Rockmart Council retires debt on City Hall
When the Rockmart Council held their latest meeting, they did so in a government complex that was officially paid off. The group has been working to retire the building debt for years now, and with the last official payment sent in this December, the city actually completed its financial obligation earlier than anticipated.
“Everything is running smoothly, everything’s on target,” Rockmart City Clerk Pam Herring said of the city’s finances. “It’s worth mentioning that we officially, today, have made the last payment for the complex that we are in.”
The building, which serves as city hall, used to be Rockmart High School until it met with a fire and burned down. Several years and various renovations later, the complex has come to house numerous administrative offices and exists as the go-to-place for government meetings and other city functions.
Not only will the City of Rockmart be able to save more money on a regular basis, but Mayor Stephen Miller and Mayor Pro-Tem James Payne had the luxury of seeing the debt retired just before leaving office.
The two also got to oversee the approval of an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Rockmart and Polk County that will allow for an updated communications tower to be placed in Rockmart. The county, after dealing with faulty radio communications for years, enlisted the help of Motorola to place new towers, supply new radios, and service them as needed.
The plan suggested the use of four different radio towers in Rocky Hollow, Cedartown, Taylorsville, and Rockmart
for what makes up a massive coverage area with at least 95 percent reliability. However, even with this plan, there are certain parts of Polk County that would have slightly weaker coverage.
The border areas of Polk in particular saw larger areas where 95 percent reliability wasn’t guaranteed, so the Polk County Commission is seeking to increase coverage with agreements like these.
“This is a project the county initiated and the cities are a part of,” Rockmart City Manager Jeff Ellis said. “This intergovernmental agreement provides the authority for the county to place a new tower and antenna on a site we already have one – it’ll be an upgrade.”
The towers primarily affect police officers and first responders, and with first-hand knowledge of how faulty communications can inhibit the work employees do, the county has been drafting an additional intergovernmental agreement that would allow Rockmart and other municipalities to update their own equipment and pay for it over time.
“I want to commend the county commissioners for their willingness to cooperate with local authorities and local cities regarding this,” Ellis said. “It’s a very expensive move, but we’re looking to the future to provide safety for our public safety employees and our public works employees.”
Ellis would take a moment to thank Polk County Commissioner Ray Carter who was present during the meeting for his cooperation in the agreement.
“This intergovernmental agreement lays out the foundation of this new project we’re undergoing,” Ellis continued. “The county is going to allow the cities to pay for the equipment purchases over 2 years, and they’ve eliminated our responsibility on the maintenance. That was very, very appreciated.”
More updates on tower placements can be found by attending the Polk County Commission meetings that are held each month. Additional county information can be found by visiting https://www. polkga.org/.
Alongside some other standard business items, the Rockmart Council was visited by the seventh grade Rockmart Middle School Robotics Team that had just performed well in competition. The group showcased some of their knowledge before taking questions from the council and posing for a picture.
More information about the city and the city council can be found by visiting rockmart-ga.gov.