County Commission Approves 90-Day Data Center Moratorium

By JACK BAGLEY
The Meriwether County Commission voted at the February 24 meeting to approve a 90-day moratorium on data center applications.
The moratorium was sought for the unincorporated area of the county to allow a limited period for the staff to determine if the county’s existing infrastructure – water supply, power distribution, and fire protection – are sufficient to support the demands of the data centers. The moratorium, which extends until August 23 unless terminated earlier by the Board, also give the county time to ensure service delivery is current and adequately addresses the impact of the centers.
The moratorium only applies to new applications. It does not apply to any applications already accepted or permits already issued.
The Commissioners voted unanimously on approving the 90-day moratorium.
A request from the Sheriff’s Department to purchase SmartCop software was placed before the Commissioners. The system would replace the current Eagle Records Management System, which is over 20 years old. An additional benefit would be the replacement of the E-911’s ten-year-old Computer Assisted Dispatch system. The current systems used by the county do not meet modern operational standards set by the state of Georgia. State law requires all law enforcement agencies to be able to verify mobile drivers’ licenses, and the current system does not allow the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Department to do that. The new system meets all state requirements and can upgrade the outdated records management system at the Department.
Additionally, the SmartCop software allows sharing of data and communication between the Sheriff’s Department, Fire Department and E-911, something the current system does not provide.
The cost for the SmartCop software was stated at $91,050 per year for a five-year period, with the system taking approximately nine months to on-board. The first installment would not be due until 2027. The Board unanimously approved the request.
In other business, the Meriwether County Commission:
• Approved opening a pool to deposit funds into a local government investment pool account from 2025 T-SPLOST and 2026 SPLOST to yield a higher interest rate;
• Approved updated resolutions for local government investment pool accounts for the general account, general fund, 2020 SPLOST and general fund projects;
• Approved signing a new resolution for local government investment pool accounts for the 2025 T-SPLOST and 2025 SPLOST;
• Approved closing a local government investment account for the 2020 T-SPLOST, transferring the funds to an account at F&M Bank;
• Approved re-allocating $1,088,903 in a budget amendment for in-house paving; and
• Tabled to March 9 a decision on approval of a grant-writing proposal from Tara Coe.
The next regular meeting of the Meriwether County Commission will be Monday, March 9, at 6 p.m.