUP COUNTY. THEY WOULD REVERT BACK TO THE FAA AND WOULD NOT STAY IN THE STATE. 
          IN THE PAST, THIS HAS BEEN MORE OF A HOUSEKEEPING ISSUE THAT WAS DONE. THE NEW REQUIREMENTS, THE NEW FORM THAT YOU SEE, THE RESOLUTION IS REQUIRED BY THE FAA FOR EACH SPONSOR TO OFFICIALLY SAY THAT THESE FUNDS CAN BE COMMITTED TO A DIFFERENT AIRPORT. I MET WITH THE FAA OR GDOT LAST MONTH. THEY PLAN TO HAVE THE TENTATIVE ALLOCATION IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS BACK TO THE COUNTY, SO WE CAN GO FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT ON THE TAXIWAY. THIS JUST ALLOWS THEM TO USE THE MONEY WHERE IT'S NEEDED IN THE STATE FOR THESE FUNDS EXPIRED. AND I ASSUME BY DOING THIS, WE'LL KEEP IN THE GOOD GRACES OF THE FAA. WE WILL. THIS HAS BEEN DONE MANY TIMES. 
          IT WAS. IT'S BEEN DONE FOR US. WHEN WE DID THE EXTENSION ON THE RUNWAY. IT'S KIND OF WEIRD HOW THE FEDERAL FUNDS WORK. THEY WORK IN BUCKETS. LIKE I SAID, THIS IS FISCAL YEAR 22 MONEY. IT DOESN'T TRANSLATE TRANSITION OVER TO 23, 24, 25. THEY HAVE BUCKETS. THEY EXPIRE AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME. AND SO THEY TRY TO USE THESE AROUND THE STATE ON PROJECTS THAT ARE APPROVED IN THE. IN THE ORDER THAT THEY NEED TO GET DONE FOR SAFETY FOR THE DIFFERENT AIRPORTS AROUND THE STATE. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. WE'LL 
          [00:40:10]
TAKE THIS UP THIS EVENING THEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. ALRIGHT. NEXT UP, I'LL INVITE 
          [8. Discuss 2026 Burn Building (Rodney Evans)
]
RODNEY EVANS TO DISCUSS THE 2026 BERM BUILDING EXPANSION. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. I'M HERE TODAY TO REQUEST PERMISSION TO PURCHASE A NEW BARN BUILDING. AS YOU KNOW, OUR CURRENT BARN BUILDING WAS PURCHASED IN 1999 AND HAS BEEN OUT OF COMMISSION FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS DUE TO THE PANELS BEING DISCONTINUED IN THE BARN ROOM. AS A RESULT, WE'VE BEEN RELYING ON NEIGHBORING DEPARTMENTS TO CONDUCT OUR ANNUAL LIVE FIRE TRAINING. 
          CURRENTLY, WE SEND OUR NEW CERTIFIED RECRUITS TO THE FIRE ACADEMY FOR TRAINING THAT CAN COST ABOUT $12,000 PER STUDENT. BY PURCHASING THIS NEW BUILDING, WE COULD GAIN FLEXIBILITY TO CONDUCT OUR OWN LIVE FIRE TRAINING AND HOLD REGULAR TRAINING SESSIONS IN A MORE REALISTIC ENVIRONMENT. AND ADDITIONALLY, THAT WOULD GIVE US THE OPTION IF WE CHOOSE TO DRAW ON RECRUIT CLASSES IN THE FUTURE. THE TOWER SECTION. THE OLD BUILDING IS STILL IN PRETTY GOOD CONDITION. WE'VE LOOKED IT OVER, SO WE PLAN TO HAVE IT SANDED, REPAINTED, AND THREE OF THE OUTWARD DOORS AND ONE OF THE INWARD DOORS WERE PLACED ON IT. WE ALSO INTEND TO REMOVE ALL THE PANELS THAT ARE IN THE BURN ROOM THAT ARE OUTDATED, AND THAT WOULD CREATE A HALLWAY TO THE NEW BUILDING THAT WOULD CONNECT THEM. THIS WILL BE A SPLOST FIVE PURCHASE, AND THE COMPANY DOING IT WOULD BE FIRE FRAME OUT OF SOUTH CAROLINA. ALL THE SITE WORK WOULD BE HANDLED BY MR. JAMES AND ROAD DEPARTMENT. WE APPRECIATE HIM WORKING WITH US ON THAT. ANY QUESTIONS? SO HAVE THE NEW. THE NEW SECTION WOULD TIE INTO THE EXISTING. WHERE THE BURN ROOM WAS BEFORE IS THAT IT'LL RUN. IT'LL ACTUALLY. THE HALLWAY WOULD ACTUALLY CONNECT INTO THE BURN ROOM RIGHT THERE, AND THEN IT WOULD RUN EAST AND WEST STRAIGHT TOWARD 27. YEP. JUST LIKE THAT. SO IT WOULD TIE TO THE TITLE. WOULD THE EXISTING BURN ROOM STILL STAY? IT WILL STAY. WOULD USE THAT AS AN ACTUAL HALLWAY TO GO INTO THE NEW TOWER. WE'D ACTUALLY USE ALL OF IT. THAT ROOM RIGHT THERE WOULD BE THE ONE THAT WOULD CONNECT TO THE BURN ROOM. 
          WHAT'S WHAT'S THE TOTAL COST OF THE PROJECT? TOTAL COST WOULD BE $200,000. AND IT'S COMING OUT OF WHAT, SPLOST FIVE, WHAT'S EXPECTED LIFE OF THIS FACILITY. THE BURN ROOMS ARE TYPICALLY ABOUT TEN YEARS. THERE'S TWO OF THEM AND THE REST OF THEM ARE ABOUT 20. SO YOU CAN JUST REPLACE THE BURN ROOMS ON IT. SO LET ME ASK, WHY DON'T WE JUST NOT COME OUT OF CAPITAL SINCE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL IS GOING TO LAST FOR A GOOD WHILE. IT'S IT, IT COULD CERTAINLY I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, I MEAN, IT, IT IS A WE HAVE BUILDINGS AND RENOVATIONS IN WITHIN THE SPLOST FIVE CATEGORY FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS. WE ALSO HAVE VEHICLES AS WELL. SO I MEAN, IT COULD COME FROM EITHER CATEGORY DEPENDING ON THE THE WILL OF THE BOARD. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. WOULD THAT PRICE. EVERYTHING'S PAINTED THE SAME FROM THE. YES. 
          WE'LL HAVE EVERYTHING PAINTED THE SAME. IT'LL ACTUALLY INSTEAD OF THE YELLOW IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE RED. WE'LL HAVE IT BUILDING AND A TOWER BOTH BE PAINTED BLACK AND ALL THE HANDRAILS AND ALL THE DOORS WILL BE RED. ALL RIGHT. IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, WE'LL TAKE THIS UP THIS EVENING THEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, I'LL INVITE 
          [9. Discuss Troup County Jail Infrastructure & Improvement Project Funding Request (Jon Whitney)]
MEMBERS OF THE TROUP COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, I GUESS, BRIAN, ARE YOU HANDLING THAT? ALL RIGHT. TO DISCUSS THE JAIL INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS? GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING. WE'RE HERE TO REQUEST SOME EXTRA FUNDS TO HELP HELP REBUILD THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. BASICALLY, WE GOTTA REMODEL A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS. WE GOT IT BROUGHT UP. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE AREA, BUT I'LL GO A BRIEF SUMMARIZATION OF EVERYTHING ON ONE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT WE REPLACE EVERY SINGLE YEAR. THE TILTS GET IN THE KITCHEN NEEDS TO BE GREATLY REPLACED. FRONT LOBBY FLOORS COMING UP ON THE VCT TILE. IT'S DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. DOOR IS IN UNIT MIC AND JUST SKIP AROUND UNIT H AND L, NEW LOCKS AND HINGES FOR MIKE AND NEW LOCKS FOR L AND K. WELL, L AND M. WE GOT DIFFERENT. A LOT OF PIECES OF BROKEN GLASS. THE FACILITY WE'RE TRYING TO 
          [00:45:03]
REPLACE AND IT'S ABOUT IT. SO JUST YEAH, CAMERAS. THE CAMERAS ARE INCLUDED AS WELL. SO I WILL SAY THIS. SO MAYBE THREE MONTHS AGO WE ALL MET AND WENT THROUGH THIS LIST FOLLOWING THE BOARD RETREAT. AND WE HAVE PRIORITIZED ITEMS ON ON THE LIST. AND THE GOAL IS TO TRY TO TACKLE A LION'S SHARE OF THE ITEMS THIS YEAR. I WILL SAY AGAIN, I'M GOING TO APPLAUD BRIAN. BRIAN IS IS A GO GETTER, BUT I'VE ALSO TOLD BRIAN HE NEEDS TO LET GO OF SOME AS WELL. 
          LET'S LET SOME OF THE FOLKS COME IN AND GIVE HIM A HAND. SO A LOT OF THE PROJECTS WILL BE DONE BY A CONTRACTOR TO FREE UP BRIAN FOR DAY TO DAY MAINTENANCE. AND SO OUR GOAL TONIGHT IS TO COME TO YOU TO ASK FOR PERMISSION TO AUTHORIZE ME AS A COUNTY MANAGER, TO SPEND UP TO 1.75 MILLION TOWARDS IMPROVEMENTS AT THE TROUP COUNTY JAIL. TYPICALLY, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS, IS THAT EVERY TIME THAT HE WOULD ACCOMPLISH ONE OF THOSE TASKS, HE WOULD HAVE TO COME BEFORE THE BOARD EVERY TIME TO HELP EXPEDITE THE PROCESS. WE'D LIKE TO ASK FOR A UP TO $1.75 MILLION FUNDING MECHANISM, WHICH WILL COME FROM CAPITAL, THAT THEY CAN MOVE FORWARD AS PROJECTS BECOME GET BID OUT AND THEY'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD. 
          WE COULD GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD AS PROJECTS ARE ACCOMPLISHED. WE'LL CERTAINLY KEEP YOU GUYS IN THE LOOP AND UPDATE YOU GUYS ON THE PROJECTS AS THEY'RE ACCOMPLISHED. BUT BRIAN WOULD SERVE AS THE THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THESE PROJECTS IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL CONTRACTORS, AS WELL AS THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. IF I CAN JUST DO THAT, WHAT HE'S GOT IT DIVIDED UP IN. DID Y'ALL Y'ALL GOT A COPY OF THIS, CORRECT? YES, HE'S GOT IT. 
          HE'S GOT IT INTO THREE SECTIONS. THE FIRST ONE IS A IS A BREAKDOWN OF IT. EVERYTHING'S VERY SPECIFIC. AND THEN THIS ONE, WHEN YOU GET TO THIS ONE, THAT RIGHT THERE IS A SUMMARY. 
          AND IF YOU'LL SEE HERE, I'M HOPING THAT WOULD HELP YOU UNDERSTAND IT BETTER. WHEN YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT. WE JUST GOT IT ON. YOU GOT PAPER COPY TO UP HERE UP HERE. BUT I'LL GET YOU ANOTHER ONE. YOU GOT ONE THAT MAKES SENSE. KIND OF HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT. AND AND THEN THE OTHER, THE FINAL PAGE, IF YOU SEE THIS PAGE RIGHT HERE, IT'S I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN PULL IT UP OVER THERE WHERE IT'S GOT THE. THAT'S FOR NEXT YEAR'S CONSIDERATIONS. BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE BEYOND THE 1.5. WE JUST KNEW THAT ULTIMATELY THEY COULDN'T ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING WITHIN ONE YEAR, JUST THE CAPACITY. AND SO WE TACKLED. WE FELT LIKE WE PRIORITIZED THE ITEMS. AND BETWEEN MYSELF AND BRIAN AND JOHN WHITNEY, WE WERE ABLE TO PRIORITIZE THE SECTIONS WE FELT THAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISH OVER THIS, THIS YEAR PERIOD. AND IF I COULD ADD ONE MORE THING, SOME OF THIS INCLUDES HIM DOING A LOT OF WORK, OUR MAINTENANCE GUYS TO TRY TO SAVE ON COST, WHAT, WHAT HE'S ABLE TO DO AND DO DO EFFICIENTLY. SO. SO ON THE SUMMARY PART, IT THAT'S NO PARTICULAR I MEAN, THESE ARE JUST EVERYTHING. YES, YES, YES. IN ORDER OF PRIORITY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BREAKDOWN ON WHAT WAS PRIORITIZED. LIKE. YES SIR. IT'S ACTUALLY ON THE DOCUMENT. BUT I, I CAN MAKE YOU A COPY. ANOTHER COPY. PLEASE DO EVERYTHING. RED IS MORE PRIORITY. I KNOW Y'ALL BEEN WORKING ON THIS TOO. IS SOME OF IT ALREADY READY? EVERYTHING. WELL, WE GOT EVERYTHING FOR QUOTES, BUT EVERYTHING WE'VE ALREADY COMPLETED, THERE HAS BEEN AT LEAST PROBABLY 7 OR 8 TASKS THAT WAS ON HERE THAT WE'VE COMPLETED IN THE LAST 3 OR 4 MONTHS. CAN WE GET AN UPDATE? YES, SIR. OKAY, JUST GIVE ME A MOMENT. ONE THING WE'RE GOING TO DO, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS PUTTING CAMERAS BACK IN THE DAY ROOMS. I WOULD CERTAINLY INVITE YOU ALL TO COME DOWN. AND ERIC AS WELL. HE COMES DOWN SOMETIMES, BUT. AND WALK THROUGH AND LET US SHOW YOU EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. I KNOW IT'S ONE THING TO HEAR IT HERE ON PAPER, BUT COME DOWN THERE, LET US SHOW YOU WHERE WE'RE GOING TO PUT CAMERAS AND WHY WE'RE GOING TO INVEST PROBABLY OVER $100,000 ON A BODY SCANNER. WE'RE CURRENTLY TALKING TO OTHER SHERIFF'S OFFICES ACROSS THE STATE THAT WILL HELP PICK UP PEOPLE TRYING TO BRING DRUGS INTO THE JAIL BY INSERTING THEM IN THEIR CAVITIES. AND SO THAT WILL HELP US WITH OUR DRUG PROBLEM AND OVERDOSES AS WELL DOWN THERE. SO I APPRECIATE Y'ALL WORKING WITH US. I APPRECIATE ERIC AND ALL HIS WORK AND TRYING TO HELP SPEARHEAD THIS, BECAUSE WE'RE JUST TRYING TO KEEP DRUGS OUT OF OUR JAIL AND IT TO BE AS SAFE A PLACE AS IT CAN BE. AND KNOW WHAT NO JAIL CAN SAY. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE VIOLENCE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS. BUT THIS JAIL IS OVER 30 YEARS OLD. SOME OF THE STUFF IS OUTDATED. AND THANK Y'ALL FOR HELPING US TRY TO BRING IT UP TO CODE AGAIN. APPRECIATE THAT. BRIAN, WHEN YOU COME TONIGHT, WOULD YOU MIND BRINGING SOME PAPER COPIES OF YOUR OF WHAT YOU'VE SHARED? GOT THEM RIGHT HERE. OH, GREAT. SO. THANK YOU SIR. I'LL NEED ANOTHER COPY. I NEED ALL THE 
          [00:50:10]
QUOTES ON THE WHEN YOU GOT WHEN YOU GOT SUBS COME IN AND DO THE WORK. HOW IS THAT. THAT'S PRETTY TIME CONSUMING. GET ME IS WHAT IT WOULD BE MADE OUT OF. SUPERVISOR. YEAH. OR YOU GOTTA, YOU GOTTA GET HIM IN TO GET HIM IN THE CELL OR WHATEVER THEY GO. AND YOU KNOW, IT'S PRETTY. I'VE DONE IT. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. IT'S TOUGH. YEAH. YOU KNOW THAT PAIN, EVEN IF SOMEBODY ELSE DO IT. BUT WE HAVE STAFF THAT CAN COME IN AND ENSURE SECURITY. BUT. I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO HAVE STAFF STAY WITH THEM ALL THE TIME. WELL YEAH, BECAUSE YOU'RE MOVING INMATES. THAT'S ANOTHER CHALLENGE. YOU GOTTA MOVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW. AND WE'LL BE CLEARING DORM WITH NO INMATES IN IT. JUST TAKE A BITE AT A TIME. YEAH. I MIGHT SUGGEST THAT IT PROBABLY WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA THAT IF WE APPROVE THAT TONIGHT, UP TO THAT AMOUNT THAT YOU SOMEHOW THAT WE ARE NOTIFIED AND I'M GOING TO USE THE WORD IMMEDIATELY. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW AS WE AS WE GO ALONG THIS PROCESS, WHAT WE'VE APPROVED AND WHAT WE'RE SPENDING. SO WE'RE WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW THIS. THE SAME PROTOCOL WE USE FOR SPLOST AND CAPITAL. 
          NOW YOU GUYS GET EMAILS FOR EVERY EVERY EXPENDITURE FOR CAPITAL AND SPLOST OVER $500. 
          RAMONA SENDS THEM OUT WEEKLY, I BELIEVE. OKAY. I THINK THAT'D BE GOOD. JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT WE'VE SPENT ON THAT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK AND 
          [10. FY27 Budget Department Requests (Sonya Conroy)]
THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. ALL RIGHT. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO SONYA CONROY NOW BECAUSE DISCUSSED THE FY 27 BUDGET REQUEST AS PART OF THE NORMAL BUDGET PROCESS, WE TAKE A WORK SESSION TO INVITE OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES TO COME SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THE INCREASE THAT THEY HAVE REQUESTED. SO TODAY, WE WILL HAVE THE ATTORNEY AND THE PUBLIC DEFENDER AND THE CLERK OF COURT. AND RICK, DO YOU WANT TO GO FIRST? OKAY. I HATE YOU ALL. I'M HOPING TO FOLLOW MR. CRANFORD BECAUSE I ALWAYS LIKE TO BE THE TRIES TO WAG THE DOG. 
          AND I CAN SEE KIND OF WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING. BUT, COMMISSIONERS, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. MY VOICE IS A LITTLE BIT GRAVELLY. I THINK THIS POLLEN HAS GOTTEN TO ME THIS YEAR WORSE THAN IT EVER HAS. I'M ASKING THE COMMISSION TO GIVE ME AN MORE THIS YEAR. OF COURSE, I IMAGINE YOU EXPECTED THAT, BUT I'M ASKING YOU TO. AND I REDONE MY FIGURE SINCE I MET WITH MR. MOSLEY AND MISS CONROY BEFORE. INITIALLY, I WAS ASKING FOR A TOTAL BUDGET OF $932,431. BUT I HAVE LOOKED AT EVERYTHING. THERE WERE SOME MISTAKES IN THAT. MY FIRST CALCULATIONS, AND I'M ASKING THE COMMISSIONERS TO GIVE ME A BUDGET OF $894,977.80. THAT IS $78,075.80 MORE THAN WHAT Y'ALL GAVE ME LAST YEAR. THE REASON FOR THE INCREASE IS I'M GOING TO TRY TO ADD ANOTHER ATTORNEY IN MY DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW. 
          I'VE GOT ONE OPENING. IT'S HARD TO FILL TROUP COUNTY OPENINGS FOR ATTORNEYS. FOR SOME REASON, I HAVE HAD MORE APPLICANTS IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS THAN I HAVE HAD IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ARE GOING ELSEWHERE FOR MORE MONEY. WE HAVE BEEN STARTING PEOPLE AT 65000 WITH THIS MONEY. THAT WOULD LET ME START PEOPLE AT 72. AT 72, THAT IS STILL BELOW WHAT OTHER COUNTIES ARE STARTING IS STILL BELOW WHAT THE NEW PAY SCHEDULES CAME OUT THROUGH THIS LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION. I BELIEVE THAT MR. CRANFORD AND I CAN'T THINK OF HIM, BUT I THINK THAT HE'S GOING TO LOOK UP AND GO INTO THOSE NEW PAY SCALES. I AM WORKING TOWARDS GETTING MY ATTORNEYS ON PAY PARITY WITH THE DA'S OFFICE, BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE IN THE PAST AND BECAUSE OF THE WAY THINGS ARE NOW, AND WITH ME BEING NEW, TRYING TO GET ACCLIMATED TO RUNNING THE NUMBERS AND STILL RUNNING A CASELOAD, IT IS GOING TO TAKE ME A COUPLE OF BUDGET CYCLES TO GET THROUGH THAT AND GET THAT DONE, BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU ALL TO KEEP THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. RIGHT NOW. I'VE GOT THREE ATTORNEYS HANDLING SUPERIOR COURT AND ONE HANDLING JUVENILE COURT CASES. I GAVE MISS WEST EARLIER A PACKET WITH WHAT I HAD PLANNED TO PRESENT TODAY, AND GAVE HER ENOUGH COPIES FOR EVERYBODY TO HAVE. I THINK IF YOU GO THROUGH THAT PACKAGE, YOU CAN SEE THAT I HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY TRANSPARENT, EVEN 
          [00:55:03]
SHOWING WHAT THE OLD STATE PAY SCALES WERE FOR ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS AND HAVE INCLUDED SPREADSHEETS. THAT'S WHERE MY PEOPLE, ALL OF MY PEOPLE ARE, INCLUDING MY STATE EMPLOYEES, THAT DON'T COME OUT OF THE COUNTY BUDGET WITHIN THIS LAST YEAR IN ORDER TO TRY TO SAVE SOME COUNTY FUNDS AND OR MOVE COUNTY FUNDS AROUND. I DID TAKE A PERSON THAT I HAD IN AN INVESTIGATOR SLOT HERE AND MOVE HER INTO A STATE SLOT THAT I HAD COME OPEN AND THEN HIRED AN INVESTIGATOR AT ABOUT THE SAME AS SHE WAS MAKING. SO THAT ADDED ANOTHER PERSON HERE TO HELP US GET THE CASES MOVED. RIGHT NOW, IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE MATERIALS, YOU CAN SEE THAT BASED ON AND I HAVE A BREAKDOWN THERE THAT BASED ON THREE ATTORNEYS. WE BASICALLY HAD OVER AN AVERAGE OF OVER 600 CASES PER YEAR PER ATTORNEY BASED ON FOR ATTORNEY. AND I HAVE THE FIGURES BROKEN OUT IN THERE. IT BRINGS IT DOWN. AND IF WE EVEN ADD THE NEW POSITION THAT I'M TRYING TO ADD, THEN THAT GETS ME DOWN TO 359 CASES PER ATTORNEY, WHICH IS STILL A LOT. ABA USED TO RECOMMEND 150 CASES PER ATTORNEY. NOW THEY HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM A PER CASE TYPE STANDARD TO A NUMBER OF HOURS THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK ON A CASE, DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF THE CASE OR THE SEVERITY OF THE CHARGES. AND I HAVE INCLUDED ALL OF THAT IN MY MATERIALS AS WELL. SO I'M ASKING YOU ALL TO GIVE ME THIS OTHER MONEY SO THAT I CAN DO THESE 3% INCREASES, COST OF LIVING INCREASES FOR THE PEOPLE I HAVE NOW, AND SO THAT I CAN TRY TO RECRUIT AND BRING OTHER PEOPLE IN. THANK YOU. GREAT. SO LET ME ASK YOU REAL QUICK. AS COMPARED TO COWETA COUNTY, CARROLL COUNTY, WHICH WE KNOW ARE MUCH LARGER POPULATIONS THAN WE ARE AS FAR AS JUST POPULATION, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE STACK UP WITH NUMBER OF CASES. 
          I'M TOO SCARED TO PROBABLY ASK THAT NUMBER, BUT HOW DO WE STAND WITH THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC DEFENDER'S LAWYERS AS COMPARED TO, SAY, THOSE COUNTIES RIGHT NOW? WE HAVE WE HAVE I'M NOT SURE WHAT CARROLL COUNTY IS DOING NOW THAT THEY HAVE SEPARATED OUT AND BECOME THE NEW NEW CIRCUIT IN COWETA COUNTY, WE WOULD STILL HAVE MORE ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDERS BECAUSE THEY GAVE ME TWO NEW POSITIONS LAST YEAR. COWETA COUNTY ADDED TWO LAST YEAR. YES, SIR. THEY HAD ONE THAT THEY HAD PARTIALLY FUNDED, AND THEN THEY HANDED ME A ANOTHER. IN ALL TRANSPARENCY, I HAD TO USE SOMEONE BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING VERY MANY RESUMES. I HAD TO USE SOME OF THAT MONEY OUT OF ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS TO BRING OTHER PEOPLE UP SO THAT I COULD RETAIN THEM, BECAUSE WE'RE CLOSE ENOUGH TO ATLANTA, THAT IT MAKES IT HARD TO TRY TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO COME DOWN HERE. AND WE'RE ALSO CAN'T COMPETE WITH THE SALARIES THAT ATLANTA IS PAYING. SO I DO SOMETHING IN ORDER TO NOT LOSE PEOPLE OUT HERE AND HERE IN TROUP COUNTY. RIGHT AFTER I TOOK OVER IN JANUARY OF OH FIVE, I LOST TWO ATTORNEYS, ONE THAT WAS A SEASONED ATTORNEY TO MUSKOGEE COUNTY. OF COURSE, THAT KIND OF LOST ONE TO CARROLL COUNTY AND ONE TO MUSKOGEE. AND SO IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT TO TRY TO GET PEOPLE. 
          THE LAST FOUR INTERVIEWS THAT I DID IN COWETA COUNTY, I SOLD ALL OF THOSE APPLICANTS THAT I HAD OPENINGS HERE IN TROUP COUNTY AND IN COWETA, AND MOST OF THEM LOOKED UP AND SAID, NO, WE'D BE INTERESTED IN COWETA, BUT NOT THE TROUP COUNTY. AND THAT'S JUST BECAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE WE'RE SEEING NOW ARE COMMUTING OUT OF ATLANTA. AND MOST OF THEM SAID THAT THE COMMUTE THAT THEY WEREN'T INTERESTED IN MOVING DOWN THIS FAR IN THE COMMUTE WOULD JUST BE TOO FAR FOR THEM. BASED ON A STARTING SALARY AT 65. ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT. 
          IF NOT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU COMING THIS MORNING. ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? AND I HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE TIME TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU A COUPLE AT A TIME OR EVERYBODY TIME OR HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DO IT. SO I CAN EXPLAIN. 
          A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DO OR HOW WE DO IT, AND HOW WE TRY TO CONDUCT WHAT WE HAVE TO GET DONE IN ORDER TO SAVE EVERYBODY MONEY. AND I WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY AT SOME POINT, TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY AND GO THROUGH OUR PROCESS AND WHAT WE DO. AND I ALSO WANT TO TELL YOU THAT IF YOU EVER HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY OFFICE OR MY DEPARTMENT, MY CELL PHONE STAYS WITH ME 247 EVEN WHEN I'M ON VACATION, IT IS. AND JUST FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME A CALL. THANK YOU SIR. COMMISSIONERS, I'M HERB CRANFORD, DA APPRECIATE Y'ALL HAVING ME HERE. I THINK YOU'RE GETTING MY MY ONE PAGE HANDOUT BUDGET REQUEST. THANK YOU. AND 
          [01:00:03]
IF I MAY, I'LL START OUT BY STEPPING OUT OF MY LANE A LITTLE BIT. I WOULD LIKE TO VOUCH FOR WHAT WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION AND SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAVE WORKED OUT FOR THE JAIL IMPROVEMENTS. YOU KNOW, THAT OBVIOUSLY RELATES TO WHAT OUR OFFICE DOES. AND FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I THINK THAT'S A WORTHWHILE EXPENDITURE. MAKING THOSE IMPROVEMENTS TO GET INTO MY BUDGET REQUEST. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE CURRENT BUDGET PROVIDED BY TROUP COUNTY, MOST OF WHICH IS FOR SALARIES, ABOUT 60,000 IS FOR OPERATING EXPENSES, BUT THE TOTAL AMOUNT IS A LITTLE OVER 1.3 MILLION. I'M REQUESTING AN INCREASE OF $337,620. THAT, IF APPROVED, WOULD BRING MY TOTAL APPROPRIATION FROM TROUP COUNTY TO 1,690,000 326,000. FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES. I'VE HAD SOME GOOD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNTY COMMISSION. I EXPECT THEM TO GIVE ME AN INCREASE WHICH WOULD BRING THEIR APPROPRIATION TO MY OFFICE TO ABOUT 1.8 MILLION. YOU ASKED ABOUT CASELOADS. I DON'T HAVE THIS ON THIS DOCUMENT. BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU KIND OF A SNAPSHOT, TROUP COUNTY GOING BACK TO 2012, THAT'S AS FAR BACK AS I'VE LOOKED. WE GET ABOUT A THOUSAND CASES FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE DA'S OFFICE EVERY YEAR. 
          THAT'S FROM THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. YOU KNOW, THE MULTIPLE MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND TROUP COUNTY, SOME FROM STATE PATROL THAT SPOKE EARLIER, SOME FROM GBI, BUT IT STAYED PRETTY CONSISTENT AT ABOUT A THOUSAND SINCE 2012. WHAT CHANGES AND HAS CHANGED, YOU KNOW, YEAR TO YEAR IS THE AMOUNT OF VIOLENT CRIME. AND JUST BY COMPARISON, THERE IS MORE VIOLENT CRIME HERE PER CAPITA THAN OTHER PLACES IN THE CIRCUIT. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT, IF OUR MEMORY SERVES CORRECT, 27 INDICTED MURDER CASES IN TROUP COUNTY ALONE. BY COMPARISON, I THINK WE'VE GOT MAYBE EIGHT IN COWETA COUNTY MURDER CASES. SO THE THERE'S A POPULATION DIFFERENCE. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN OVERALL CASELOAD. BUT I SUBMIT THE THE WORK REQUIRED IS SIMILAR FOR THE PEOPLE IN OUR OFFICE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MORE SERIOUS, COMPLICATED CASES TAKE MORE BANDWIDTH AND TAKE MORE HOURS TO PREPARE. AND FRANKLY, THOSE ARE THE CASES THAT GO TO TRIAL. I DON'T I DON'T THINK MOST PEOPLE DON'T WANT US CUTTING, CUTTING DEALS ON MURDER CASES, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S KIND OF A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH DAY IN, DAY OUT IN THE TROUP OFFICE. I'VE GOT SIX ASSISTANT DA'S IN THIS OFFICE CURRENTLY, ONE OF WHICH CANDIDLY IS IS A PART TIME ASSISTANT DA POSITION. AND THAT PERSON I EXPECT IS GOING TO PROBABLY RETIRE BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR. SO KIND OF WHAT I'M THINKING HERE IS I'M ASKING FOR TWO POSITIONS. ONE IS A FULL TIME ASSISTANT. DA, ONE IS A FULL TIME DA INVESTIGATOR. I WOULD LIKE TO HIRE SOMEBODY WITH PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE WITH CRIMINAL STREET GANGS. I THINK THAT THAT'S AN ISSUE WE'VE DEALT WITH HISTORICALLY ALL OVER THE CIRCUIT. WE CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT FOR OUR OFFICE IN THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE TO HIRE LAWYERS. AND THANKFULLY, I'M CURRENTLY FULL. I'VE HIRED TWO PEOPLE OUT OF LAW SCHOOL, SO WE'RE CURRENTLY FULL. I THINK THAT SITUATION IS GETTING BETTER COMPARED TO THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT IN THE SAME WAY THAT DA'S AND PUBLIC DEFENDER'S HAVE STRUGGLED TO HIRE LAWYERS, YOU KNOW, LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES HAVE SIMILARLY STRUGGLED TO, TO, TO GET PEOPLE HIRED. THEY HAVE THE SAME SIMILAR TURNOVER ISSUES. THESE ISSUES HAVE EXISTED ALL OVER GEORGIA, ALL OVER THE COUNTRY SINCE 2020 IN PUBLIC SAFETY. I THINK HIRING A AN INVESTIGATOR INTO A DA'S OFFICE MAY BE A LITTLE EASIER. I THINK IT'S ATTRACTIVE TO SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN INVESTIGATIONS TO GO FROM A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO A DA'S OFFICE. AND TO BE CLEAR, IT'S NOT I HAVEN'T HAD ANY SECRET CONVERSATIONS WITH ANYBODY LOCALLY. I'M NOT PLANNING ON POACHING ANYBODY OR ANYTHING. BUT I DO THINK IN MY EXPERIENCE, THAT THIS IS A WAY FOR US TO HELP. ON THE INVESTIGATION SIDE WITH SOME OF THE VIOLENT CRIME WE'VE BEEN SEEING, AND BY 
          [01:05:05]
HAVING SOMEBODY IN HOUSE, IT CAN REALLY HELP US TAKE A CASE WHERE AN ARREST WAS MADE. 
          THERE'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE FOR AN ARREST. AND IF I'VE GOT AN IN-HOUSE INVESTIGATOR, WE CAN TAKE THAT CASE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THAT HELPS US PROVE THE CASE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT IN FRONT OF A TRIAL JURY, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL THAN GETTING AN ARREST WARRANT. SO. 
          SO MY PLAN WOULD BE. TO HIRE ANOTHER FULL TIME ASSISTANT DA THIS YEAR WITH THIS FUNDING. IF I WERE TO GET IT WHEN THE CURRENT PART TIME ASSISTANT DA RETIRES NEXT YEAR, I WOULD THEN USE THE THE MUCH SMALLER AMOUNT OF MONEY I'M USING TO PAY THEM TO TO LESSEN ANY BUDGET REQUESTS I WOULD MAKE NEXT YEAR. FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE TO GIVE RAISES TO MY PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SO I, I WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THIS IS TO MAINTAIN THAT. SIX A DA'S IN THIS OFFICE FULL TIME, KNOWING THAT NEXT YEAR I'VE GOT A PART TIME PERSON THAT'S GOING TO BE STEPPING DOWN AND, AND THE INVESTIGATOR POSITION, I KNOW I'M OFTEN ASKED, YOU KNOW, PICK ONE. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU NEED MORE? WHAT'S THE PRIORITY? I THINK YOU ALL READ THE PAPER AS WELL AS I DO. I GENUINELY THINK THESE ARE BOTH SIGNIFICANT NEEDS FOR THIS OFFICE, GIVEN WHAT WE'RE FACING. AND WE HAVE HAD SOME ISSUES HIRING PEOPLE IN THE PAST. 
          AGAIN, WE'RE FULL NOW. I I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS. I'M INTERVIEWING A GUY NEXT WEEK THAT CURRENTLY WORKS FOR A JUDGE IN THE WEST GEORGIA AREA, NOT IN OUR CIRCUIT, BUT, BUT FOR A LOCAL JUDGE, HE WANTS TO BE A PROSECUTOR. SO I'VE GOT SOME OPTIMISM. IF I GET THIS ASSISTANT DA POSITION, I'LL BE ABLE TO FILL IT. THIS YEAR. I HAD A COUPLE COUPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME PEOPLE THAT I THINK ARE INTERESTED. THE THIRD ITEM IS TO GIVE ESSENTIALLY WHAT WOULD BE SOME COST OF LIVING RAISES TO THREE ASSISTANT DA'S CURRENTLY IN THE OFFICE AND SOME THE FOUR LEGAL ASSISTANTS IN THE OFFICE. I'VE GOT TWO DA INVESTIGATORS IN TROUP COUNTY CURRENTLY, AND ONE I'VE GOT IN A STATE FUNDED POSITION. THEY'RE MAKING OVER $86,000. THE OTHER IS MAKING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THAT. SO I DO WANT TO GIVE MORE THAN A COST OF LIVING RAISE TO, TO MY SECOND DA INVESTIGATOR TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP THAT PERSON. 
          THEY'RE VERY EXPERIENCED. THEY'VE GOT EXPERTISE IN DATA EXTRACTIONS FROM COMPUTERS AND CELL PHONES. THAT'S A VERY VALUABLE THING IN THE MODERN ERA OF PROSECUTION. YOU KNOW, WE WE TAKE A SUPERCOMPUTER OUT OF EVERYBODY'S POCKET, AND IT'S VERY VALUABLE EVIDENCE WISE. SO SO REALLY, REALLY WANT TO KEEP KEEP THAT GUY. A COUPLE OF THINGS. YOU ASKED MR. STAMPER ABOUT THAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO. THE. THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE STATE HAS INCREASED THE PAY SCALE FOR ASSISTANT DAS THAT ARE STATE FUNDED. RIGHT. OUR OFFICE GETS FUNDING FOR STATE EIGHT STATE PAID ASSISTANT DA'S. EVERYTHING ELSE COMES FROM A COMBINATION OF COUNTIES AND AND CITIES. TWO YEARS AGO, THE STATE PAY SCALE STARTED AT ABOUT 64,000, TOPPED OUT, I WANT TO SAY ABOUT 120,000 LAST YEAR. AND I'M THE DA'S ASSOCIATION BUDGET CHAIR. 
          SO I'M I'M THE ONE TESTIFYING AT THE LEGISLATURE EVERY YEAR. I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH WITH ALL OF THIS STUFF. BUT. LAST YEAR WE GOT THE STATE ASSISTANT DA PAY SCALE INCREASE TO START AT 72,000. AND NOW IT CAPS OUT AT 134,000. WE JUST IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT JUST FINISHED, WE GOT THEM TO INCREASE IT AGAIN. NOW THE STATE ADA PAY SCALE STARTS AT 78,000 AND CAPS OUT AT 154,000. SO, SO PART OF, I THINK WHAT THE PUBLIC DEFENDER AND I ARE CONTENDING WITH IS KEEPING UP WITH THAT SALARY PAY SCALE. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE 51 JUDICIAL CIRCUITS IN GEORGIA, 159 COUNTIES. EVERY ONE OF THOSE DA'S OFFICES GETS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF STATE FUNDED EMPLOYEES. IF OUR COUNTY FUNDED POSITIONS LAG BEHIND THE STATE PAY SCALE, JUST JUST PICK A A VERY RURAL COUNTY IN GEORGIA, THERE'S GOING TO BE AN 
          [01:10:02]
INCENTIVE TO GO WORK THERE IN A STATE POSITION OVER WORKING IN OUR OFFICE. SO IT PUTS US AT A COMPETITIVE DISADVANTAGE. SO WE WE'D REALLY BE COMPETING ON BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM, COMPETING WITH PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BE CLOSE TO THE METRO AREA AND COMPETING WITH DA'S OFFICES THAT PAY A LOT IN THE METRO AREA, BUT ALSO THEN COMPETING WITH, YOU KNOW, MORE RURAL OFFICES THAT TYPICALLY WE CAN OUTCOMPETE. NOW THEY'VE GOT STATE FUNDED POSITIONS THAT WOULD BE PAYING BETTER THAN OUR COUNTY FUNDED POSITIONS. SO SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH, WITH THE FUNDING Y'ALL GAVE ME LAST YEAR, I WAS ABLE TO HIRE SOMEBODY OUT OF LAW SCHOOL AND PAY HER THAT THAT HIGH 70S SALARY, WHICH AS THE DA BUDGET CHAIR, I KNEW THE LEGISLATURE WAS MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION. AND SIMILARLY, WITH THIS REQUEST, I'M ASKING FOR 170 000. THAT WITH EMPLOYER COSTS, WOULD ALLOW ME TO PAY SOMEBODY INTO SIX FIGURES, AND THAT'S TO TRY TO RECRUIT SOMEBODY THAT'S NOT FRESH OUT OF LAW SCHOOL, SOMEBODY THAT'S GOT SOME EXPERIENCE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE TO DO SOME TRAINING, CERTAINLY, BUT SOMEBODY THAT STANDS A BETTER CHANCE OF GETTING PLUGGED IN AND, AND BEING ABLE TO HANDLE SOME CASES AND, AND HELP US ADDRESS VIOLENT CRIME AND REPEAT OFFENDERS, FRANKLY. HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. BUT BUT I DO WANT TO KIND OF JUST REITERATE. WE'RE OUR GOAL IS TO, YOU KNOW, ATTACK REPEAT OFFENDERS, VIOLENT CRIME THAT'S GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE CIRCUIT, INCLUDING TROUP COUNTY AND, AND A GANG INVESTIGATOR IN OUR OFFICE, I THINK WOULD BE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THAT MISSION, AS WELL AS KEEPING US AT SIX FULL TIME ASSISTANT DAS WHEN OUR CURRENT PART TIME SIXTH ADA RETIRES NEXT YEAR. WE SAID THAT THE COUNTY HAD EIGHT MURDER CASES AND TWO COUNTY HAD 27 MURDER CASES. CORRECT. AND WHAT'S THE POPULATION OF COUNTY TO COUNTY? I THINK ROUGHLY 160,000, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          WHAT'S THE POPULATION OF AROUND 70,077, 70 ISH. THAT NUMBER'S JUST A LOT DIFFERENT. AND LIKE I SAID, WE WE WANT TO ATTACK THAT PROBLEM. AND, AND I THINK AN ASSISTANT DA THAT THAT MAKES MAKES MORE THAN THE FRESH OUT OF LAW SCHOOL RATE WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO, TO, TO KEEP US STAFFED TO HANDLE THAT. AGAIN, NOBODY WANTS SOMEBODY FRESH OUT OF LAW SCHOOL HANDLING A SERIOUS VIOLENT CRIME, RIGHT? TWO. WE THINK HAVING AN INVESTIGATOR IN THE OFFICE CAN REALLY SUPPLEMENT THE GOOD WORK THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO HELP US GET THOSE VIOLENT CRIMES CASES, YOU KNOW, OVER THE HUMP OF PROOF BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GOT THE PERCENTAGE OR NOT, BUT OUT OF THOSE 27 MURDER CASES, AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL IN TROUP COUNTY, BUT HOW MANY OF THOSE WOULD COME OUT OF THE THREE CITIES THAT ARE IN TROUP COUNTY VERSUS UNINCORPORATED AREA? I HAVE LOOKED AT THOSE NUMBERS. IT'S BEEN A MINUTE. SO. SO DON'T HOLD ME TO TO THIS. EXACTLY. BUT I WANT TO SAY, GENERALLY SPEAKING, SPEAKING BROADLY, ABOUT 50 ISH PERCENT OF VIOLENT CRIME COMES FROM MUNICIPALITIES. YEAH. AND IF YOU ADD IF YOU ADD IN MAYBE SOME OF THE SMALLER CITIES THAT MIGHT GO UP A LITTLE BIT. AND AS WE WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, AS SHERIFF WAS UP HERE DOING SOME RENOVATION STUFF AT THE JAIL, YOU KNOW, THE MORE PEOPLE IN THERE, THE MORE WEAR AND TEAR THAT IT GETS. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE HAD IS THE OVERCROWDEDNESS. 
          LOOKING AT THIS RIGHT HERE, I NOTICED LOOKING AT THE STATS FROM THE OTHER HANDOUT, IT'S INCREASING YEAR EVERY YEAR. SO WITH THE INCREASE THERE AND IN THE POPULATION OF THE JAIL, AND THEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME GETTING THEM PROCESSED THROUGH, HOW WOULD I GUESS EXPLAIN LIKE THE, THE, THE GANG INVESTIGATOR, IS THAT A LARGE NUMBER THAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THE IN OTHER WORDS, TO HAVE A SOMEONE STRICTLY TO THAT, IS THAT WHAT THAT'S FOR? TO TRY TO GET SOME OF THAT MOVE THROUGH FASTER. YEAH. I THINK I'LL SPEAK BROADLY. AND THEN PARTICULARLY, I THINK THE, THE MORE EXPERIENCED SKILLED PEOPLE I HAVE, WHETHER THAT'S DEA INVESTIGATORS OR ASSISTANT DA'S, THE MORE EFFICIENT WE CAN BE AND THE MORE CASES WE CAN RESOLVE MORE QUICKLY, INCLUDING TRYING TO TARGET INMATE CASES. AND THAT LOWERS THE JAIL POPULATION, WHICH YOU ALL 
          [01:15:05]
PROBABLY KNOW BETTER THAN ANYBODY, LOWERS THINGS LIKE MEDICAL COSTS AND LIABILITY COSTS. RIGHT. AND SO I THINK WE CAN REALLY HELP ON THAT SIDE OF THE LEDGER. IF I CAN KEEP MY OFFICE STAFF WITH WITH SKILLED, EXPERIENCED PEOPLE, I DO THINK WHETHER IT BE IN THE JAIL OR IN THE COMMUNITY, WE ARE SEEING CRIME THAT APPEARS TO BE MOTIVATED BY, YOU KNOW, GANG LOYALTIES AND RIVALRIES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. YEAH. SO, SO I, I WANT TO I WANT TO BRING IN A THIRD DA INVESTIGATOR, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE UPFRONT TO EVERYBODY HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          I THINK PARTICULARLY, I WOULD LIKE TO BRING IN SOMEBODY THAT HAS A BACKGROUND IN INVESTIGATING CRIMINAL STREET GANGS. AM I DOING THIS THOUGH? YOU FEEL LIKE IT WOULD SPEED UP THE PROCESS UP ALL OVER? I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. THE WAY I'VE DESCRIBED IT AT CIVIC GROUPS AND THINGS IS JURY TRIALS ARE THE ENGINE OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY WITH FELONIES. PEOPLE AREN'T LOOKING TO COME INTO COURT AND SAY, YES, I DID THIS, YOU KNOW, HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR IT. IT'S THE PROSPECT OF 12 RANDOM PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY HOLDING YOU ACCOUNTABLE, FINDING YOU ACCOUNTABLE, THAT MAKES PEOPLE MAKE THAT DECISION OF, WELL, OKAY, RATHER THAN A JURY FOUND ME GUILTY, I'LL PLEAD GUILTY BECAUSE I'LL GET A LITTLE BIT BETTER DEAL FROM THE DA AND THE JUDGE. RIGHT. SO I'VE HAD A RECENT EXAMPLE OF THIS. I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL READ IN THE PAPER, BUT A GUY PLED GUILTY TO MURDER LAST WEEK, I THINK, AND THIS WAS A MURDER THAT OCCURRED AT THE THE LAKE ACCESS POINT IN 2023. HE HAD GONE THROUGH A COUPLE DIFFERENT DEFENSE ATTORNEYS. THAT WAS PART OF THE DELAY. I TOOK ON THE CASE TO TRY IT PERSONALLY. WE HAD IT READY FOR TRIAL IN NOVEMBER, ENDED UP WITH SOME NEW DEFENSE ATTORNEYS. BUT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS ACTING LIKE HE WANTED A TRIAL THROUGHOUT. IT WAS ONCE WE GOT A TRIAL DATE ESTABLISHED FOR MAY 11TH, WE HAD MOTIONS SCHEDULED FOR LAST TUESDAY WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE RUBBER WAS BEGINNING TO MEET THE ROAD, YOU KNOW, AND SOME ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE WAS FOUND AS WE PREPARED FOR TRIAL. AND INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH MOTIONS LAST TUESDAY, HIS LAWYER WALKED IN AND SAID, HEY, HE'S DECIDED TO PLEAD GUILTY. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SENTENCING NEXT WEEK. SO I DON'T WANT TO SAY TOO MUCH PUBLICLY, BUT HE'S PLEADING GUILTY TO MURDER. AND THERE'S ONLY SO MANY. THERE'S A MINIMUM SENTENCE FOR THAT. RIGHT? THAT'S PRETTY SERIOUS. SO JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I'M COMMITTED TO TO COMING DOWN HERE AND TRYING SERIOUS CASES PERSONALLY TO TRY TO HELP RESOLVE THEM. BUT IF I'VE GOT SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING. THEM JUST SPENDING TIME ON ONE MURDER CASE AND PREPARING IT FORCES THAT DEFENDANT TO HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, SERIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER HE REALLY WANTS A TRIAL OR IF HE WANTS TO TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY TO AVOID THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE. YOU KNOW, HE STILL MAY GET LIFE, BUT IT MIGHT BE LIFE WITH PAROLE VERSUS LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE. RIGHT. AND SO, YEAH, THE MORE COMPETENT, EXPERIENCED PEOPLE I HAVE, THE MORE QUICKLY WE CAN MOVE THE CASELOAD AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF, OF INMATES. AND, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THE MORE QUICKLY WE RESOLVE THESE CASES WITH GOOD RESULTS, THAT SENDS A MESSAGE THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY THAT MY EXPERIENCE CREATES A, AN INCENTIVE TO NOT COMMIT CRIME. I APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTION, THOUGH. LET ME ASK YOU THIS QUESTION. I KNOW JUST A SHORT TIME BACK, WE WE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO SPLITTING OUR CIRCUIT. AND THE IDEA WAS THAT WE COULD MOVE CASES FASTER. WE COULD BE MORE RESPONSIVE. AS YOU MENTIONED A WHILE AGO, THE JAIL POPULATION, THE COUNTY FOOTS THE BILL A LOT OF EXPENSES AND OPERATING A JAIL. AND I KNOW THAT RECENTLY KIND OF LEARNED LIKE THE NUMBERS HAVE SHOT UP IN OUR JAIL. WE NOW I KNOW DURING COVID THAT WAS KIND OF SPECIAL TIME AND MAYBE AS MANY PEOPLE WEREN'T BEING ARRESTED, BUT IT SEEMS AS THOUGH OUR JAIL POPULATION IS BACK UP AGAIN WITH THE CIRCUIT SPLIT. HOW HOW HAS THIS? CAN YOU SHARE WITH US THE BENEFITS YOU THINK, PARTICULARLY FROM MOVING CASES ALONG? BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEAR QUITE OFTEN ARE FAMILIES ARE SAYING, WELL, THERE'S PEOPLE SITTING DOWN THERE IN THE JAIL FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND THEY HAVEN'T GOT TO TRIAL. NOW, USUALLY WHEN I'VE INVESTIGATED THOSE, THERE'S A LOT MORE CIRCUMSTANCES. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, MOVING PEOPLE 
          [01:20:05]
THROUGH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN HELPS WITH FAMILIES. IT HELPS WITH JAIL POPULATION, IT HELPS WITH BUDGETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. COULD YOU KIND OF SHARE, AND IT MIGHT BE THAT I OPEN IT UP FOR ANY OF THOSE THREE PARTIES THAT YOU ARE, RICK OR THE SHERIFF. 
          ANY THOUGHTS THAT YOU CAN KIND OF SHARE WITH THE COMMISSIONERS ABOUT HOW THIS HAS HELPED US? SURE. AND I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, THE TRUTH COMMISSION TOOK THE LEAD AMONG. AT THE TIME, IT WAS FIVE COUNTIES. THIS COMMISSION TOOK THE LEAD IN IN PUBLICLY ADVOCATING FOR A CIRCUIT SPLIT. AND IT WAS YOU ALL THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK LED THAT CHARGE. 
          AND OTHER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS THEN JOINED YOU. AND THAT CREATED THE POLITICAL WILL TO GET THIS DONE. BUT. YOU KNOW, TO TO BACK UP MAYBE MORE THAN THAN YOU WANTED ME TO AT THE TIME. THERE WERE 50 DA'S OFFICES, 50 JUDICIAL CIRCUITS, EVERY JUDICIAL CIRCUITS GOT ONE DA, BUT IT'S GOT AS MANY JUDGES AS THE CASELOAD REQUIRES. RIGHT. SO AT THE TIME, WE HAD EIGHT SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES IN A FIVE COUNTY AREA, BUT YOU'VE GOT ONE DA AND ONE DA'S OFFICE. WE HAD THE FOURTH HIGHEST FELONY CASELOAD OUT OF 50 DA'S OFFICES. WHEN WE WERE A FIVE COUNTY CIRCUIT, WE HAD THE NUMBER FIVE POPULATION OUT OF 50 DA'S OFFICES. EVERY OTHER DA'S OFFICE IN THAT TOP EIGHT WAS A SINGLE COUNTY DA'S OFFICE, A SINGLE COUNTY JUDICIAL CIRCUIT. 
          AND IT'S PROBABLY NOT TOO DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE. BUT WHEN YOU'RE IN A SINGLE COUNTY OR THREE COUNTIES VERSUS FIVE COUNTIES, YOU CAN CONSOLIDATE RESOURCES AND YOU CAN FOCUS, YOU KNOW, YOUR MOST COMPETENT AND BEST PEOPLE ON THE MOST SERIOUS CRIMES, RIGHT? SO, I MEAN, JUST A HYPOTHETICAL. I CHOSE TO TAKE ON THIS MURDER CASE THAT THAT HAPPENED IN 2023 IN TROUP COUNTY. AND I THINK BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO GIVE IT SOME FOCUS ALONG WITH THE INVESTIGATORS, THAT GUY DECIDED TO PLEA IF WE WERE STILL IN A FIVE COUNTY CIRCUIT, THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN OLDER, YOU KNOW, JUST A SERIOUS CASE IN CARROLL COUNTY THAT I FELT THE NEED. OKAY, I NEED TO GO HANDLE THAT MURDER IN CARROLL COUNTY. AND THEN MAYBE THE MURDER THAT WE GOT TO PLEAD LAST WEEK DIDN'T GET THE ATTENTION. AND THAT GUY STILL MIGHT BE SITTING IN JAIL WAITING FOR A TRIAL DATE LATER THIS YEAR. YOU KNOW, JUST AS A AS AN EXAMPLE. 
          SIMILARLY, YOU KNOW, MY MY CHIEF ASSISTANT, JACK WINNIE, HAS BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN IN TROUP COUNTY, IF WE HAD FIVE COUNTIES, HE AND I BOTH WOULD BE SPREAD MORE THIN. 
          WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONVERT ONE OF OUR ASSISTANT DA POSITIONS TO A AN APPELLATE POSITION. SO COMING OUT OF COVID, WE HAD JURY TRIALS IN A RECORD NUMBER OF CASES. I THINK ONE YEAR WE HAD 60 SOMETHING JURY TRIALS. HISTORICALLY, OUR FIVE COUNTY CIRCUIT WOULD HAVE 2530. RIGHT. 
          SO WE'VE GOT A LOT OF APPEALS COMING DOWN THE PIPE. IF WE WERE STILL SPREAD OUT IN FIVE COUNTIES, I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF CONSOLIDATE RESOURCES JUST TO HAVE SOMEBODY EXCLUSIVELY DOING APPEALS. SO NOW ALL OF OUR ASSISTANT DA'S, INSTEAD OF TRYING CASES AND HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT WRITING APPEALS AT NIGHT AND THINGS, WE'VE GOT SOMEBODY TO DO THAT SO THEY CAN FOCUS PURELY ON THE CASES THAT ARE COMING TO COURT. AND I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DOABLE WITHOUT SPLITTING THE CIRCUIT. YOU KNOW, WE WE HAD HOPED TO RETAIN ALL OF OUR STATE FUNDED ASSISTANT DAS IN A FIVE COUNTY CIRCUIT. I HAD 12 STATE PAID A DA'S. HISTORICALLY, WHEN YOU SPLIT A CIRCUIT, THE ORIGINAL CIRCUIT GETS TO KEEP ALL THOSE STATE FUNDED ADAS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LEGISLATURE DECIDED TO NOT DO THAT WITH US. 
          AND SO I WENT FROM THINKING I WAS GOING TO GET TO KEEP ALL 12 TO. I ONLY GOT TO KEEP EIGHT. 
          SO. SO IT WASN'T AS GOOD AS WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE FROM A RESOURCE PERSPECTIVE. BUT I CAN JUST TELL YOU FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE AND, AND BEING ABLE TO CONSOLIDATE AND FOCUS THE RESOURCES WE DO HAVE, IT'S BEEN A LOT BETTER. I FEEL LIKE IT'S MORE MANAGEABLE FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. AND, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO THINK WE'VE GOT MORE BANDWIDTH TO BE RESPONSIVE TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT REACH OUT TO US AND VICTIMS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I DON'T THINK I'VE GOT A RESPONSE IN TERMS OF 
          [01:25:11]
HOW DID IT SPEED UP THE JOB POPULATION? HOW DID WE GET THOSE INDIVIDUALS MOVED FROM THE JAIL TO SENTENCING OR TO STATE PRISON? YEAH, THAT'S THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE. YEAH. AND YOU'VE YOU'VE COME A FEW YEARS IN A ROW, BOTH OFFICES, AND I'M SEEING THE POPULATION CONTINUE TO INCREASE. SO THAT'S THE THAT'S THE THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE, I THINK IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IS IF WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FUNDING, WE CONTINUE TO SPLIT THE CIRCUIT. 
          WE GIVE YOU ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU ASKED FOR, BUT WE STILL SIN. WITH A JAIL POPULATION OVER 600, IT'S PUTTING A LOT OF PRESSURE ON OUR COUNTY JAIL. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ADDRESS THAT SPECIFICALLY SO WE CAN SPEAK THESE CASES UP? YEAH, I DO THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION. YES, SIR. YEAH. AND I, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT IS A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS OVERALL CASELOADS, NUMBER OF VIOLENT CRIME. WHEN THAT GOES UP, THOSE ARE CASES WHERE YOU WANT THE PEOPLE TO HAVE TO WAIT IN JAIL. LIKE YOU WANT BOND TO BE DENIED. 
          WHEN SOMEBODY COMMITS A VIOLENT CRIME. I PRESENTED RECENTLY, SINCE 2020, WE'VE LOST NINE ASSISTANT DA'S OUT OF THIS OFFICE ALONE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LOT OF TURNOVER FOR ONE OFFICE. ONLY ONE OF THOSE WAS WAS LET GO BY ME. ALL THE REST WENT TO, I THINK ONE RETIRED, BUT BUT ALL THE REST WENT TO EITHER PRIVATE PRACTICE TO MAKE MORE MONEY OR ANOTHER DA'S OFFICE IN THE METRO AREA TO MAKE MORE MONEY. AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE PEOPLE SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW, I REALLY LIKE WORKING FOR YOU. LIKE, THIS IS THIS WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE FOR ME. I LEARNED A LOT, BUT I CAN GO MAKE 20 GRAND MORE, 30 GRAND MORE. AND SO I, I OF ALL THE THINGS THAT AFFECT A JAIL POPULATION, THE AMOUNT OF VIOLENT CRIME GOING UP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, ONE OF THEM HAS BEEN OUR ABILITY TO, TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN COMPETENT AND EXPERIENCED LAWYERS. YOU KNOW, IT'S ON ONE HAND, IT'S NICE TO BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME, GET GOOD EXPERIENCE AND THEN GO MAKE MORE MONEY. THAT SAYS SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT YOUR OFFICE, I THINK. BUT WE WANT TO KEEP THOSE PEOPLE BECAUSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, SOMEBODY MIGHT SPEND JUST THROWING A ROUND NUMBER OUT THERE 20 HOURS WORKING ON A VIOLENT CRIME OF AN INMATE, AND THEN THEY LEAVE. IT MIGHT TAKE ME ANOTHER MONTH OR TWO TO BRING SOMEBODY IN. 
          EVEN IF I BROUGHT SOMEBODY IN IMMEDIATELY, THEY'VE THEN GOT TO SPEND AN ADDITIONAL 20, 30 HOURS TO GET UP TO SPEED ON THE CASE THAT I HAD SOMEBODY UP TO SPEED ON. SO I THINK THE THE TURNOVER IN OUR OFFICE HAS REALLY AFFECTED OUR ABILITY TO GET THESE SERIOUS VIOLENT CRIMES FROM INMATES READY FOR TRIAL AND TO PUSH THEM TO TRIAL. WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP YOU WITH THE TURNOVER? YEAH. AND THE THE FUNDING. YEAH. I THINK A COUPLE OF THE THINGS I MENTIONED WHICH ALL HELP ME ADDRESS LAST YEAR, I, I, WE WENT FROM HIRING PEOPLE AT MID 60S, WHICH CLEARLY WASN'T ENOUGH. THEY WERE LEAVING. Y'ALL HELP ME LAST YEAR, HIRE SOMEBODY OUT OF LAW SCHOOL THAT I PAID, YOU KNOW, IN THE MID 70S TO, TO KEEP UP WITH THAT STATE FUNDED ASSISTANT DA PAY SCALE. THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH MY ASK THIS YEAR OF, OF, YOU KNOW, GIVE ME ENOUGH MONEY TO, TO OFFER SOMEBODY $100,000 TO COME WORK IN THIS OFFICE. AND I THINK I WAS ABLE TO GIVE SOME RAISES LAST YEAR TO ASSISTANT DA'S. THIS YEAR, I'M ASKING FOR A LITTLE OVER 27,000 TO GIVE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, A 2 OR $3000 RAISE TO THE PEOPLE WE'VE GOT ALREADY IN THE OFFICE. AND I THINK THE MONEY IS PART OF THE TURNOVER. ALSO, JUST THE BURNOUT. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING FROM VIOLENT CRIME TO VIOLENT CRIME. NOT EVERYBODY CAN DO THAT. LIKE JUST LIKE ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL. AND I THINK THAT'S IN PART WHERE ANOTHER INVESTIGATOR HELPS OUT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY TO HELP CARRY THAT LOAD OF, YOU KNOW, HEY, INVESTIGATOR, WILL YOU REVIEW THE 1000 PHOTOS FROM THE MURDER SCENE AND HELP ME IDENTIFY THE 200 THAT WE NEED TO PRESENT TO THE JURY? YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T HAVE AN INVESTIGATOR TO DO THAT, LIKE THE LAWYERS GOT TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW? AND SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF 
          [01:30:03]
FACTORS THAT GO INTO INCREASES IN CRIME AND INCREASES IN JAIL POPULATION. I WOULD ATTRIBUTE TWO OF THOSE TO BE, YOU KNOW, SOME VIOLENT CRIME GOING UP IN RECENT YEARS, BUT ALSO JUST IN TERMS OF MAYBE WHAT I CAN CONTROL IS TURNOVER AMONG LAWYERS IN THE DA'S OFFICE HAS HINDERED OUR ABILITY TO TO RESOLVE THOSE CASES AS QUICKLY AS I THINK WE CAN. IF I'VE GOT ONE PERSON HERE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR OR TWO, YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE PARTICULAR YOU ASKED. I DON'T WANT TO MISS ANYTHING ELSE. YOU YOU YOU ASKED IN THAT WAY, BUT I WAS JUST I THINK YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION AT THAT TIME. THE POINT I WAS MAKING IS THAT I'M JUST HOPING WE'RE NOT HERE ANOTHER YEAR AND WE NEED TO ADD ANOTHER 20 $30,000. WE STILL HAVEN'T IN THE OFFICE AND WE STILL HAVE 600 INMATES. YEAH, IT'S LIKE EVERY YEAR WE'RE WE'RE IN THE COUNTING, THE SAME POSITION. I KNOW WE HAVE TO BE TOUGH ON VIOLENT CRIMES. AND, AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT VIOLENT OFFENDERS IN THE COMMUNITY. JUST WANT TO SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, I GUESS. YEAH. DIFFERENT RESULTS, WHICH IS FAIR. RIGHT. OKAY. SO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT IT MONEY IS ONE THING, BUT THE OTHER THING IS THE WAY YOU KIND OF, YOU KNOW, CHARACTERIZE THIS AS BURNOUT, RIGHT? SO IN OUR AREA THAT'S HAPPENING, I MEAN, IS THAT A TRUE STATEMENT THAT THEY JUST SO MUCH HERE THAN DIFFERENT PLACES UNDERSTANDING THAT? CORRECT. I THINK I THINK BURNOUT IS NOT SOMETHING SPECIFIC TO OUR AREA. BUT, YOU KNOW, MR. SAMPER REFERENCED, YOU KNOW, IN OUR OFFICE RIGHT NOW ACROSS THE CIRCUIT, THE ASSISTANT DA'S HAVE 500 AT LEAST CASES PER PERSON. THAT THAT THAT'S A HEAVY LOAD, YOU KNOW, AND, AND TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT MANY CASES, A LOT OF WHICH HAVE HAVE VICTIMS AND HANDLING EMOTIONALLY DIFFICULT CASES. 
          YEAH. I MEAN, THAT THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE THAT, LOOK, I MAY NOT GET AS MUCH FULFILLMENT OUT OF GOING TO THIS OTHER OFFICE, BUT I'LL MAKE MORE MONEY AND I'M GOING TO HAVE 200 CASES VERSUS 500. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S THAT'S PART OF IT. YEAH. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK PAYMENTS ONE THING, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING TO PAY PEOPLE WHAT THEY DO IN FULTON OR DEKALB COUNTY, WE JUST WANT TO BE KIND OF IN FIGHTING TERRITORY COMPETITIVE. BUT BUT I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, ADDING AN INVESTIGATOR AND MAKING SURE WE KEEP A, YOU KNOW, A FULL TIME PERSON KEEPING US AT SIX A DAY, I THINK MITIGATES THAT ISSUE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, LOST NINE PEOPLE SINCE 2020. THAT'S THAT'S BEEN ROUGH. YOU KNOW, AND I, I DO HAVE SOME OPTIMISM THAT THE JOB MARKETS TURNING AROUND. WE ARE, WE ARE, WE HAVE INCREASED PAY. SO WE ARE GETTING MORE COMPETITIVE. AGAIN, PART OF WHAT Y'ALL GAVE ME LAST YEAR REALLY, REALLY HELPED IN THAT WAY. AND, AND THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THAT. AND, AND I DO THINK TO, TO THE COMMISSIONER MCKINNEY'S POINT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FOCUSING ON VIOLENT CRIME AND REPEAT OFFENDERS WHO ARE INEVITABLY THE INMATES. AND I THINK WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER WORK IN, YOU KNOW, OUR OPPOSING FIGURES. BUT WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, WORKING WITH OUR JUDGES TO GIVE FOCUS TO THE INMATE CASES, I THINK WE CAN ALL DO BETTER IN THAT WAY TO ADDRESS THE IMPORTANT ISSUE HE'S IDENTIFIED. I HEARD WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IS YOU MOVE 50 TO 100 OUT GOING TO COMMISSIONER MCCAMY, BUT YOU GOT 50 TO 100 COMING IN THE DOOR, RIGHT? YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, TO ME THAT'S. YEAH. I MEAN, I, I POINTED OUT TO, TO ANOTHER COMMISSION THAT I RECENTLY PRESENTED TO, I WENT BACK AND LOOKED. WHEN WAS THE LAST YEAR OUR CIRCUIT, YOU KNOW, FULL CIRCUIT CLOSED OUT AS MANY CASES AS WE RECEIVED IN ONE YEAR. LIKE, WHEN'S THE LAST TIME WE WERE IN THE BLACK, SO TO SPEAK? IT WAS 2011. SO, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE HAD THE RESOURCES TO STAY ON TOP OF, YOU KNOW, AS, AS THE CASELOAD INCREASES, WHETHER IT'S OVERALL CASELOAD HAS EXPANDED IN COWETA, THE VIOLENT CRIME THERE STAYED ABOUT THE SAME. BUT BUT WE'RE GETTING A LOT MORE LIKE DRUG CRIMES. THEY'RE LIKE, THE VOLUME HAS GONE UP. I THINK THE VOLUME HAS STAYED ABOUT THE SAME IN TROUP COUNTY. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'VE GOT SOME VIOLENT CRIME. WE'VE WE'VE GOT 
          [01:35:04]
TO DEAL WITH. AND THANKFULLY, I, I BELIEVE EVERY MURDER CASE WE RECEIVED HAS BEEN INDICTED. SO THEY'RE IN THE PIPELINE. BUT BUT HAVING A COMPETENT, EXPERIENCED ASSISTANT D.A. GIVE THOSE CASES THE FOCUS. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT LOOKING TO SAY I DID IT. YOU KNOW, 27 MURDER CASES THAT YOU REFERENCED. WHAT PERIOD OF TIME IS THAT? HOW MANY? THAT'S OVER A MULTI YEAR PERIOD TO BE CLEAR. YEAH. THAT'S NOT YEAH. THAT'S NOT IN ONE YEAR. THAT'S THE NUMBER OF INDICTED MURDER CASES AWAITING RESOLUTION IN TROUP COUNTY. YEAH. AND THEY PROBABLY LIKE I SAID, THE ONE THAT JUST PLED GUILTY LAST WEEK. THAT WAS A 2023 MURDER. OKAY. SO IT COULD BE OVER A PERIOD OF 3 TO 5 YEARS. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. WE'VE GOT THAT MANY IN THE PIPE IN THE PIPELINE INDICTED. YEAH. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK ONE YEAR THERE MAY BE 5 OR 6 MURDERS, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH MAYBE WHAT A COUNTY COUNTY HAD. YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE WAS ONE YEAR, MAYBE 2021 WHERE I THINK WE WENT A LITTLE BIT OVER DOUBLE DIGITS IN TROUP COUNTY. AND, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE LIKE ONE TRIAL WEEK A MONTH, YOU KNOW, AND THEY MIGHT BRING IN 2 OR 3 JUDGES, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ENOUGH MURDERS WHERE WE COULD TRY TWO MURDERS A MONTH AND, AND NOT CATCH UP IF WE GET MORE IN THE BACK DOOR, YOU KNOW. I KNOW I'M KIND OF MAYBE GETTING OUTSIDE OF MY LANE, BUT. SO MY QUESTION IS. ALL RIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT THE DA, THE VENDOR, THE OTHER PIECE, OBVIOUSLY THE JUDGES, RIGHT. SO THEY GOT TO HAVE COURT MORE OFTEN IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO PROCESS CASES MORE QUICKLY. 
          CORRECT. SO IF WE'RE ONLY ONLY MEETING ONCE A MONTH, A TRIAL, THEN IS THERE COULD THAT CHANGE ALSO THE DYNAMIC OF GETTING MORE INMATES THAT ARE IN THE JAIL OUT AND PROCESSED? YEAH, THERE'S A COUPLE WAYS TO TO ATTACK IT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE TRIAL WEEKS, YOU KNOW, TO, TO RESOLVE THE, THE VIOLENT CRIME. WHAT WE DID IN COWETA THIS YEAR THAT I THINK HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE. AND THIS IS ALL SUBJECT TO CONVERSATIONS WITH JUDGES AND THINGS. AND BUT INSTEAD OF DOING ONE TRIAL WEEK A MONTH, WE DID A QUARTERLY TWO WEEK TRIAL WEEK, AND THEN WE PUT IN TRIAL WEEKS IN BETWEEN WITH JUST LIKE 3 OR 4 MURDERS. 
          WHEREAS NORMALLY A TRIAL WEEK'S GOT 200 CASES. AND THAT THAT'S A LOT FOR SIX PEOPLE TO, TO KEEP UP WITH. SO, SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT INCREASING THE NUMBER OF TRIAL WEEKS ON A PER MONTH, PER WEEK OR HOWEVER YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT BASIS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MAYBE JUST TARGETING INSTEAD OF HAVING 200 CASES ON EVERY TRIAL WEEK, MAYBE WE HAVE SOME WITH THREE JUDGES WHERE IT'S JUST WE ARE RESOLVING THESE THREE MURDER CASES, PERIOD. YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, MY PEOPLE HAVING EIGHT, TEN CASES EACH, THEY'RE KIND OF ALL WORKING ON TO SOME EXTENT, BUT BUT NOT WORK IS WORKING ON ONE CASE FULLY, YOU KNOW, SO I WILL SAY THE, THE JUDGES AND I AND I THINK MR. STAMPER, WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON NEXT YEAR'S CALENDAR TO ADDRESS WHAT MR. MOSLEY HAS SAID. LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO HAVE TRIAL WEEKS AND WE'VE GOT TO BALANCE THE NEED TO GRIND IT OUT THAT WAY WITH NOT BURNING OUT THE LAWYERS DOING THE WORK, WHETHER IN MY OFFICES OR MR. SANFORD'S OFFICE. AND I DO THINK OUR JUDGES ARE AWARE OF THAT. YOU KNOW, IT'S WE'VE GOT TO GET THE WORK DONE, BUT WE'VE GOT TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT'S MAINTAINABLE, YOU KNOW, AND WHAT I'M ASKING FOR WOULD WOULD CERTAINLY HELP. ARE THESE SONYA, ARE THESE FIGURES HE'S ASKING FOR? THEY ALREADY IN OUR BUDGET, WE FIGURED ARE THERE SOMETHING WE HAVE TO. THESE ARE BECAUSE SO SO TYPICALLY THE BUDGET YOU SEE ARE OUR DEPARTMENT BUDGETS. AND HERB AND RICK ARE BOTH CONSIDERED OUTSIDE AGENCIES THAT. WE PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR. MAJORITY OF THEIR STAFF WORK FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA. 
          THEY'RE NOT COUNTY EMPLOYEES. THEY'RE NOT COUNTING FUNDED, BUT THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY IN OUR BUILDINGS AND AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS. AND SO I WOULD ASK SONYA, IF YOU COULD MAYBE CLARIFY FOR ME, LAST YEAR, WE PROVIDED $150,000 IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO THE DA'S OFFICE AND 100,000 ADDITIONAL TO THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE LAST YEAR. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH. AND I THINK THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, WE PROVIDED A 5050 A PIECE, I THINK, TO BOTH OFFICES. SO. THESE REQUESTS ARE NOT INCLUDED AT THIS POINT. THESE ADDITIONAL REQUEST. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WE DRILLED YOU PRETTY GOOD THIS MORNING. I 
          [01:40:10]
APPRECIATE YOU ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION. APPRECIATE VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU FOR. FROM, FROM A LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE, I, I JUST LIKE TO SAY AND SPEAKING, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAD NO INTENTION OF SPEAKING BEHIND THESE TWO GENTLEMEN. AS YOU KNOW, THE THE PROBLEM IS THAT OUR JAIL WITH OUR POPULATION IS AN ISSUE. WE WE ARE SEEING INMATES IN THAT JAIL FROM THAT ARE THAT ARE THERE FOR 46 YEARS WAITING TO GO TO TRIAL. AND THE LONGER THAT THEY'RE IN THAT JAIL, THE THE MORE CHARGES USUALLY THAT THEY INCUR, TOO. AND IT'S NOT JUST 27 MURDER CASES THAT ARE IN THERE THAT WE'RE WAITING ON. WE HAVE WE HAVE INMATES THAT ARE IN THAT JAIL THAT ARE IN THERE FOR RAPE, KIDNAPING, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, AGGRAVATED BATTERY, THOSE SUCH CASES TOO, THAT ARE THAT ARE SITTING IN THERE WITH NO BOND. AND AS, AS SOMEBODY WHO'S PROSECUTED QUITE A FEW CASES MYSELF IN IN WORKING WITH THESE THESE GENTLEMEN IN THEIR OFFICES TO TRY TO TO TRY TO MOVE THESE CASES. IT HAS BEEN FRUSTRATING OVER THE YEARS WHERE WE DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP EITHER WITH THE PROSECUTOR OR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, AND WE'RE SET TO MOVE FORWARD THE CASE ON ON A TRIAL DATE. AND THAT ATTORNEY WHO WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE CASE HAS CRANFORD ALLUDED TO IS IS NO LONGER WITH US. AND THEN SO IT HAS TO BE RESET AND WE HAVE TO START THE PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN. AND SOMETIMES THAT THAT CAN HAPPEN. I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN TWO, THREE, FOUR TIMES BEFORE WE FINALLY GET A CASE ADJUDICATED. SO I THINK IT'S JUST A I, I TYPICALLY DEFINITELY DON'T EVER, YOU KNOW, AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER ADVOCATE FOR THE DEFENSE, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO REALLY PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN DO HERE TO IT'S BECAUSE IT'S ALL ONE BIG PUZZLE, AS YOU KNOW. AND, AND THE LONGER THAT THOSE INMATES SIT IN THAT JAIL, THE MORE CRIMES THAT THEY COMMIT AND THE MORE CHARGES THEY INCUR AND THE LONGER THEY'RE GOING TO BE THERE. AND IT'S LIKE A NEVER ENDING CYCLE. SO, SO AS ON BEHALF OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, I THINK IF IF WE COULD THROW ANYTHING THEIR WAY THAT COULD THAT COULD HELP THEM MOVE THESE CASES, I THINK IT'D BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. IT WOULD IT WOULD HELP US. IT WOULD BE VERY EASY FOR US TO GO OUT TOMORROW AND, AND SET UP A, A PROACTIVE CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT DETAIL TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE VIOLENT CRIMES IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT, THAT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT AND HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO AS WELL. BUT I COULD SET UP A, A DETAIL WITH, WITH A FEW DEPUTIES AND A FEW CITY OFFICERS AND, AND WE COULD COME BACK WITH 10 OR 12 INDIVIDUALS WITH CHARGES THAT WOULD HAVE NO BOND. AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER 10 OR 12 IN THERE THAT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO ADDRESS THE VIOLENT CRIME IN OUR COMMUNITY. PROACTIVE ENFORCEMENT REALLY HELPS, HELPS DRIVE THAT. GETTING THE GUNS OFF THE STREET GET GETTING THE GANGS IN CHECK. BUT WE'RE INCREASING THAT POPULATION. AND HERE WE GO. JUST GOING DOWN THAT THAT CYCLE. SO COMMISSIONERS, I JUST ASKED, YOU KNOW, ON BEHALF OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, DO IF WE COULD, WE COULD ALL WORK TOGETHER ON THIS. WE'D REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. 
          THE LAST ONE WE HAD TO SPEAK WAS JACKIE TAYLOR FROM COURSE OFFICE. GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING. HOW ARE YOU? ALL? OKAY. BOY, I, I JUST SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ATTORNEY. YES. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAID IN THIS COUNTY EVERY WEEK. I MEAN, EVERY YEAR CLERKS OF COURT HAVE TO DO CASE COUNTS AND THEY DO THEM BASED ON WHAT KIND OF CHARGE IT IS, THAT KIND OF THING. AND JUST INTERESTING WHAT DISTRICT ATTORNEY CRANFORD WAS TALKING ABOUT. WHEN I SENT MY NUMBERS IN, I GOT QUESTIONED ABOUT THE SERIOUS FELONIES AND MOST OF WHAT. NATHAN SAID, THE ONES HE LISTED OUT, THOSE ARE DETERMINED AS SERIOUS FELONIES BY THE LAW. AND AGGRAVATED CHILD MOLESTATION, KIDNAPING, RAPE, MURDER, THE AOC SIT BACK 
          [01:45:01]
TO ME AND THEY SAID, ARE YOU SURE YOUR FIGURES ARE CORRECT ABOUT THE NEW SERIOUS FELONIES? THEY THOUGHT, MAN, THIS IS REALLY HIGH. BUT NO, IT WAS LIKE 35, I THINK SIX WERE MURDERS. NOW THAT'S A LOT OF SERIOUS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO REALLY REITERATE WHAT WHAT'S BEEN SAID. I JUST BECAUSE WE'RE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN DOING THOSE CASE COUNTS. AND IT WAS REALLY IT'S DISCOURAGING. IT'S IT'S SAD. IT'S THIS IS OUR COUNTY, YOU KNOW, BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO GO THERE. WHAT I'M HERE TODAY IS. 
          A FEW JUST A FEW ISSUES THAT THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING AS TO WHO WOULD MEET TO DISCUSS MY BUDGET. AND IN DOING SO, THERE WERE QUESTIONS THAT COULD NOT BE ANSWERED. I'LL JUST START WITH THE. I DON'T HAVE MANY. I THERE WERE JUST A COUPLE THAT WERE CUT, JUST SOME FINANCES THAT WERE CUT AND THERE WAS. WE HAVE A FALL TRAINING, WHICH IS KOJI, WHICH INVOLVES ALL THE COUNTY CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS THAT WE ALL GET TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN DISCUSS. 
          LEGISLATURE, THAT WE CAN SHARE BEST PRACTICES FOR GOVERNMENT. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, KEEP OUT WITH IT'S AN ORGANIZATION CALLED A, C, C, G AND AND THAT SO THAT ALL OUR COUNTIES CAN IMPROVE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA, ALL COUNTIES HAVE AN IMPACT. 
          AND THAT COMES THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE. WE KNOW THAT. SO. I JUST GOT BACK FROM SPRING TRAINING. IT WAS A WEEK. WE GOT A LOT OF THINGS COMING. DIFFERENT LEGISLATURE WHEN THEY MEET, YOU KNOW, IN THE WINTER SESSION, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT CAN GET IN. AND IF I KNOW IF I SAY LOBBYIST, EVERYBODY GOES LOBBYIST. BUT BUT WHAT OUR LOBBYISTS OR OUR ATTORNEYS WOULD DO WOULD BE THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT SOMETHING DID NOT GET PASSED THAT REALLY WOULD AFFECT CLERKS OF COURT IN A NEGATIVE WAY. AND AS WE ALL KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER'S JOB. WE COULDN'T YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY, WELL, NOBODY HAS A CLUE WHAT YOU DO. WELL, OF COURSE THEY DON'T UNLESS THEY WORK THERE. SO. AT ANY RATE, THE LEGISLATURE, OUR SPRING CONFERENCE IS SO IMPERATIVE FOR ALL OUR CLERKS AND WE HAVE AN ATTENDANCE THAT 95% OF OUR CLERKS. SO I JUST GOT BACK. I GO IN THE SPRING. THE SPRING CONFERENCE IS FOR CLERKS, CLERKS, ASSOCIATION, AND ALL THE TRAINING AND ALL THE NEW STUFF THAT WE HAVE TO KNOW. AND I GO IN APRIL NOW, MY BUDGET WAS CUT BY $2,000 FOR TRAINING, AND IT'S FOR IT WAS 4000. NOW, MY COST FOR THIS TOTAL SPRING TRAINING WAS $2,193.62. EVERYTHING'S GONE UP RIGHT. 
          HOTEL FOOD, I MEAN, IT JUST HAS. SO NOW FALL IS, LIKE I SAID, ALL THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES AND I REALLY LIKE TO GO TO THAT. I LEARN SO MUCH AND TO BRING BACK AND TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE LAW AND THE STATUTES. THERE'S SOMETIMES I CAN'T GO BECAUSE WE'RE SO BUSY HERE. AND LIKE MISS, I MEAN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY CRANFORD SAID OUT, WE HAVE TO HAVE TWO AND THREE 
          [01:50:05]
JUDGES SOMETIMES BECAUSE ALL OF THESE SERIOUS, SERIOUS CASES AND MY CLERKS HAVE TO BE THERE, THE JUDGE HAS TO HAVE A CLERK. OKAY, SO BUT IF I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO IN THE FALL, I JUMP ON IT. IT'S IMPORTANT. AND SO JUST THIS, THAT WOULD BE THE FALL WHICH WOULD FALL WITHIN THIS BUDGET, BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE A FALL MEETING IN OCTOBER. THEN WE COME AROUND THIS SPRING, WHICH ARE THE TWO BIG ONES. NOW, IF I DON'T FEEL THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT I ACTUALLY NEED ABSOLUTELY ATTEND, I WON'T. I WANT TO SAVE THE COUNTY MONEY. I DO. I, I DON'T ASK FOR A PENNY MORE THAN I DESERVE OR NEED FOR THAT ONE. THAT'S BEEN MY PHILOSOPHY SINCE I'VE BEEN CLERK. SO THE FACT THAT. THE TRAINING WAS CUT $2,000. IS, IS TO ME JUST NOT. 
          THE THING TO DO. BECAUSE IF I NEED TO GO TO THE FALL. I WANT TO GO TO THE FALL. I DON'T WANT TO MISS OUT. AND OUR SHERIFF AND OUR TAX COMMISSIONER AND OUR PROBATE JUDGE AND ME AND I, WE'RE THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS. IS THAT LONG AND LONG AGO FOR CHECKS AND BALANCES AS CLERKS. SO THAT'S JUST ONE THING, OKAY? I DON'T OKAY. THAT'S NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO. 
          AND AND, AND LET ME PUT IT THIS WAY. IN ALL FAIRNESS, WHEN THE WHEN THE BUDGET WAS LOOKED AT, I HAD NOT GONE TO CONFERENCE YET BECAUSE I DO NOT GO UNTIL APRIL. SO AT THAT POINT, THERE ARE NO FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN USED. I'VE DONE THIS FOR 26 YEARS. I GO IN APRIL AND THEN SHOULD I NEED TO GO AND FILE, I GO ON FILE AND FALLS GOING TO FALL IN THE NEXT BUDGET, AND THEN THE NEXT APRIL WILL FALL IN THE BUDGET WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT. OKAY, ONE MORE THING, NOT ONE MORE THING, BUT NEXT. AND AGAIN, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A BUDGET WHERE NOTHING WELL, MAYBE NOTHING'S BEEN USED. I CAN UNDERSTAND. SAYING, WELL, I MEAN, YOU USED, YOU KNOW, THIS THING, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I COULD HAVE ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS. ON ADVERTISING. THE GRAND JURY MEETS FOUR TIMES A YEAR, AND THEY DO GRAND JURY PRESENTMENTS. NOW, THE LAW STATES THAT IF THE GRAND JURY RECOMMENDS THAT THESE. PRESENTMENTS BE PUBLISHED IN OUR PAPER. TO BE PUBLISHED NOW, THERE HAVE BEEN ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SEASONED EMPLOYEES. BUT AS WE GET OLDER, THE SEASON EMPLOYEES GO ON TO COLLECT THEIR REWARDS. I WAS WORKING SO LONG, SO THERE WAS AN ISSUE WHERE THOSE PRESENTMENTS WERE NOT ADVERTISED IN THE PAPER. SO THAT WAS CUT TO $150. AND I HAVE TO ADMIT, WHATEVER WAS IN THERE BEFORE HAD NOT BEEN UTILIZED AS IT SHOULD HAVE ACCORDING TO LAW. EVERY GRAND JURY PRESENTMENT, AND THAT'S FOUR TIMES A YEAR, NEEDS TO BE PUBLISHED IN OUR LEGAL ORGAN. NOW, IT WAS TWO $8,280 LAST YEAR. IT WAS CUT TO $150. THIS YEAR, EVERY, EVERY. ADVERTISEMENT FOR THESE GRAND JURIES ARE $95. SO $95 TIME FOR 
          [01:55:10]
IT. THAT THAT'S THE PAPERS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THEIR COST. AND ALSO, THERE'S ONE MORE THING AND THAT WILL PERTAIN TO ADVERTISING THAT I WILL GET TO. I MEAN, I WOULD ONE THING I COULD SAY IS WE COULD TAKE FROM UNIFORM AND ADD IT TO THE ADVERTISING BUDGET, YOU KNOW, AS OPPOSED TO ADDING MORE COSTS TO MY BUDGET, WHICH, YOU KNOW, BE FINE WITH ME. IT WOULD BE TOTALLY AGREEABLE. OKAY. THIS THING, THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, DOES EVERYBODY KNOW WHAT THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION IS? AND I SAY THAT FOR A REASON, BECAUSE 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN TEN. THE LEGISLATURE PUT THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT IN CHARGE OF THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, AND 159 CLERKS ARE GOING. WHAT IS THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION? SOMEHOW IT GOT FLIPPED, SLIPPED THROUGH. AND WHAT THAT IS, IS WHEN TAXPAYERS WANT TO APPEAL THEIR TAX ASSESSOR ASSESSMENT, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE GOING TO WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. BUT WE WE HAVE FOUND OUT. BUT THE SITUATION IS THE WAY IT'S SET OUT IN THE LAW. I AM NOT I AM AN APPEAL ADMINISTRATOR OF THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION IN IN THAT POSITION, I AM NOT THE CLERK OF COURT. THE APPEAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE BOE HAS. IT'S A WEIRD THING, BUT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MY POSITION AS THE CLERK OF SUPREME COURT. I MEAN, I MEAN, WE ALL DO DIFFERENT THINGS. Y'ALL PROBABLY STEP INTO DIFFERENT JOBS WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE AND, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING. AND THAT WAS THE LEGISLATURE'S THINKING, WHICH, AS WE ALL KNOW, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING. SO. IN THE LAW, IT STATED WHEN THEY DID THIS, THAT THE COUNTY WAS REQUIRED TO GIVE THE CLERK OF COURT NO, LET ME BACK THAT. THE APPEAL ADMINISTRATOR, THE CLERICAL, YOU KNOW, SUPPLIES. 
          SPACE THAT WAS NEEDED. AND IN ALL REALITY, THE EXPENSES OF THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. THEY THE WAY THEY DID IT, I KNOW IT WOULD BE HARD FOR COUNTIES TO DO A BUDGET SO SEPARATE, BUT THESE BOARD MEMBERS, WHEN THEY COME HOME, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO DO 40 HOURS OF TRAINING. THAT THAT'S A COST. AND EVERY DAY THEY'RE TRAINING. THAT'S $50 A DAY FOR EACH ONE. EVERY YEAR THEY HAVE AN EIGHT HOUR UPDATE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO HAVE A MEETING BECAUSE SOMETHING MAY COME UP THAT THEY HAVE TO DISCUSS. AND ANYTIME THEY ARE IN THERE ACTING WITHIN THEIR. AS A, AS A BOARD OF THE MEMBER, A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. AND MOST OF THESE PEOPLE ARE I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE A VOLUNTEER. 
          THEY GET PAID, BUT IT'S A VOLUNTEER. AND SO WE HAVE NOT BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR A FEW YEARS. OF COURSE, WE HAD COVID AT SOME POINT, BUT THEN WE HAD A MEMBER TO PASS AWAY. WE HAD A MEMBER THAT BECAME TOTALLY DISABLED. WE HAD A MEMBER THAT NO LONGER WANTED TO PARTICIPATE. 
          LIKE I SAY, THIS IS VOLUNTARY. IF THEY WANT TO GO OUT, THEY CAN. SO, BUT THANKFULLY IT'S A LOAD OFF OF THE ASSESSORS, THE TAXPAYERS, THE WHOLE COUNTY THAT NOW WE HAVE A FULL BOARD 
          [02:00:07]
AND A FULL ALTERNATE BOARD, WHICH I AM JUST SO THRILLED ABOUT. AND WE HAVE GOT SOME GOOD PEOPLE AND THE TAXPAYERS DESERVE THAT. THE COUNTY DESERVES THAT. IF THESE MEMBERS ARE GOING TO SIT AND LISTEN TO AN APPEAL THAT HAS BEEN FILED BY A TAXPAYER, JUST A BRIEF EXAMPLE, LIKE YOU DID YOU YOU DIDN'T MEASURE MY HOUSE, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE MEASUREMENTS YOU CAME IN WITH MR. TAX ASSESSOR, BUT THESE ARE THE MEASUREMENTS THAT WE GOT. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM, AN APPEAL. I'M TRYING TO BE SHORT, BUT WE HAD 435 APPEALS IN 2025. HOW MUCH DID I JUST SAY. DID I SAY 435? OKAY. I WANT TO MAKE SURE. SO AND WE HAD TO GO BACK SEVERAL YEARS BECAUSE OF THE NO BOARD COVID. THE APPEALS GOT BACKED UP. AND SO WE REALLY WENT AT IT. BUT EVEN IF IF WE HAVE 35 CASES ON A CALENDAR. IF ONLY FOUR OF THOSE PEOPLE SHOW UP, WHICH, WHICH I THINK IS A AS A RESULT OF, YOU KNOW, BEING BACKED UP LIKE THE 22 OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THIS? SO JUST A LITTLE SHORT THING. WHEN THE TAX ASSESSOR BRINGS US HIS PRINTOUT THAT HE IS READY TO GO FORWARD WITH THE PILLS, THAT HE'S TALKED TO THE PEOPLE, THEY CAN'T COME TO AN AGREEMENT. HE BRINGS IT TO US. AND 45 CASES, RIGHT. 45 CASES HAS TO BE SENT NOTICES. BOE REGULATIONS. A RETURN SHEET THAT WE HOPE IF THEY WANT TO GO FORWARD, WHICH WE DON'T GET THOSE LIKE WE WISH WE WOULD, BECAUSE IT TAKES A LOT OFF. SO THEN THEY GET NOTICES, ALL THAT THEY COME UP. AND I, I WAS IN CONFERENCE LAST WEEK, SO I WAS TOLD THAT OUT OF, I THINK 30 CASES THAT FOUR PEOPLE SHOWED UP. TO US. BUT ALL THOSE OTHER PEOPLE HAD TO GET SENT NOTICES. YOU KNOW, IT'S THE STATUTE. SO WHEN THOSE PEOPLE, PEOPLE SHOWED UP, THE BOARD MADE A DECISION EITHER FOR THE TAXPAYER OR FOR THE TAX ASSESSOR. IT'S LIKE A BIRDIE. IT'S LIKE A RULING, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU WOULD HAVE IN A COURT CASE. SO AFTER ALL THAT. RULING SHEET IS SIGNED BY ALL THE MEMBERS AND ALL THAT, AND THAT HAS TO BE SENT CERTIFIED TO THESE TAXPAYERS THAT WERE THERE. AND ALSO THE REST OF THESE LIKE 20, THEY HAVE TO BE SENT A RULING THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T SHOW THAT THEIR APPEAL WENT IN FAVOR OF THE TAX ASSESSOR. NOW ALL THESE NOTICES HAVE TO BE SENT CERTIFIED MAIL, CERTIFIED MAIL AT THIS TIME. IT'S JUST OUTRAGEOUS. BUT ANYWAY, I, I DON'T I'M NOT REAL CLEAR ON JUST IF THE POSTAGE FOR THE BOE COMES OUT OF MY CLERK OF COURT BUDGET, I JUST WANT TO KNOW THERE'S A SEPARATE ENTITY HERE THAT IS NOT ALL THE CLERK OF COURT SPENDING ALL THIS MONEY. AND, YOU KNOW, TRAINING AND ALL THAT STUFF. SO WHAT I NEED, AND I HAVE APPROACHED THIS BEFORE IS A PART TIME PERSON TO HELP CARRY THIS LOAD. AND IT'S A BIG LOAD. 
          [02:05:02]
BOE IS NO JOKE. AND WE, WE HAVE LIKE THIS. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAID. THE PUBLIC DEFENDER SAID, BECAUSE SO MANY OTHER THINGS, I MEAN, JUST IT'S GROWING. IT'S IT'S IT'S IT'S JUST. IT'S REALLY OVERWHELMING. BUT WE DO WHAT WE CAN DO. BUT EVERY DOCUMENT THAT COMES INTO MY OFFICE ARE INTO THE APPEAL ADMINISTRATOR AFFECTS SOMEBODY'S LIFE. SOMEBODY'S LIFE. SO THAT IS WHAT I'M HERE ASKING FOR BECAUSE IT WAS NOT APPROVED AS A PART TIME PERSON TO, YOU KNOW. 60, 50% TAKE CARE OF OUR BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, WHICH INCLUDES OUR TAXPAYERS. 
          THEY'RE PRETTY IMPORTANT PEOPLE. SO AND WE JUST HAVE SO MUCH OTHER THAT WE ACTUALLY COULDN'T HAVE ENOUGH HELP JUST TO PUT IT THAT WAY. BUT COMMISSIONERS, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I DON'T WANT ANY MORE THAN I NEED. AND I MEAN THAT. SO THANK YOU. WE JUST NOW GETTING INTO THE BUDGET, BUT YOU BROUGHT UP SOME KIND OF INTERESTING THINGS. AND I WHEN WE GET INTO IT, WAS HER BUDGET CUT AS FAR AS ADVERTISING AND YES, ALONG WITH EVERY OTHER BUDGET IN THE COUNTY. BUT IF SHE'S GOT TO ADVERTISE AND SHE'S GOT $380 OUT FOUR TIMES $95 FOR THE ADVERTISING, FOUR TIMES FOR THE GRAND JURY, WHY WOULD THAT BE CUT? WELL, SHE DIDN'T ATTEND HER BUDGET MEETING. AND SO AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FINE. I'M JUST I'M JUST JUST I'M JUST SAYING THAT IF SHE'S GOT IF SHE'S GOT SOME EXPENSES THAT SHE KNOWS SHE'S GOING TO HAVE FOR A YEAR, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WOULD BE CUT AS FAR AS ADVERTISING. SO AS FAR AS ADVERTISING GOES, NOTHING HAD BEEN SPENT SINCE 2020 IN THAT LINE ITEM. SO THOSE WELL, YOU HAD TWO YEARS OF COVID IN THERE. YOU HAD TWO YEARS OF COVID IN THAT 2020, FROM 20 2021 AND 22. BUT THOSE, THOSE EXPENSES THAT HAVE BEEN CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS ARE BEING CHARGED SOMEWHERE ELSE. WE I'M JUST SAYING, WE LOOK AT IT AND IS THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. I'M KIND OF GOT A QUESTION MARK HERE WITH THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. IS THAT A SEPARATE BUDGET ITEM FROM THE CLERK OF COURTS OFFICE? WE DON'T BELIEVE SO, NO, SIR. WE HAVE A LINE ITEM IN THAT BUDGET. AND FOR THIS YEAR THERE WAS $10,000 IN THAT LINE ITEM. AND THAT LINE ITEM IS IN HER BUDGET TO BE ACCESSED FOR THEIR MEETINGS, THEIR TRAINING, AND PAYING THEM THEIR PER DIEM. WELL, I LIKE WHEN WE START LOOKING AT THIS BUDGET. I'D LIKE FOR ALL OF THIS TO BE ATOMIZED OUT SO WE AS COMMISSIONERS CAN SEE WHAT IS AND NOT ONLY THIS DEPARTMENT, BUT LIKE ALL OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS TOO, AS FAR AS ADVERTISING AND STUFF LIKE THAT, BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM CLERK, THE COMMISSIONERS, THE UPSTAIRS IN THE MAIN OFFICE, THE TAX COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE, THEY HAVE TO ADVERTISE TO AND SEND OUT. SO I'D LIKE TO I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE BUDGET THAT WE HAVE IS ITEMIZED OUT. AND AS THOSE LINE ITEMS FOR ADVERTISING VERSUS EVERY OTHER EXPENDITURE THAT WE HAVE, BECAUSE I DON'T WAIT. GO AHEAD. BUT ALSO WHEN THERE ARE MEETINGS THAT ARE DETERMINED AND DAYS THAT CAN BE SET HERE, THESE HEARINGS, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO BE ADVERTISED SO THAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS. AND OUR BOARD, OUR BOARD HAS NOT BEEN UP AND RUNNING BECAUSE OF THESE UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS. BUT NOW WE'RE UP AND RUNNING. WE'RE HAVING HEARINGS. WE HAD THREE DAYS LAST WEEK, AND WE'VE GOT AMAZING MEMBERS. AND I I'M JUST THRILLED ABOUT IT. BUT NO, I AM JUST THE APPEAL ADMINISTRATOR. IT SHOULD NOT COUNT AGAINST MY BUDGET, AND I'M NOT SURE. 10,500. I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT GOT PUT INTO THE BUDGET. I DON'T KNOW, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THE THE PAY, THE TRAINING, ALL THAT, JUST WHAT IT COMES OUT OF BECAUSE THERE'S NO, YOU KNOW, SEPARATION, WHAT YEAR GO AHEAD. WHAT YEAR DID THE THE ASSEMBLY 
          [02:10:03]
OR THE ASSEMBLY, WHAT YEAR DID THEY MOVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE? I BELIEVE IT. AND PLEASE, I KNOW I JUST ROUGHLY I WANTED TO BE MORE PREPARED, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS MAYBE 8 TO 9, TEN YEARS AGO. OKAY. SO THERE WAS I MEAN, THAT GOES BACK BEFORE SOME OF US. 
          WAS THERE NOT AN INCREASE ANY, ANY COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PUT INTO YOUR BUDGET AT THAT TIME? YES. IT WAS. SO THE LEGISLATOR. I'M SORRY. OH, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE SEPARATION. I WAS NOT AWARE OF. WELL, I'VE GOT THIS MUCH TO PAY THE MEMBERS FOR THEIR SERVICE EVERY DAY. I DID NOT KNOW HOW MUCH I HAD IN TRAINING TO SEND THESE MEMBERS TO TRAINING, BECAUSE IT'S REAL STRICT BY STATUTE. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, ABOUT UPDATES AND ALL THAT. AND ALSO IF THEY HAVE TO GO, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T SCHEDULE THESE TRAININGS CLOTHES. IF THEY IF THESE MEMBERS HAVE TO GO AND SPEND THE NIGHT, THEN THAT'S ANOTHER EXPENSE. AND NOW THEY HAVE BEEN DOING SOME ONLINE, BUT THEY DON'T ALWAYS SCHEDULE THOSE ONLINE IN THE TIME FRAME BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ALL THIS HAS TO BE IN ORDER BEFORE THEY CAN SIT IN THAT CHAIR AND LISTEN TO A TAXPAYER OR LISTEN TO AN ASSESSOR. AND I JUST HAD A TROUBLE WITH THE TRANSPARENCY OF IT, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE MY BUDGET IS INFLATED BY SOMETHING THAT IS SO TOTALLY SEPARATE. YOU, YOU KIND OF INDICATED THAT THERE WAS WHEN THIS THIS RESPONSIBILITY WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE CLERK, THERE WAS A AMOUNT, I DON'T KNOW, APPROVED. YES. THERE. SO IN JUST FOR THIS YEAR, THERE WAS $10,500 PUT IN THERE. AND THAT CAN INCLUDE. AND I REALIZE IT MAY BE CONFUSION WHERE THE MONEY IS TO HER, BUT IT IS IN HER BUDGET AND IT IS FOR THEIR TRAINING, FOR THEIR PER DIEM THAT THEY GET IN ANY OTHER EXPENSES THAT THEY. IT IS THAT ITEMIZED OUT AS THE. THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. IT'S A LINE ITEM AND IT'S A TOTAL. BUT. BUT IS IT EQUAL? I MEAN, IS IT IT IS A LINE ITEM SPECIFIED FOR BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. YES. BECAUSE SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE DISCUSSING, YOU KNOW, WE AS COMMISSIONERS, WHEN WE HAVE PEOPLE COME TO US TO TALK ABOUT THEIR TAXES, WE SAY YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS. AND ONE OF THEM IS TO LOOK AT THE STAFF. THEN YOU GO TO THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND THEN, WELL, THE TAX ASSESSOR, BUT THEN THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, AND THEN YOU TAKE IT TO COURT. AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT IF THEY DON'T SHOW UP, THEN THERE'S ALL THERE'S AUTOMATIC RULING BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE, WHEN THEY GO TO BOARD EQUALIZATION, THEIR TAXES ARE FROZEN FOR 2 OR 3 YEARS BEFORE IT GOES. SO DO WE HAVE A BOARD OF EQUALIZATION IN EFFECT TODAY? YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WE TELL PEOPLE THAT I WANT, I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TELLING THEM THE CORRECT WAY. OH, YES, YES WE DID. AND, AND I WILL ADD ON TO THAT. THAT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY. I WENT TO EVERY ORGANIZATION FOR TWO YEARS. I KNOW, PLEASE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. POLITICAL MEETINGS. CLUB MEETINGS, THE SENIOR CITIZEN THING. AND IT WAS DIFFICULT. I HAD NOBODY I WAS AT THE BRINK OF HAVING TO ASK THE GRAND JURY TO PLEASE TAKE ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SOME OF THIS, TO HELP ME FIND SOMEBODY. BUT THANK GOD I GOT. I DON'T WANT A POLITICAL MEETING. ONE OF MY FRIENDS THAT'S BEEN FRIENDS SINCE I WAS 15 YEARS OLD. AND SHE IS AN AMAZING PERSON. SHE IS NOW ON THAT COMMITTEE. SHE HAS HELPED ME FIND. MEMBERS. AND WE JUST GOT TWO NEW ONES THAT WE JUST GOT QUALIFIED AND THEY I WASN'T HERE, BUT I BELIEVE THEY SAT ON HEARINGS LAST THURSDAY AND WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB. AND AND THAT'S EVEN THOUGH I'M A THE APPEAL ADMINISTRATOR, NOT THE CLERK OF COURT, IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY. AND I TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. AND AND I'M NOT REALLY SURE SONJA AND SONJA'S BEEN GREAT ALL THESE YEARS. WE 
          [02:15:04]
WORKED TOGETHER FOR YEARS AND YEARS. WE'RE. THE $10,500 REQUEST CAME FROM. BECAUSE WE CAN REVIEW LAST YEAR'S REQUEST. IT. IT'S REALLY NO BIG DEAL. I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW THINGS GET, WHERE THEY ARE, AND THEN TO. SORRY, QUESTION FOR SONJA. THE 300 AND $500 REQUESTED THIS TIME FOR THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION 3500. YES, BUT SEE, I DON'T KNOW WHERE, WHO OR HOW THAT WAS REQUESTED. LET ME SAY THIS. I THINK THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS THAT THAT WE MIGHT COULD ANSWER OFFLINE AT A DIFFERENT TIME. SOME OF THE SMALLER ISSUES AND NUANCES OF THIS. SO, JACKIE, I THINK THAT MAYBE YOU AND SONJA COULD GET TOGETHER AND KIND OF LOOK AT THAT. AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, OUR BUDGET FOR US TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BETTER HOW THAT'S ALL BROKEN OUT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL. SO IF Y'ALL COULD DO THAT, MAYBE, AND THEN WE CAN GET A REPORT BACK A LITTLE LATER ON THAT CLARIFY HER REQUEST IS ABOUT $30,000. IT'S JUST A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS HERE AND THERE IN THE LINE. ITEMS THAT WE REDUCED IN THE PART TIME PERSON THAT SHE'S REQUESTED. OKAY. THAT KIND OF. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO THOSE ARE 30,000 INCLUDE THE PART TIME PERSON TOO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. WELL, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN. MAYBE Y'ALL CAN JUST TALK THROUGH THAT A LITTLE BIT AND GET BACK WITH US, AND WE CAN MAKE A DECISION ON THAT AS WE GO THROUGH OUR BUDGET. ALL RIGHT. DID YOU SIGN IT? REALLY DO. OKAY. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. AND WE'LL WE'LL DIG IN AND LEARN A LITTLE MORE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. I KNOW WE DO. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU THEN. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. HAVE A GOOD REST OF THE DAY. ALRIGHT. TO GO 
          [11. Consideration of May 5, 2026 5:00 p.m. Board Meeting Agenda (Eric Mosley)
]
OVER THIS AFTERNOON'S AGENDA, WE'VE GOT DOCTOR DAVID PRESLEY FROM REEVES CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCH WILL PROVIDE THE INVOCATION. WE DO HAVE A CITIZEN TO ADDRESS THE BOARD DOCTOR GLEN DOWELL OF THE NAA CP. UNDER SPECIAL BUSINESS WE HAVE FIVE ITEMS. ONE IS CONSIDERATION OF THE GRANT RESOLUTION FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE GEORGIA DNR. RTP GRANT. 
          ITEM B IS CONSIDERATION OF THE REQUEST TO CONSTRUCT THE 2026 BURN BUILDING. ITEM C IS TO TRANSFER THE. FAA IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. ENTITLEMENT FUNDS ITEM D IS CONSIDERATION OF THE HARRIS COMPLEX PARKING LOT EXPANSION AND ITEM E IS THE CONSIDERATION OF THE TEXT AMENDMENT FOR THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE DATA CENTER. CRYPTOCURRENCY OR DATA MINING FACILITIES. UNDER PUBLIC HEARING, WE HAVE TWO ITEMS. ONE IS A BEER AND WINE LICENSE APPLICATION FOR 1748 VERNON ROAD, AND THE SECOND IS A HOME OCCUPATION. 340 ABBOTSFORD ROAD. 
          THAT'S ALL WE GOT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING HERE. 
          Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT LUNCH. SEE Y'ALL. LUNCHTIME.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.