# BOC Meeting 10-12-2026


**Body:** Whitfield County
**Date:** October 11, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Construction & Infrastructure, Public Safety, Grants & Funding, Contracting Vehicles


The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners meeting on October 12, 2026, approved several spending and procurement items. Commissioners authorized a budget amendment for higher-than-budgeted fuel costs; accepted grants including $75,000 for nearly 6,000 meals for low-income seniors, a grant-funded senior shuttle bus purchase, a $101,520 behavioral-health grant application, a $46,006.60 CHINS grant, and a $75,004.80 CHIP grant. They also approved a fire department van purchase funded by a donation and a $74,007.54 purchase to outfit four previously approved Sheriff’s Office vehicles, using SPLOST funds. The board updated its purchasing policy to allow Sourcewell cooperative purchasing and separately approved its use for upcoming Public Works materials and equipment purchases. August financials were approved; staff reported $47.8 million in SPLOST collections and $37 million spent, with the Westside Community Park recreation center under construction. A resident requested a detailed accounting of park costs, but no action was taken on that request. The IT employee recognized at the meeting was credited with identifying more than $50,000 in countywide cell-phone savings.

The chair reported that a draft data center ordinance was posted for public feedback and would go to the planning committee before a future reading; proposed provisions include siting, infrastructure impacts, and post-closure responsibilities. The draft may affect future data-center development, but it was not adopted at this meeting. Commissioners also approved a special-use permit for a farmers market and an easement for Dalton Utilities related to a water-pressure project. Public comments focused on data-center regulation, odor complaints about Essentia, and park costs. The meeting concluded with a motion to enter executive session for real estate and personnel matters; no outcome is included in the transcript.

**Source:** Whitfield County