Union County Sole Commissioner Harold Collins conducted more than a dozen items of business in his June 17 regular meeting at the Union County Courthouse. Among them was a property matter left over from the former Union County Development Authority.
Collins exercised an option to repurchase 1.2 acres off Airport Terminal Road from Atlara Holdings LLC in the amount of $30,000 and accepted a settlement statement and limited warranty deed for the purchase.
Continue reading with a subscription.
North Georgia News — serving Union County since 1909.
Cancel anytime.
“The Union County Development Authority was dissolved on Feb. 20, 2025, by a resolution of the county and in accordance with OCGA 36-62-14,” Collins said. “All assets and liabilities of the Development Authority were transferred to Union County, Georgia.
“Lots within the Blairsville Airport Regional Industrial Park have restrictions that, once a property is purchased, work shall commence and continue within 24 months from the date the owner acquires title to the property.
“If work does not commence, the Union County Development Authority can purchase the property back for the same amount it was sold for. The property was purchased by Atlara Holdings LLC on Oct. 30, 2020, and the owners were unable to commence work in the required timeframe.
“The Union County Development Authority had been trying to purchase the property back for a couple of years, and due to the death of one of the property owners, the process was delayed.
“Everything fell into place in March of this year, with the property owner reaching out and making Union County aware of the property and the situation.
“As Union County assumes all liability of the Development Authority, the property needed to be purchased back in the amount of $30,000, which was the amount Atlara Holdings LLC paid for the property in 2020.
“The $30,000 was paid out of the Development Authority funds that were assumed by Union County when the Development Authority was dissolved.”
Collins said the property will potentially be sold to a business that fits within the parameters of the newly created Union County Development Authority “once the board meets and gets their feet under them.” The UCDA was reformed by resolution in last month’s county meeting.
LMIG PAVING
The commissioner accepted the annual county road paving contract with Colditz Trucking after awarding the job to the Blairsville-based contractor last month. At roughly $1.6 million, Colditz came in as the lowest among four bidders.
This paving will be paid for with Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant funds distributed by the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Roads to be paved with LMIG funding this year are 2.56 miles of Pat Colwell Road, 2.18 miles of Town Creek School Road and 2 miles of Gaddistown Road in Suches.
NEW SOFTWARE
Collins accepted an $86,388.41 agreement with OpenGov, Inc. for new software at the Union County Road Department. This price includes the initial implementation and conversion to the new system this year, as well as 2026 costs of $19,095.40 and 2027 costs of $20,050.17.
“This software will be used to maintain all the records of the Union County Road Department and replace the current program,” Collins said. “The current program and software utilized by Union County Road Department is old and obsolete.
“This will be a much-needed upgrade, which will help the Road Department maintain maintenance records more effectively for better cost management related to labor costs, materials costs and fleet management.
“This program will also streamline workload and paving projects for better tracking and performance of duties.”
The Tax Assessor’s Office is also getting upgraded capabilities after Collins accepted an agreement with the nonprofit GAP Group Inc. for computer-assisted mass appraisal software known as WinGAP. Agreement dues come in at $5,000 for Fiscal Year 2025-26.
WinGAP is the primary computer-assisted mass appraisal software used in the state of Georgia for property tax appraisal, according to https://wingap.com/, and will be used to “maintain the digest and records related to property appraisals.”
“This also includes pricing updates, software updates and tech support,” Collins said.
DETAINEE LABOR
Among other business, Collins accepted the yearly agreement with the Georgia Department of Corrections for three detainee crews from Colwell Probation Detention Center in Blairsville to perform various county labor projects between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
The cost for this agreement is $54,249.66 per detail for a total of $162,749.
“This is for detainee crews that we use for repairs and maintenance throughout the county,” Collins said. “If all three detail crews are not available to work, the cost to the county is adjusted according to the agreement. We are only required to pay for the crews we are provided throughout the year.
“These crews mow and weed eat at county facilities, perform building maintenance supervised by the Maintenance Department, do litter clean-up along county roads and road maintenance supervised by the Road Department.”
OLD IVY LOG ROAD
Additionally, Collins gave a “first notice” that the county intends to abandon 0.55 acres of Ivy Log Road, aka Old Ivy Log Road, because “this road has not been utilized as a county road and has not been maintained by Union County since Ivy Log Road was rerouted in or around 1979.”
A Road Abandonment Public Hearing will be held on Thursday, July 10, at 5 p.m. in the Union County Courthouse, located at 65 Courthouse Street.
“The purpose of this hearing will be for Union County to provide information and answer questions regarding the abandonment of Old Ivy Log Road as it no longer serves a useful public purpose,” according to the official notice.
Regarding abandonment of Old Ivy Log Road, the Commissioner’s Office is revisiting old business, as former Commissioner Lamar Paris held a “first notice” and public hearing last summer about abandoning the same road segment.
During the hearing last July, an attendee objected to abandonment, expressing concern that the old road section would be cut off to use by his family’s farm after reverting to private use. The abandonment was put on hold at the time.
COUNTY MANAGER UPDATES
County Manager Tony Hughes offered some updates in the meeting, including that: construction is well underway on the new E-911 Center; the Canada Creek Bridge replacement project in Suches is in the engineering stage; the Road Department is staying busying paving and patching roads, cleaning culverts and mowing on roadsides; the Recreation Department is enjoying tremendous youth sign-up for fall sports; the Adult Softball League will be starting July 14; the Splash Pad is now open after a delay for plumbing issues; the Farmers Market is rocking right along; the View Grill has a new chef at the Community Center; the county is hoping to make available 30-50 pound bags of recycled glass for purchase by the public soon; and public services provided by the county remain busy with use by residents.
Hughes asked residents to be vigilant against littering on the roadways, which necessitates county tax dollars to pay for clean-up labor.
Q&A
In his Commissioner’s Comments, Collins reported that the Transfer Station was “making some money,” and he encouraged people to recycle to keep that revenue coming. He then adjourned the meeting and opened the floor to Q&A by attendees.
One resident asked about the installation of a temporary traffic light at Pat Colwell Road and Murphy Highway to improve safety at the intersection while waiting for the Georgia Department of Transportation to put in a planned roundabout for traffic control purposes.
Collins said he was actively working to coordinate with state representatives and GDOT to “get something done” at that intersection, either via a temporary light or potentially a sped-up timeline for roundabout construction.
Residents Donna Guess and Kristie Shirkey returned to the Q&A to continue advocating for the Senior Center, which is run by the nonprofit Legacy Link and has been beset this year by funding challenges that have resulted in meal program cuts impacting local seniors.
The new fiscal year for the Senior Center is coming up in July, and County Attorney William Mercer said the Commissioner’s Office was waiting to receive requested financial information from Legacy Link before considering additional local funding beyond the county’s regular yearly contributions to ensure such funds are used as intended for seniors.
Collins said he was looking into the possibility of providing supplemental funding for the Senior Center using revenues from the business license fees the county collects from short-term rental owners.
“Just try to bear with me, because we’ve got a lot of work to do in the next two weeks to see whether we can go with that,” Collins said. “I’m hoping that we can do something good there.”
