Local & State Headlines

Busy grand jury ends November term

• The Dougherty County grand jury offers recommendations to county officials.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — A Dougherty County grand jury released a wish list Wednesday calling on local leaders to tackle topics such as property tax revaluations and city-county consolidation.

In a presentment released Wednesday, the grand jury offered a number of nonbinding recommendations to city and county leaders.

Specifically, the grand jury urged city and county commissioners to allow the issue of consolidating the two governments to go before the voters in a special referendum.

“We recommend that the ongoing process of determining whether or not Albany and Dougherty County should be a fully consolidated government should be delayed no further, and both the city and the county commissioners should approve the efforts of the charter commission,” the recommendations said.

In addition to the consolidation issue, the grand jury recommended that recent property tax evaluations be re-established.

The panel recommended that county leaders set aside Tyler Technologies’ revaluation report and that property tax values be re-established according to state law.

The grand jury also recommended that the school board adopt a school uniform dress code in grades K-12; local law enforcement agencies adopt physical fitness guidelines; and that traffic engineers work to solve traffic flow problems at Whispering Pines Road and Nottingham Way.

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