On Tuesday, the Troup County Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with an aerial photography project, which would update decade old maps.

The new aerial photography will replace the 2009 images that are currently displayed on Troup County’s GIS website, and they will be used for purposes including public safety and assessing properties.

“This gives all new imagery with any new buildings, any new structures that have been built in the county that we might not have, so the public can view these and see the most up to date information,” Chief Appraiser Dana Eaton said. 

According to information shared during the work session, the custom digital map will make it possible for first responders, like the Troup County Fire Department, to know what a property looks like before they arrive on the scene, which could save vital minutes during an emergency situation.

“It also gives access for fire, the sheriff’s office and first responders,” County Manager Eric Mosley said.

During the work session on Thursday, several of the commissioners asked if the county could make use of existing Google Earth images instead of paying for aerial photography, and staff said that the county would not be able to use Google’s images at that time. 

On Tuesday, county staff was able to provide additional details on the query.

“They will allow us to have a link on our website so that you can pull up the Google Earth imagery, but they won’t allow us to integrate our data with that,” Eaton said. “So, it wouldn’t be [divided into parcels] with street names and all of that information wouldn’t be included on there.”

The Troup County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with the project, and the images are expected to be available by spring 2020.

“They will be flying early January — at the latest early February,” Eaton said. “We are on their schedule already. We should have those [images] back within three months.”

The county plans to pay for the images over two years.

Other items covered during the meeting included:

• The Troup County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a request from court services to lift the hiring freeze to fill a vacant position in its drug lab.
• The board unanimously approved a request from the solicitor general’s office to apply for the VOCA Grant. If the county receives the VOCA Grant, it will provide federal funds for assisting crime victim. 
• The board of commissioners approved a request from the City of LaGrange to allow the city to apply for the Recreational Trails Program Grant on behalf of the county. If the grant is approved, the funds would be used to fund a portion of The Thread trail, which is a joint city, county project.
• The board of commissioners unanimously approved a request from Troup County Parks and Recreation to allow participation in the FY2021 DOT Grant Application in order to receive continued funds for Troup Transit.
• The board unanimously approved the purchase of eight vehicles using SPLOST V funds. The total cost will be $527,589. 
• The commissioners unanimously approved a home occupation request for a home office related to a grading company. No equipment is expected to be stored on the property at 192 American Legion Road, according to the property owner who spoke at the meeting.
• Beer and wine license applications were unanimously approved for the Summit Shell stations at 4630 Hamilton Road and 2860 Upper Big Springs Road. Both locations have previously sold alcohol, but the approval was required due to a change in ownership.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners will meet again on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Ave.