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The Troup County Juvenile Court gained the Board of Commissioner’s approval to apply for additional funds for its Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant. The grant funds will be used to further support the court’s Multisystemic Therapy Services program.

On Tuesday, Nicole Kostial requested that the court be allowed to put in for a $161,514 grant to go toward the therapy program. The additional funds will ensure that services will be provided for up to 15 additional families through the end of the current grant cycle ending June 30, 2022. The program currently assists 25 youth and families in Troup County. The program was previously awarded $269,190 in April 2021, but barely a year later, the court is already in need of another round of more financial aid, Kostial said.

The grant is a reimbursable one, Kostial said, and does not require a match from the county. Juvenile court has received the grant for the past nine years.

In other business:

• James Cameron, a Troup County resident, asked the board during its work session to consider more fire hydrants in the unincorporated portions of Troup County. Cameron said that while residents in the area had access to water and paid a water bill, they did not have access to fire hydrants, which he felt could be a safety issue if there were a fire in those areas. Cameron requested that the board consider bringing the existing 1987 ordinance for water expansion in the county’s unincorporated areas into compliance. Chairman Patrick Crews said he would bring the subject up to the county manager and Troup County Fire Chief Michael Strickland at a later date.
• The board approved a first reading to modify the Troup County Zoning Ordinance to reduce the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission from a nine-member quorum to seven members. The BZAPC is currently gapped at for two sitting members, leaving the board with only seven active members. The code still allows that five members from each board be in attendance in order for a legal quorum to be held. The BZAPC approved and forwarded the application with a 6-0 vote at a former meeting.
• The board tabled the first reading of a text amendment proposal concerning the county’s livestock keeping ordinance. The amendment would change how residents raise livestock for personal and commercial purposes but with several stipulations that would prevent potential spot zoning issues in the county. Several board members felt they needed more information to proceed and requested the item be tabled for a future meeting.