Gordon County OKs fire gear, jail camera funds
Gordon County’s Board of Commissioners approved a pair of budget items this week, as well as an easement for City of Calhoun utility work.
At the request of the Gordon County Fire Department, a bid award to purchase five thermal cameras at the cost of $36,522 from Georgia Fire and Rescue Supply was unanimously approved by the board Tuesday night.
“This is within the budget, and uses fire fund money,” County Administrator Jim Ledbetter said.
Paired with the request, and also approved, was the surplus of two of the current GCFD thermal imaging cameras no longer deemed useful.
Commissioners also unanimously approved a budget increase to help cover inflationary costs associated with the installation of a new camera system in the Gordon County Justice Center which includes the jail.
“The Gordon County Sheriff’s Office, within the jail, is working on the original camera system that was installed in 2008,” Ledbetter said, adding that with the age of the original system equipment, technical failures have interfered with not only day-to-day staff operations, but also added difficulties to recalling footage when needed for legal matters. “It has become problematic in its quality and its surveillance capabilities.”
Ledbetter said the bid of $365,000 comes in over the budgeted $300,000, but the upgrade has become essential to jail operations.
“With inflation and problems, we need another $65,000 for the installation,” he said. “One of the difficulties is with the hard ceiling in the jail, we don’t know if we can use the old cabling — probably not — and we don’t know how easy it is going to be to get the new cabling in. This is a necessity, and not a luxury.”
Talenet System, the company that is the low bidder for the job, recently installed equipment in the newly renovated Judicial Building, and is also currently working to install similar equipment for the 1961 courthouse remodel. Ledbetter said this would put those three major county facilities on the same technological page.
“It’s well overdue, and needed,” Jail Administrator Major Pat Bedford said, adding that at present at least a third of the facility’s cameras are not operational.
Also approved unanimously was a request by Animal Control Director Sue Henson to indefinitely suspend adoption fees at the shelter to help alleviate overcrowding — a move Henson said has worked well in the past.
A resolution was also unanimously approved by commissioners appoint new County Clerk Hollis Barton as County Records Custodian and Open Records Clerk, in line with Records Retention Policy.
An application was approved by a 4-1 vote for a Malt Beverage, Win and/or Liquor License from Timothy L. Otis on behalf of American Legion George R. Banks Post 305, 2962 Highway 411 in Fairmount. Commissioner Kevin Cunningham was the lone vote against the measure.
A request from City of Calhoun Utilities for an easement in front of a County-owned property at 1166 Lovers Lane
Road was unanimously approved. City crews working on water lines in front of the former Georgia State Patrol facility located a gas line in the right of way that will require a work-around. The measure passed with the condition that city crews remove oak trees in the area
of work that might be further weakened by the work and become a problem in the future.
Finally, commissioners took time to recognize recent donations to county department.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board
of Commissioners is set for Tuesday, Feb. 21, with the work session beginning at 5 p.m. and the regular meeting at 6 p.m., both in the Gordon County Judicial Building Assembly Room, 101 S Piedmont St. All regular meetings are open to the public.