LaGRANGE – The Troup County Board of Commissioners approved a contract for the county’s drug lab to perform tests for the local Division of Family and Children Services at its regular meeting on Tuesday.

The contract is expected to bring additional revenue into the county and create a smoother process for the juvenile court system.

Along with the approval of the contract itself, the commission vote approves the ability of County Manager Tod Tentler to renew the contract on behalf of the county. The DFCS contract will add to the growing number of groups that the Troup County Drug Lab has been performing testing for since it opened in 2012, and the contract may increase the lab’s workload by an estimated 100 cases a month.

“We currently do drug testing for our court system,” said Commission Chairman Patrick Crews, during the commission’s Friday work session. “We don’t do our own for county employees.”

According to Tentler, the county does not do its own drug testing on its employees due to a possible conflict of interest, but the county drug lab does process pre-employment screenings.

The commissioners also approved a lift on the hiring freeze to allow the drug lab to hire a part-time employee to replace an employee that transferred to another department within the county. The position is budgeted and covered through grant funding.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet again on Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Ave.

Reach Alicia B. Hill at alicia.hill@lagrangenews.com or at 706-884-7311, Ext. 2154.