LaGRANGE — Troup County commissioners on Tuesday recognized 10 local volunteers for their work assisting the Troup County Juvenile Court.

Volunteers of the Judicial Citizen Review panel are trained by the Council of Juvenile Court Judges staff and become sworn officers of the court to act in the best interest of the child. The council designed the review panel program to assist the court in determining what the most appropriate permanency plan is for children in foster care.

The volunteers ranged in years of service from seven to 27 years, and each volunteer was presented with a plaque thanking them for their service.

Honored were Susan Ferguson, Glenda Major, Alonza Ransom, Cheris English, Sandra Johnson, Sue Thomason, Gail Hunter, Roy Olinger, Carol Cotton and Linda Geisler.

In other business, commissioners lifted a hiring freeze and approved the hiring of a part-time lineman for the LaGrange-Callaway Airport as well as a community resource coordinator for the Troup County Juvenile Court.

Commissioners also voted to accept a nearly $100,000 grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to fund evidence-based therapy programs for youth on probation. The reimbursement grant is not expected to have any financial cost to the county.

In another grant, commissioners approved the acceptance of a transportation grant of $16,500 to be used by the county’s DUI/drug court. The money will be issued by the courts to its clients who do not have adequate transportation or funds to go to and from treatment sessions and court appearances. The grand was provided by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, a state executive agency created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1981.

The Troup County Sheriff’s Office was also approved to purchase two new patrol vehicles and outfit them with radios, cages, lights, sirens and decals to serve two new resource officers at county schools. The sheriff’s office is planning to purchase two used Ford Crown Victoria vehicles at a cost of not more than $18,000 each.

Commissioners also voted to rezone five parcels of land in southern Troup County from agricultural, residential to agricultural to correct a mapping error. The plats of land are located on Perry Mill Road in Pine Mountain. Commissioner Morris Jones abstained from the vote because he said he had family ties to the landowners. No one spoke for or against the rezoning during a public hearing at the meeting.

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