Commissioners Begin Coming Projects

Meeting early in September on the 7th and 8th, the Board of Commissioners of Gilmer County moved forward on projects and ordinance changes as well as addressing a few requests from the Public.

One of the first project approvals is allowing the county to bid out for Pictometry services. This project could provide the Planning and Zoning Dept as well as emergency services and law enforcement a 3D map of our county. An aircraft will fly across our county taking constant photos and compiling all of these photos to give the county access to both the 3D and 2D renders of the county. Commission Chairman Charlie Paris quickly addressed the issue of privacy with these pictures, stating the resolution would not be high enough to make out anything inside of buildings, but would provide a clear picture for property lines or emergency service access to buildings. The county will also make available the completed projects map (2D version) to the county online. Though approved, this project is only at the bidding stage.

Another Project, the Jail Sewer Project came up as the County was approved for a GEFA Contract for a loan to use for the Jail Sewer Project. The county is considering the loan as it comes with 25% of the project, estimated $500,000, forgiveness on the loan. While the project was being funded through the previous GO Bond refinancing, the Commissioners expect to be able to pay off the loan upon completion of the project rather than paying the interest on a 15-year cycle. This effectively representing a “grant” of sorts for the County to get extra money for the estimated $2.1 million project.

The Kids Kottage Board of Directors received an appointment for Don Vanlandingham, who currently serves as Tresurer, to become a full member of the Board.

Several other issues were brought up without official action, including a discussion on approving UTV’s (Utility Task Vehicle) for Registration for Road use. More commonly known as “side-by-sides,” citizens are requesting use of these vehicles to access parts of the county and ultimately access to downtown Ellijay. However, discussion has left the Commissioners confused on their jurisdiction on the issue. Chairman Paris also states further discussion at the state level could also have an impact on the County’s decision.

While ultimately tabled at the meeting, you can follow the conversation more in depth in the videos below along with discussion on Gilmer Arts and the Gilmer County Boys and Girls Club. These agreements, as previously reported, involve written support by the county for the ARTS program and a lease for the Boys and Girls Club to expand their facilities at the Civic Center.

Work Session 9/7/16:

Regular Meeting 9/8/16: