Polk County approves personnel actions and capital purchases including body cameras, docking stations and motor grader financing

At the Nov. 12 Polk County Commissioners Court meeting, the court approved multiple personnel and capital items on the regular agenda. Personnel approvals included one‑time discretionary bonuses for Road & Bridge employees—$1,300 for Robert Blakely (Precinct 3) and $1,732.80 for Kayla Pitts (Precinct 4)—and a three‑step discretionary increase for Chief Deputy Anthony Lowery based on Sheriff Lyon’s request and justification of workplace leadership.

On capital purchases, commissioners approved $7,500.46 to purchase laptop docking stations for sheriff vehicles from Cloud Tech Incorporated to be paid from the general fund balance and included on the FY2026 reimbursement resolution. The court also approved year‑two payments under the five‑year Axon body camera agreements: $49,439.10 for the county jail and $53,844.77 for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Commissioners discussed replacement terms under the contract and noted mid‑term and end‑of‑term replacements for malfunctioning units.

For Road & Bridge, the court approved purchase and financing for a 2020 motor grader for Precinct 1 at a net price of $96,122.50 with a proposed four‑year financing term through Cadence Bank at an estimated 5.3% interest (approximate annual payments of $27,200.68) and approved a separate bid award for a motor grader for Precinct 4 to be charged to Commissioner Cassidy’s fund balance. All motions were seconded and carried.

No additional conditions were attached to the approvals at the meeting; procurement documents and finance agreements were included in the commissioners’ packet for review.