Aug 04, 2026 Board of Commissioners Work Session

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:09]

ME WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR. TUESDAY, AUGUST THE 4TH, 2026 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION. AS ALWAYS, WE OPEN UP WITH A WORD OF PRAYER. AND I'M GOING TO KIND OF ASK OUR COUNTY MANAGER IF HE DOESN'T MIND THIS MORNING. OPEN US IN A WORD OF PRAYER. ALRIGHT. OUR HEADS.

DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU, LORD FOR THIS DAY. WE ASK YOU, LORD, FOR YOUR BLESSINGS OVER OUR COMMUNITY. WE ASK YOU, LORD, THAT YOU WILL BLESS ALL OF THOSE HERE TODAY THAT ARE HERE TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. BE WITH US AS WE, MAKE WISE DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF OUR CITIZENS AND OUR COMMUNITY. LORD, WE THANK YOU, LORD, FOR YOUR MANY BLESSINGS.

AND JUST ASK YOU, LORD, JUST THAT YOU WILL WATCH OVER US. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN.

ALRIGHT. AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE COUNTY MANAGER TO FOR THE AGENDA.

[1. The Richard English, Jr. Strongest Link Award of Excellence for July 2026 (Chardonnay Scott) ]

AT THIS TIME HAVING FAMILY. FRIENDS.

RIGHT HERE. ONE. TWO. THREE. CONGRATULATIONS. JESSICA. YOU HAVE PROVEN THAT YOU ARE THE STRONGEST LINK OF JULY OF 2026, AND WE APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION AND LOYALTY THAT YOU HAVE PUT FORTH INTO TROUP COUNTY. YOU HAVE PROVEN THAT YOU ARE THE STRONGEST LINK. CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN. AND 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 RECIPIENTS GIFT BAG THIS MONTH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. TO STICK WITH OUR

[2. Presentation of Generation X Retirement Planning Internship Report (Dan Wooten/Denisha Williams)]

[00:05:03]

AND THEN THREE, TO HELP FIGURE OUT IF THE ACTIVE LIFE CENTERS NEED TO CHANGE, ADAPT, OR EVEN ADD NEW. PROGRAMS TO THEIR CENTERS AND MAYBE EVEN KEEP THEM THE SAME IF IT'S DOING WELL. EXCELLENT. OKAY. SO HOW DID I COLLECT ALL OF MY INFORMATION? I COLLECTED MY INFORMATION BY USING DIFFERENT RESEARCH METHODS. THE FIRST ONE BEING VISITING THREE DIFFERENT ACTIVE LIFE CENTERS. THE FIRST ONE WAS LAGRANGE, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE WAS IN HOGANSVILLE, AND THE OTHER WAS IN WEST POINT. AND WHEN I VISITED THESE CENTERS, I OBSERVED AND WATCHED WHAT PEOPLE WERE DOING, HOW THEIR PROGRAMS WERE DONE, AND ALSO ASKED THE MEMBERS WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT THEM AND WHAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO CHANGE OR KEEP OR ADD AS WELL. THEN I ALSO COMPARED OTHER RECREATION CENTERS FOR ADULTS 55 AND UP TO THE ACTIVE LIFE CENTERS TO SEE WHAT ELSE THEY MIGHT WANT TO INCORPORATE IN THEIR PROGRAMS, AND ALSO WHAT THEY ARE DOING WELL ALREADY, AND BETTER THAN OTHER CENTERS. THIRD, I ALSO CREATED A SURVEY FOR SPECIFICALLY GEN X MEMBERS TO TAKE, AND WE SENT THEM OUT TO NUMEROUS PEOPLE, AND WE GOT 105 RESPONSES. AND THEN ALSO I DID ADDITIONAL RESEARCH THAT BEING ARTICLES JOURNALS ON GEN X AND COMPARING THEM TO BABY BOOMERS AND ALSO SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS THAT GEN XERS HAVE. AND JUST KIND OF UNDERSTANDING THEM BETTER THROUGH THOSE. AND THEN LASTLY, WE ALSO HAD CONDUCTED FOCUS GROUPS FOR GEN X AND TROUP COUNTY. SO HERE ARE MY RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON MY RESEARCH AND WHY I HAVE THEM. SO. FOR MY FIRST RECOMMENDATION, I BELIEVE THAT MORE GEN XERS WILL BE MORE KEEN ON JOINING THE ACTIVE LIFE CENTERS IF THEY HAVE MORE WEEKEND OR EVENING PROGRAMING, BECAUSE GEN XERS ARE VERY BUSY. THEY HAVE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES LIKE NOT JUST WORK, BUT ALSO CHILDREN THAT THEY HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT ARE EITHER ABOVE 18 OR UNDER 18.

THEY ALSO HAVE PARENTS THAT ARE TAKING CARE OF, AND SOME EVEN HAVE GRANDCHILDREN THAT THEY STILL WANT TO VISIT. AND IT'S JUST VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO ONLY COME TO THE ACTIVE LIFE CENTERS IN THE MORNINGS WHEN THEY HAVE ALL THESE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES. SO WITH THESE PROGRAMS BEING ON WEEKENDS OR EVENINGS, IT GIVES THEM MORE FLEXIBILITY AND MORE LIKELY FOR

[00:10:04]

WHAT DID YOU WHAT DID YOU HEAR WAS THE MOST POPULAR, ACTIVITY THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW FOR THE ACTIVE LIFE. I WOULD SAY PICKLEBALL IS VERY POPULAR IN ALL OF THE ACTIVE LIFE CENTERS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE PICKLEBALL. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WAS THE FISH FRY. OH. IT IS VERY POPULAR. WOW. WE'VE INCLUDED A DOCUMENT THAT YOU'LL FIND ON YOUR DESK THAT GIVES A SUMMARY OF HER FINDINGS. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE ACTIVE LIFE AND HELPING US TO CONTINUE TO GROW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, WE'LL

[3. Discuss Request for Approval to Apply for FY27 (SCIP) Specialized Court-Based Programs Grant (Jasmine Johnson) ]

[4. Discuss Authorization to Utilize Opioid Settlement Funds for Purchase of Body Scanner at TC Jail (Nathan Taylor/Denise Smith) ]

WE'VE WE'VE IDENTIFIED THAT THERE'S THERE'S FUNDS HERE, THROUGH THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS. AND WE'RE REQUESTING THAT WE USE THE $173,000 FROM THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS INSTEAD OF THE 1.75 MILLION THAT THE BOARD HAD PREVIOUSLY GIVEN US FOR, REMODELING AND

[00:15:07]

AND IT'S STILL PUTTING OUT SOME GREAT IMAGES. INCLUDED IN THE COST OF THIS IS THE MAINTENANCE, YEARLY MAINTENANCE. IT'S A SIGNIFICANT COST OF IT. SO IT WILL, WE'LL HAVE TO BUDGET THAT FOR THE FUTURE. SO IT'LL KEEP UP THE MACHINE AND STILL RETURN THOSE, THOSE GREAT IMAGES. I MEAN, THIS, THIS THING CAN, WE CAN TEAR OFF A LITTLE SMALL PIECE OF PAPER AND PUT IT INSIDE AN INMATE JUMPSUIT AND RUN THE INMATE THROUGH THE MACHINE, AND IT WILL PICK UP THAT LITTLE BITTY PIECE OF PAPER, WHICH IS, IS ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES WE'RE HAVING IS CALLED STRIPS, WHERE THEY SOAK THE PAPER IN. IT'S A SYNTHETIC CABIN, BOYS CALLED K-2. AND THEY, THOSE LITTLE PIECES OF PAPER INSIDE OF THE JAIL, THEY SELL THEM FOR A HIGH DOLLAR AMOUNT. THEY SMOKE THEM. IT CREATES A AN OVERDOSE EFFECT. AND WE WIND UP HAVING TO SHIP THESE INMATES TO THE HOSPITAL. SO WE CAN STOP THIS, THESE PAPERS COMING IN, WHICH THEY WILL PUT IN PLACES WE CAN'T SEARCH. I MEAN, YOU MENTIONED A WHILE AGO THERE'S TWO SYSTEMS. THEY WERE RUNNING TWO SYSTEMS. CORRECT. WHAT WERE THE THEY HAVE THEY HAVE TWO DIFFERENT FACILITIES THERE. SO THEY BASICALLY THEIR WORK RELEASE FACILITY AND THEN THEIR GENERAL INTAKE. SO THEY RUN TWO MACHINES. WHICH. SO THIS PRICE INCLUDES THE EQUIPMENT SET UP, TRAINING EVERYTHING. CORRECT. OKAY. CORRECT. LIKE I SAID, WE WERE GOING TO USE IT OUT OF THAT 1.75 MILLION. BUT INSTEAD IF WE COULD USE IT OUT OF THE OPIOID OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS THAT WE CAN USE AT THAT $173,000 FOR OTHER JAIL RELATED REPAIRS. Y'ALL EVER HAD THE, YOU ALREADY HAVE THE LOCATION BEFORE. IT'S GOING TO BE SET UP RIGHT INSIDE BOOKING. AS SOON AS INMATE COMES INSIDE THE DOORS OF THE FACILITY, THEY'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT THAT MACHINE BEFORE THEY CAN GO ANY FURTHER. DEPUTY HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS. HE'S AT A CONFERENCE TODAY, SO HE COULDN'T BE HERE TO TO EXPLAIN IT FURTHER. SO I'M STEPPING IN.

ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT. IF NOT, WE'LL TAKE THIS UP THIS EVENING. THANK YOU.

[5. Discuss Troup County E911 Infrastructure upgrades and NextGen911 (Shannan McLaughlin) ]

[00:20:01]

SO SOME OF THAT ANTIQUATED STUFF HAS FORCED US INTO THAT. AND WHEN IT COMES INTO THE NEXT GEN 911 SYSTEM, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO ALL TO REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE MORE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO US THAN THE PALM OF OUR IPHONE. WE'RE ORDERING AN UBER OR, DOORDASH AND FOOD.

WE CAN TRACK THAT BETTER THAN THE ACTUAL PING LOCATIONS THAT THEY CAN GET IN THE 911 CENTER OUT OF THE CURRENT TECHNOLOGY. SO, THIS WILL ALLOW THAT TO BE REAL TIME. WE'LL HAVE JUST AS MUCH OR BETTER TECHNOLOGY THAN WHAT THEY HAVE WITH THAT, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE VIDEO ABILITY TO GET VIDEOS INTO THE 911 CENTER OR MAYBE EVEN EVEN TO THE MDTS. SOME OF THESE OFFICERS FIRE TRUCKS, ANY OF THE OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY UNITS THAT ARE OUT THERE. SO, THERE'S SEVERAL OPTIONS. AND I'LL LET SHANNON KIND OF HIT ON THOSE AND WHAT THE IMPORTANCE OF THEM ARE. AND WE'LL CERTAINLY, ASK ANY QUESTIONS OR TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN. JASON AND ALAN ARE ALSO HERE FROM CITY IT AND THEY CAN TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF, SWAPPING SOME OF THOSE FIBER LINES AND WHAT SOME OF THAT LOOKS LIKE. SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO SHANNON. SO WE HAVE LOTS OF ISSUES WITH OUR PHONE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A COUPLE YEARS. AND WE WERE NOTIFIED LAST YEAR BY AT&T THAT THEY WERE GOING TO STOP SERVICING THE LINES. WE GET 37% OF OUR CALLS ON THOSE LINES. YOUR YOUR ALARMS, FIRE ALARMS, ALL THAT COME IN ON LINES. NOW, THE TRUNK LINES ARE, WHICH ARE THE 911 LINES. IF IT RAINS, WE'RE GETTING STATIC ON EVERY LINE. WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO TAKE OUT A TRUNK, WHICH IS CALLED A.

IT'S ONE OF OUR LINES. AND WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE OUT 1 OR 2 OF THOSE, WHICH IS WE HAVE SIX.

SO WHEN WE DO THAT, WE'RE BRINGING IT DOWN TO MAYBE FOUR, SOMETIMES THREE, THAT ARE WORKING. AND ON TOP OF THAT, OUR PHONES GO OUT. SO THEN WE'RE HAVING TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER LOCATION UNTIL THEY CAN GET THAT CORRECTED. WE, WE DID LOOK AT DIFFERENT OPTIONS WITH AT&T CITY OF LAGRANGE. WE LOOKED AT VESTA BECAUSE ALL OF THIS IS GOING TO REQUIRE A PHONE REFRESH, WHICH WILL BE UPDATING OUR CURRENT PHONE SYSTEM TO DO THE PHONE REFRESH.

AND WE'LL GO OVER. YEAH YOU CAN. OKAY, SO FOR THE PHONE IN IN DIGITAL IS FOR NEXT GEN NUMBER ONE, YOU CAN DO IN DIGITAL. WE LOOKED AT A CARBINE, WE LOOKED AT AT&T IN YOUR PACKET. THERE'S SEVERAL QUOTES THAT YOU'LL SEE. WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING IS TO STAY WITH VESTA, WHICH IS OUR CURRENT PHONE SYSTEM THROUGH MOTOROLA AND GO ON WITH IN DIGITAL FOR THE NEXT GEN IN THE CITY OF LAGRANGE. IT INSTEAD FOR THE FIBER, GOTTA HAVE THE FIBER TO COME IN TO DO IT. FOR THE FIRST YEAR WITHIN DIGITAL, TOTAL COST WILL BE 612, $191 IN YEARLY IS GOING TO BE 176,634.

WE CURRENTLY PAY 62,000 JUST FOR OUR PHONES. AND THEN WE CURRENTLY PAY 5600 FOR OUR AT&T.

JUST THE PHONE LINES. SO I MEAN, IT KIND OF GOING TO BE NOT TOO MUCH DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE CURRENTLY PAY OTHER THAN THE UPFRONT COST. ALL OF THIS WILL REQUIRE A SIP SIP CONNECTION, WHICH ALLOWS THE TWO SYSTEMS TO TALK TO EACH OTHER. EVEN IF WE DO WHAT THE CITY OF LAGRANGE WISH, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THAT SIP CONNECTION. WE ARE LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE'S A WORKAROUND WITH THAT. I'M STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THAT. AND SO YES, IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SOME VISITING THE OTHER CENTERS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON NEXT GEN AND SEE WHAT PROS AND CONS. SOME THINGS THAT WE MAY HAVE OVERLOOKED. WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THAT AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK WITH FINAL NUMBERS. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THIS DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE. WE DID GET SOME VERBAL IF WE PAID UP FRONT, WE GOT A VERBAL FOR 5% DISCOUNT ON BOTH IN DIGITAL AND VESTA. THAT'S IF WE PAY THE WHOLE AMOUNT UPFRONT. SO I RECOMMEND

[00:25:02]

WE CALL THEY'RE HERE WITHIN AN HOUR TO MAKE ANY KIND OF REPAIRS THAT WE NEED. WE LOOKED AT RESILIENT PHONE SYSTEM, WHICH WAS A LITTLE BIT CHEAPER, NOT MUCH. IT'S A KIND OF NEW SYSTEM. DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT IT. WE DON'T KNOW SERVICE WISE INABILITY. WE STAY WITH US.

SO WE STAY WITH MOTOROLA. IT INTEGRATES WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, WITH OUR USE, WITH THE DIGITAL. WE'LL BE ABLE TO COPY AND PASTE FROM OUR PHONES DIRECTLY INTO THE CAD. LIKE WE CAN SHARE THE VIDEO, THE TEXT MESSAGES CAN GO STRAIGHT TO THE OFFICER'S UNITS ON SCENE DEPARTMENT AND CAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. TAG NUMBERS, ANYTHING. SO I DO INVITE YOU ALL DOWN TO COME DOWN AND SEE OUR ISSUES AT HAND. LOOK AT OUR CURRENT SETUP, THE TECHNOLOGY, AND LOOK AND SEE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH AND ISSUES THAT WE HAVE. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE, I'LL SAY HOPEFUL FOR IS THAT THE STATE OF ALABAMA, THEY ACTUALLY WENT ALL IN AND SAID THE ALABAMA ACTUALLY HELPED PAY FOR A LOT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE FRONT END. I GUESS I WAS ALABAMA AND NORTH CAROLINA HOPEFUL THAT GEORGIA WOULD ALSO FOLLOW SUIT, WOULD PROVIDE SOME FUNDING UP FRONT IN CAPITAL FUNDS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THIS. AND SO, WITH THAT, THAT'S THE HOUSE RESOLUTION 43, ON THE BALLOT FOR INCOMING IN NOVEMBER, THERE WILL BE AN OPTION FOR THE CITIZENS TO VOTE, TO, FOR THE STATE TO CREATE A FUND JUST TO CREATE A FUND FOR THE 911 FEES TO GO INTO. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S NOT FOR, TO ASSIST US WITH NEXT GEN OR ANYTHING. IT'S JUST TO CREATE A FUND. THEY DON'T LOOK AT INCREASING THE NUMBER $1.50 FEE. WE'RE STILL A LONG WAY AWAY FROM THE STATE DOING ANYTHING RIGHT. AND NOW WE'RE AT A DEADLINE AND WE REALLY WE'RE NOT HAVING CHOICES.

THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN SET BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, NOT BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT. CORRECT? YES. AND ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL, TO THEM, COMPATIBILITY AND INTEROPERABILITY IS THAT'S WHAT WEST POINT'S GOING TO WITH THE DIGITAL AS WELL AS IN DIGITAL IS WHAT THE ENTIRE STATE OF ALABAMA WENT TO. SO IT MAKES SENSE FOR US IN THAT ASPECT, EVEN THOUGH THE, THE PRICE TAG MAY BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. THE INTEROPERABILITY TO BE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION AMONG GOVERNMENTS TO THE AGENCIES IS MORE IMPORTANT TO US. I THINK WE'VE SEEN FIRST HAND, WE'RE TRANSFERRING CELL CALLS USING A SINGLE SOUTHERN LINK CELL PHONE OUT OF THE NINE ONE CENTER RIGHT NOW, JUST AMONG THE STATE LINES. SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO FIND AS MUCH INTEROPERABILITY AS POSSIBLE. WHILE, YOU KNOW, COUNTIES THAT ARE SURROUNDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE MAY NOT HAVE AS MUCH ISSUE AS WE DO, BUT THAT THAT STATE LINE BECOMES QUITE THE OBSTACLE SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY DEALING WITH CHAMBERS AND RANDOLPH. SPEAKING OF INOPERABILITY, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT, HARRIS HEARD? MERIWETHER OR ALSO COWETA? WHAT ARE THEY DOING? MERIWETHER WEST POINT IS IN PROCESS. WEST POINT, THEY'VE BEEN ABOUT SIX MONTHS. SO THEY'RE GO LIVE, I BELIEVE IS IN AUGUST SOMETIME THIS MONTH. I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM HEARD OR HARRIS. I'LL REACH OUT TO THEM AND SEE CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF US. THEY'VE TRANSFERRED OVER. SO YOUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO GO WITHIN DIGITAL, WHICH IS IN DIGITAL AND CD FIBER. AND HOW MUCH IS THIS CHANGING IN THE COST WHEN YOU GET THROUGH WITH THE CURRENTLY. SO CURRENTLY WE PAY MOTOROLA VISTA 62,000. THIS IS GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING TO 176. YEAH, 76, 671, 76, 634 PER YEAR. PER YEAR. ABOUT 110,000. THAT'S NEXT YEAR. AND THAT'S. THAT DOESN'T. BUT YOU STILL GOT YOUR UPFRONT COST.

YOUR INITIAL COST IS SEPARATE. THAT'S THE INVESTMENT WE'LL MAKE UP FRONT. AND THEN OUR ANNUAL COST WILL BE ABOUT 171 000 A YEAR. THAT UPFRONT WILL ALLOW US TO UPGRADE ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S DOWN THERE TO CENTER DOWN, NOT JUST THE TECHNOLOGY PIECE. YES. SO THROUGH ALL OF THIS, ALL OF THE VENDORS, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT, BUT ALL VENDORS RECOMMENDED WE DO THIS ALL AT ONE TIME INSTEAD OF IN PHASES LIKE BRINGING IN FIBER OR THEN JUST A PHONE UPGRADE. IT'S BEST TO DO IT ALL AT ONE TIME. SO IF THERE IS AN ISSUE, THEY'RE ALL ON SCENE AND THEY CAN GET IT REPAIRED AT THAT TIME. SO AS FAR AS ALL THE NEW RADIOS WE PURCHASED WITH THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND ALL BACK SOME TIME AGO, ALL OF THIS WILL MESH AND BE FINE. NO

[00:30:05]

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY WE'RE TRYING TO GET AS MUCH COMPATIBILITY DONE AS ONCE YOU SAID IT'S TRANSITION, LIKE IN PHASES. IS THAT WHAT YOU SAY? LIKE YOU, HOW DOES THAT EXCUSE ME? I THINK, IF THE BOARD WAS TO TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION AND APPROVE IT AND JASON, MAKE AN ANSWER MORE HOW THIS WOULD ALL GO DOWN ONCE WE GET TO THE FACT OF THIS IS HOW IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT OBVIOUSLY THE PHONES WOULD HAVE TO BE UPGRADED AND GET THAT ON BOARD.

AND THEN THEY WOULD COME IN WITH THE TECHNOLOGY PIECE, AND THEN WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE A GO LIVE SIMILAR AFTER THAT WITH A TRANSITION PERIOD THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL OPERATING ON THE OLD WHILE WE TRANSITION TO THE NEW. MUCH LIKE WHEN WE SWAPPED OVER TO THE NEW RADIO SYSTEM OR THE CAD, YOU GOTTA KIND OF KEEP THE OLD ONE RUNNING WHILE YOU'RE GETTING TO THE NEW ONE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN'T AFFECT ANY OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY. YEAH. SO LIKE WITH DIGITAL, THEY SWITCH, THEY BRING OVER YOUR ADMIN LINES FIRST, AND THEN THEY'LL PHASE IN THE YOUR TRUNK LINE, WHICH IS YOUR, YOUR CELL PHONES. THEN THEY'LL BRING IN THOSE OVER. SO THEY DO THAT IN PHASES, BUT ALL OF IT IS DONE AT ONE TIME. YOUR FIBER, YOUR PHONE LINES, ALL THAT'S IN ONE, ONE GO IN YOUR PHONE NUMBER.

AND WE HAVE SOME CASE STUDIES, THAT SHANNON, BE GLAD TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL, OF WHERE THE DIFFERENCE IN BEING ABLE TO LOCATE THESE PEOPLE WAS, COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE IN, LIFE OR DEATH IN A LOT OF THESE SITUATIONS. SO IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE CITIZENS AND ANY WAY WE CAN HELP YOU ALL UNDERSTAND IT. WE'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. AND ALABAMA'S ALREADY JUST REAL QUICKLY, HOW DOES THAT I MEAN, I KNOW Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE TOUCHED ON IT A WHILE AGO, BUT THAT CALL COMING THROUGH, WHERE DO YOU WHAT ALL DO YOU MISS, I GUESS, IS THAT THE BEST WAY TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION? WELL, CURRENTLY WE CAN'T EVEN TRANSFER TO THEM. SO WE, WE TAKE THE CALL AND THEN WE GO TO PICK UP A CELL PHONE THAT WE HAVE IN THE CENTER TO CALL THEM AND GIVE THEM A CALL. YES. SO THEY CAN TRANSFER INTO US.

THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HAVING MAJOR ISSUES. WHEN THEY TRANSFER INTO US, WE CAN'T PING THEIR LOCATION. WE DON'T GET ANY OF THAT CALL INFORMATION LIKE THE, ROUTING, OR BE ABLE TO SEE IT ON A MAP IN THIS AREA. SO WE'RE JUST GOING BY WHAT THE, WHAT THE PERSON CALLING IN IS SAYING WHERE THEY ARE. SO WE HAVE SEVERAL CASES. AND WHEN YOU COME DOWN, WE'LL LET YOU HEAR SOME, BUT WE HAD ONE FOR INSTANCE, IT TOOK TEN MINUTES BECAUSE HE KEPT CALLING ONE STORE ANOTHER NAME. AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE. YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE THIS NAME, BUT IT TOOK TEN MINUTES FOR US TO GET SOMEBODY THERE. AND IT WAS A DIRE SITUATION. BUT THAT HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES. THIS POTENTIALLY WILL COME BACK TO YOU GUYS IN ABOUT 30 DAYS. IT'S ONE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU GUYS JUST TO AGAIN, UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. AND FOR US TO

[00:35:01]

CORRECT. NOW WE'RE LIKE 65000. AND WE WOULD HAVE TO, TO EXPEND ABOUT $110,000 MORE TO BE ABLE TO UPGRADE THE SYSTEM. AND SO I THINK WE'RE SEEING IS THAT OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE BECOMING MORE AND MORE AND MORE RELIANT ON, SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY. AND SO WITH THAT COMES ADDITIONAL COST TO TAXPAYERS AND WHERE THE BUDGET. RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[6. Discuss Rural Land Study (Dan E Smith)]

AND SO DAN IS PREPARED TO, TO EDUCATE. GOOD MORNING GENTLEMEN. THIS CONTRACT THAT WE'VE DONE, IT'S OUR FOURTH CONTRACT THAT WE'VE DONE WITH TECHNICAL SERVICES APPRAISAL COMPANY OUT OF MACON, GEORGIA. THEY'VE DONE OUR LAST FOUR STUDIES ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2010. LAST TIME THEY WERE HERE WAS IN 22, WHEN THEY DID OUR STUDY THEN. AND THIS IS TO UPDATE OUR SCHEDULES FOR LAND, VACANT LAND SALES THAT WILL AFFECT THE PARCELS OF SMALL TRACT AND LARGE TRACT OVER THE 27 AND 28 DIGEST YEARS. IT WAS ALREADY APPROVED IN OUR BUDGET. SO EVERYTHING WAS THE FUNDS ARE THERE. THIS IS JUST A NOTIFICATION FOR YOU BECAUSE IT IS OVER $30,000 AS FAR AS THE CONTRACT FOR THEM TO DO THIS. AND SO IT REQUIRES A SIGNATURE FROM THE CHAIRMAN IN ORDER TO DO THAT HAS TO COME BEFORE THE BOARD. THE FUNDS COME FROM THEIR PILOT PROCESSING FEES. SO THAT'S WHERE THE, THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY IS ACTUALLY IN THE BUDGET. SO, SO IT'S IN OUR CONTRACT SERVICES THAT WERE PART OF THE BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR. THE SMALL TRACTS INCLUDE ALL LAND, USUALLY OVER FIVE ACRES UP TO 25 ACRES. OUR BREAK EVEN POINT IS 25.01. SO THOSE ACRES OF LAND ABOVE THAT ARE DONE ARE LARGE SCHEDULES, NORMALLY DESCRIBED AND APPRAISED IN TERMS OF SMALL ACREAGES, WHICH IS SUCH SIZE AS LIKE A FAVORABLE MULTI-USE PARCEL, IT COULD BE RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL, BUT THOSE VACANT PARCELS THAT CARRY A CLASSIFICATION OF A CLASS FOUR BY THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE IS A FOUR CLASSIFICATION. FIVE IS OUR LARGE TRACTS. AND AGAIN THOSE ARE ALL BASED ON SOIL TYPES AT THAT TIME WHEN THEY BECOME LARGE TRACTS. BUT THIS IS, LIKE I SAID, THE FOURTH TIME THEY'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 40 YEARS. MELZER NYE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THIS CORPORATION. HE DOES THE ON SITE INSPECTION. HE IS A REGISTERED FORESTER HIMSELF, WORKED FOR THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AUDITS AND ACCOUNTS BEFORE HE STARTED HIS OWN BUSINESS. AND HE'S VERY FAMILIAR WITH TROUP COUNTY AND IT'S A UNIQUE SCHEDULING. IT'S A UNIQUE THING THAT WE FELT THE BOARD HAVE FELT 16 YEARS AGO THAT WE ACTUALLY CONTRACT THIS OUT, AN OUTSIDE FIRM COMING IN, LOOKING AT IT GIVES A BETTER, I THINK, A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE PARCEL. AND IT GIVES ANOTHER OPINION OUTSIDE OF JUST OUR NORMAL BOARD OF ASSESSORS AND STAFF. SO OUR RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD AND THEY APPROVE THIS ON JULY 14TH, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS. BUT AGAIN, WE'RE HERE BECAUSE I NEED THE CHAIRMAN'S SIGNATURE ON THE CONTRACT. AND, WE'RE HERE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL ARE AWARE, AND WE'LL BE BACK IN TWO WEEKS FOR THE FINAL APPROVAL AT THAT TIME. WHY ARE WE WHY ARE WE SINGLING OUT JUST ONE GROUP? WE'RE NOT. THIS IS ALL VACANT RURAL PARCELS. YOU SAID BETWEEN 3 AND 25. THAT'S THE SMALL TRACK AND THEN LARGE TRACTS OVER 25. SO YOU GET EVERY ALL THE TRACKS. YES, SIR. ALL JURISDICTIONS, EVERYTHING WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF TROUP COUNTY, REGARDLESS OF TAXING JURISDICTIONS. I THINK I THINK

[00:40:04]

IN YEARS PAST, I HAD HEARD THAT. Y'ALL'S OFFICE TRIED TO DO ONE THIRD OF THE COUNTY A YEAR. IS THAT THAT WAS, THAT WAS WELL BEFORE MY TIME. BUT. YES SIR, THAT USED TO BE THE, THE, THE WAY THINGS HAPPENED AND THEN THE UNIFORMITY CLAUSE, BECAME VERY RELEVANT. AND ONE SECTION OF THE COUNTY THAT WENT UP THAT YEAR AND THE OTHER TWO DIDN'T, THEY COULD ARGUE THE FACT THAT THEY'RE NOT BEING TREATED FAIRLY. SO THAT WENT OUT THE WINDOW. IT'S DONE ACROSS THE COUNTY NOW. EVERYBODY'S TREATED THE SAME. AND IF A SCHEDULE CHANGE, IT GOES FOR EVERYBODY, NOT JUST ONE SECTION. BECAUSE IF THEY, THEY IN THE LAW SAYS THE UNIFORMITY WISE, THEY'RE NOT BEING TREATED FAIRLY. SO THAT'S WHY THAT WAS AN OLD TIME THING. THAT'S HOW THEY USED TO HAVE TO DO THE OFFICE. BUT WE DO NOT DO THAT ANY LONGER. NOW AS YOUR BOARD VOTED ON THIS.

YES, SIR. THE BOARD TOOK ACTION ON THIS ON JULY THE 14TH. ALL FIVE MEMBERS WERE PRESENT AND THEY ALL AGREED. WHEN WE APPROACHED THE BUDGET, THEY AGREED TO DO IT THEN. AND THEN WHEN THE CONTRACT CAME IN, WE PROCESSED THAT ON THE 14TH OF JULY. SO WHAT EXACTLY IF THEY'VE ALREADY VOTED ON IT, WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO APPROVE THE COMPANY UNDER OUR PURCHASING POLICY, ANYTHING ABOVE $25,000 HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ALREADY APPROVED IN THE BUDGET. YES, SIR. AND I, I NEED THE CHAIRMAN'S SIGNATURE. AND IN ORDER TO GET THAT, I NEED TO COME BEFORE THE WHOLE BODY. AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A COUPLE WEEKS TO ASK QUESTIONS. REACH OUT TO ME IF YOU GOT ANY OTHER FURTHER. IF NOT, WE'LL BE BACK IN TWO WEEKS FOR APPROVAL AND SIGNATURE PAGE. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE THEM? DAN, I DON'T THINK I HEARD YOU MENTION THIS. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE THEM TO DO THIS STUDY? THEY PROMISE THEY WILL COME IN SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER AND START THE PROCESS. THERE'S TWO INDIVIDUALS THAT COME IN MELZER NYE THE FORESTER. HE ACTUALLY VISITS EVERY PARCEL. HE EXTRACTS THE TIMBER HIMSELF.

HE GETS DOWN TO THE BASE VALUE OF THE DIRT. AND HE THAT'S WHAT HE PUT IN THE SCHEDULES. ALAN, WILL COME IN AFTER THAT. HE DOES THE UPDATES IN OUR SYSTEM. AND THEN THEY'LL ALSO BOTH PRESENT TO THE BOARD OF ASSESSORS. BY MARCH OF 2027, WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT THEY'LL COME IN AND GIVE US THE SCHEDULES, AND THEN WE'LL ASSESS THAT FOR THE 27 DIGEST.

SO ANY CHANGES IN THE VALUES WOULD BE NEXT YEAR WOULD BE 27. YES, SIR. AND IT'S 5 TO 25 ACRES. IT'S THE THOSE CLASSIFICATIONS OF PARCELS THAT ARE CLASSED AS SMALL TRACTS. SO IF THEY'RE OUTSIDE A SUBDIVISION, OUTSIDE A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY OR INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS, THEY'RE CLASSIFIED AS SMALL TRACK. IT'S JUST HOW WE CLASSIFY THEM INSIDE. THE CITY IS GOING TO HAVE A FRONT FOOT OR A LOT VALUE, SOMETIMES SUBDIVISION LOT VALUES. SO THOSE ARE NOT AFFECTED. THEY'RE ONLY LOOKING AT JUST THE RULE.

UNINCORPORATED PARCELS AND CITY PARCELS THAT HAVE A CLASSIFICATION OF SMALL TRACK.

SO IT COULD BE IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE THE SUBDIVISION ON A DOWN THE ROAD GOING DOWN WEITZEL ROAD, IT MIGHT BE INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS, BUT WE CLASSIFY IT AS A SMALL TRACT BECAUSE IT JUST DOESN'T FIT, ANY OTHER DESIGNATION. SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SMALL TRACK ELIMINATES A HOME ON IT? TYPICALLY, YES. BUT IT'S ALSO GOING TO ASSESS THOSE

[00:45:03]

OKAY. AND YOU SAID IN 27 THEY'RE GOING TO COMPLETE SMALL TRACT, SMALL TRACT. AND IN 28 THEN THEY'LL BE BACK TO DO THE LARGE TRACK AND THEY'LL USE THE 26 AND 27 SCHEDULES OR SALES.

THE PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD BACK ON JULY 14TH, WE'RE LOOKING AT OURSELVES ALREADY FOR 27. I MEAN, WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING THERE. AND OUR SCHEDULES, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, HAS TO BE BETWEEN 36 AND 44 OF THE RATE STUDY. OUR SALES FOR SMALL TRACTS ARE DOWN TO 31.

AND THEN THAT IS SERIOUSLY LOW. AND THE STATE WILL RECOGNIZE THAT AND OUR STUDIES AS WE MOVE FORWARD. Y'ALL WERE PRESENTED LAST WEEK WITH OUR AUDIT RESULTS. EVERY YEAR WE ARE AUDITED BY THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AUDITS AND ACCOUNTS ANNUALLY. AND ERIC WAS ABLE TO FORWARD THAT TO Y'ALL LAST WEEK. AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE ON THERE WHAT OUR SCHEDULES LOOK LIKE AND WHAT OUR RATIOS WERE FOR CLASS. THEY TOOK 728 DIFFERENT SAMPLES OF OUR SALES FOR 25. AND THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH OUR AUDIT RESULTS. AND WE CAME UP WITH A 39.9 RATIO. SO WE'RE RIGHT WHERE WE NEED TO BE. WE DON'T WANT TO FALL BELOW THAT STANDARD. AND 31 IS GETTING SERIOUSLY LOW. SO IT'S TIME TO UPDATE THE SCHEDULES. ALL RIGHT.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. SO YOU'LL BE BACK IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS. YES, SIR. THAT'S THE PLAN. I JUST WANT TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE THE TAXPAYERS OUT HERE ARE ALREADY BEING HIT. SO. MAKE SURE Y'ALL ARE AWARE. IF YOU GOT ANY QUESTIONS Y'ALL KNOW, SEND THEM OUR WAY. I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER

[7. Review of August 4, 2026 5:00 PM Board Meeting Agenda (Eric Mosley) ]

WE PROBABLY LIKE TO ANNOUNCE TO THAT IF SOME OF YOU SAW THAT WE HAVE A CALL MEETING THIS AFTERNOON AT 130 WITH AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS. JUST BE AWARE THAT IS TRUE. AND WE WILL RECONVENE AT 130 TODAY HERE IN THIS ROOM, AND THEN GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTER. ALL RIGHT. SO THE NEXT ITEM IS EXECUTIVE

[EXECUTIVE SESSION]

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.