Residents press Whitfield County on purchases, contracts and administrator pay

Several residents used the public-comment period to press the board for transparency on purchases and contracts and to urge spending cuts instead of large property-tax increases. Cochran asked for details and totals on county purchases downtown, including references to a Wells Fargo building and other properties. "Who looked at it? Who got y'all in that list?" Cochran asked, and the chair offered to have staff provide details.

Karen Rolark called the county administrator's salary excessive and urged the board to consider eliminating the position or replacing the administrator, saying the county could find someone familiar with local needs. She said the county administrator 'gets paid more than the sheriff' and urged scrutiny of expenditures. Carol Matthews questioned prior allocations of COVID and other funds and cited a past $1.2 million sewer contract later awarded for $770,000; she urged the board to consider whether those choices would have reduced the current budget gap.