County to hold planning session today

Representatives from the city and county commissions also are slated to discuss several joint projects.

The Floyd County Commission will hold a half-day fall planning session today, starting at 8 a.m.

Representatives from the board also will gather with Rome City Commission delegates at 1 p.m. for a quarterly Joint Services Committee meeting.

County Clerk Erin Elrod said both meetings would be held in the first-floor 4-H room of the County Administration Building, 12 E. Fourth Ave., due

to the start of early voting in the Commission chambers.

Topping the County Commission’s planning agenda is a report from Finance Director Susie Gass on revenue and expense trends.

Commissioners also are slated to talk about the schedule for 2017 special purpose, local option sales tax projects. Collections are due to start in April after the current 1-cent SPLOST expires.

The board also plans to look at some issues that will affect the 2019 general fund budget.

The county will have to start making annual debt service payments of $750,000 a year on industrial park property that has not yet sold. Also, Floyd County Jail officials have said it could cost as much as $400,000 a

year to comply with staffing and inmate housing standards set by the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which is being phased in.

County Manager Jamie McCord also will be dealing with expected increases in the cost of fuel and health insurance as he puts together the budget for next year.

During the Joint Services Committee meeting, city and county officials are scheduled to discuss several projects they’re working on together.

On the agenda are the planned dog park at Ridge Ferry Park, rules for reserving the John Ross Memorial Pedestrian Bridge at the Forum River Center, an update to the website shared by the two governments and construction of the Redmond Trail extension funded through the 2013 SPLOST.