VALDOSTA — The Lowndes County Commission voted to approve the publishing of election qualifying fees at its 5:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting.

“According to Georgia statute,” said Lowndes County Manager Joe Pritchard, “you are required to establish and publish those fees.”

The fees range from $50 for county surveyor to $3,607 for state court judge.

The commission voted to pay Langdale Ford $79,512 for the three vehicles for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicles will be fitted for use as pursuit vehicles, officials said.

The county received a grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety HEAT program for the purchase of three vehicles for a total of no more than $95,088.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked finance director Stephanie Black if the grant required a government to purchase vehicles from the lowest bidder, to which Black said “no.” The grant only specified, Black said, the vehicles must be American.

The lowest bidder would have been Cass Burch with a purchase proposal of $72,891.

Commissioner Clay Griner said he felt purchasing from Langdale Ford was the right thing to do because of the maintenance savings on Ford vehicles over Dodge vehicles.

Griner said the savings on maintenance costs would amount to about 2 cents per mile and, over the course of 170,000 miles, savings would add up in the county’s favor.

Finance chair Stephanie Black had no estimation as to the cost of the upgrades to the vehicles or whether the upgrade cost incurred would exceed the amount of the grant. 

“I don’t have a full estimate on each vehicle,” Black said.

Before the commission voted to approve the 2016 Holiday calendar, Commissioner Marshall said he felt the county should add Veteran’s Day to the 2016 calendar.

Slaughter said he agreed with Marshall but felt the commission needed to look at the cost the county would incur to adopt the day.

Marshall then moved to adopt the holiday schedule as is with the intention to amend the schedule at a later date.

The commission voted to approve 22 of 27 lots in the Gramercy Subdivision into the County’s decorative special tax lighting district. The subdivision is on Old Pine Road.

The commission approving street lights in the subdivision and Lowndes County will not be liable for either payment or activation of the lights before November 2016, officials said.

The commission voted to approve the Scruggs Company’s $1,188,500 bid proposal to install graded aggregate base, curbs, gutters and asphalt along Phillips Road, Burkhalter Subdivision, Cannon Drive and Terracewood Drive.

The commission also voted for the commission chairman to sign the agreement with Evidence Based Associates provide Strengthening Family Services for the Lowndes County Juvenile Court.

For Fiscal Year 2016, Lowndes County was awarded a $99,000 grant from Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on behalf of the Lowndes County Juvenile Court to fund diversionary programs for low-risk youth.

Strengthening Families was previously administered by Behavioral Health Services.

After voting to approve the new service contract for county public safety radios, the commission also voted to decommission the county’s old Motorola radio system.

The commission voted to approve the Scruggs Company’s $1,188,500 bid proposal to install graded aggregate base, curbs, gutters and asphalt along Phillips Road, Burkhalter Subdivision, Cannon Drive and Terracewood Drive.

The commission also voted to approve the purchase of two Aqua Turbo Screwpellers for lawn aeration for a total cost of $30,534. 

The commission voted to approve the re-application and resolution adoption for the section 5311 Rural Transportation Program.

The RTP must replace one van, officials said, and the cost of which has yet to be determined while the Georgia Department of Transportation seeks bidders, officials said.

The commission voted to approve the solicitor-general’s VOCA Award, awarded from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s New VOCA Funds, that allows the solicitor-general’s office to provide services to victims earlier in the criminal justice process, officials said. 

Jason Stewart is a reporter for the Valdosta Daily Times