Friday, May 28, 2021

Upson County Commissioners Option Two Properties For New Judicial Center

The Upson County Board of Commissioners heard from several distinguished officials at the Board meeting on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. 

Superior Court Chief Judge Fletcher Sams, District Attorney Marie Broder, Sheriff Dan Kilgore, Superior Court Clerk Teresa Harper and Probate Judge Danielle McRae each addressed their concerns and issues regarding the existing county courthouse related. Judge Stephen Ott, Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court, provided the board with a letter addressing his opinion on the challenges his court faces in the existing courthouse. 

After executive session the Board voted to authorize Chairman Allen to execute several options to purchase property for consideration.

The options to purchase include two properties that include property owned by Charles E. Daniel and Charles F. Daniel, approximately 27 acres bordered by West Main and West Walker Streets offered at $550,000. The other property is owned by Chad Murphy, approximately 30 acres located off Hwy 19 South offered at $583,000. The due diligence period for both is 90 days from execution during which time the county will conduct due diligence to determine the best site for construction of the new court facility.

Most of the funding for the purchase for the property will come from the proceeds of surplus property sales, monies that the Board had set aside for this specific purpose. Citizens will have the opportunity to decide on whether funding from the new SPLOST will be used to pay bond indebtedness in this November’s referendum.

Discussions on a new facility began before many of the Board members ever took office and has been an item the current board has worked on for some time. 

Chairman Allen stated, “Addressing the public safety needs of our community is one of our primary responsibilities and for years we have heard the concerns of those people serving in our public safety and justice system of the problems with our current situation. As we continue to review our options, I encourage citizens to offer their suggestions and to reach out to the other elected officials if they would like to learn more about the specific needs and challenges.” 

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