Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield said the state has come through with $4,485,478 for road paving after the county under the prior administration used up SPLOST funds on paving industrial park roads.
He praised state Senator Jeff Mullis for helping to land the road funds.
Commissioner Whitfield, at his third public meeting, also said that the CEO of Erlanger Health System had asked that the two meet. He said he accepted and the session will take place in a couple of weeks.
A federal judge earlier ruled that Walker County owes Erlanger $8,705,000, plus interest, on the Hutcheson Hospital debt. Judge Harold Murphy, of Rome, Ga., said the question of attorney fees and expenses owed Erlanger by Walker County should be decided by a jury trial.
Walker County and Catoosa County earlier agreed to back a $20 million loan to Erlanger at the time it was operating Hutcheson. The Fort Oglethorpe hospital later went into bankruptcy.
Catoosa County has settled with Erlanger, while attorney Stuart James filed an appeal of the Walker debt that is still pending.
Commissioner Whitfield, who said he met a mountain of debt when he entered office on Jan. 1, was asked whether the total county debt is "$10 million or as much as $80 million."
He said that has not yet been fully ascertained, but he said it is "north of $10 million because one bond alone is $15.3 million. He added, "We learned about $3.5 million that was owed the day we came into office."
The commissioner said, "I get surprises every day." He said, "Hopefully, we will soon be able to close out the accounts through the end of (last) December."
He said an audit that is underway should be ready by the first of April. He said it would quickly be posted on the county website. He said, "You won't have to file an Open Records request to see it."
The new county official said he has not been able to find any employee job descriptions and said it was discovered the county had a worker disability program "for which there is no documentation."
He said he has found "only one time clock" at the courthouse, though he said there are 400 employees who are paid by the hour.
A new software system is being implemented that will help with keeping up with worker hours and also streamline the payroll, he said.
He said he expects to eventually be able to cut over $1 million from the payroll to help balance the budget.
The commissioner said the Bank of LaFayette wound up charging the county 2.95 percent interest on the recent loans - much cheaper than prior Tax Anticipation Notes obtained in New York and Atlanta.
It was reported that a bill to change Walker County from a sole commissioner form of government is being readied for the Georgia General Assembly. It is due next month and should be finalized by March.
It would have a board of commissioners with about 17,000 residents per district.
Commissioner Whitfield said an RFP is almost ready to go out on potential operators of the county's Mountain Cove Farm property. He said those interested will have 60 days to apply.
He said the county is wanting to proceed as quickly as possible "to get out from under the monthly debt."
The commissioner said the restaurant at the property is under a separate lease and would not be part of the RFP.
Commissioner Whitfield said there are plans to raise some fees at the county landfill. He said commercial haulers coming in from elsewhere are being charged less than Walker County citizens.
He said, "That is filling up our C&D area."
Drilling is underway concerning an addition to the landfill, he said.
One citizen had concerns about spraying of roadsides that he said is killing "the beautiful wildflowers" as well as trees and honey bees.
A resident of Cook Road said the roadsides afterward "were just barren."
He had concern that such spraying - especially in heavy concentrations - might cause health problems.
Commissioner Whitfield said, "It doesn't excite me to continue this."
The meeting in the small commissioner's office was again packed to overflowing.
Commissioner Whitfield said the law states the meetings are to be held there. He said he is trying to get a waiver from the attorney general's office so they can be held three doors down at the library.