Treutlen Board of Commissioners Proclaim September National Recovery Month

The Treutlen County Board of Commissioners officially proclaimed September as National Recovery Month during their regular meeting on Sept. 2 in the Treutlen County Board of Commissioners’ Office.

The proclamation, brought to the board by Rise Up Recovery Center Director Ashley Black, formally acknowledges September as National Recovery Month in the county, a national observance held since 1989. Commissioner Cali Holis read, signed and stamped the proclamation.

“We have a recovery month proclamation every year,” said Black. “This proclamation establishes that your city, your community acknowledges that September is National Recovery Month.”

Black also brought two overdose reversal kits for the board to place anywhere in the county. Each kit contains six doses of Narcan nasal spray, an over-the-counter drug designed to combat opioid overdoses by removing and replacing opiates which have attached themselves to neural receptors in the brain.

The kits also contain a QR code which, when scanned, will alert Rise Up about the usage of Narcan in the kit so they may restock the it.

Rise Up will also be providing kits to the other county governments within their coverage area.

“We were able to do this through some funds we received, some earmarked funds, so we are putting two in all 16 of our counties,” said Black.

When asked, Black clarified individuals suffering from an opioid overdose should be administered Narcan as soon as possible in order to minimise damage caused by lack of oxygen. Black also recommended calling 911 regardless of the timeframe Narcan was administered.

In addition to the kits, Black also announced Treutlen County would be one of eight recipients of a 24-hour harm reduction box through the Georgia Opioid Abatement Fund. The box, installed on Sept. 8 outside Dennard Drugs, will contain Narcan nasal spray and fentanyl test strips.

Jennifer Edge also presented updates regarding renovations of the office across from the Treutlen County Senior Center. According to Edge, most of the renovations are cosmetic changes, though proposed some structural changes, including converting a tile ceiling into a sheet rock ceiling in one room and converting one bathroom into a kitchen.

The renovations will be paid out of the victims assistance fund and is currently looking for contractors to bid for the project. Commissioner Rodney Meeks offered a motion to accept the project update, which passed unanimously.

The board also heard an EMA update from Deputy Director Joseph Glenn. According to Glenn, the EMA is tracking storms forming in the Atlantic as peak hurricane season approaches.

Hurricane Erin is expected to be a major storm and is expected to turn away from the mainland, but Glenn urged caution in the event of changing weather patterns.

“I’ve been watching it pretty closely the past couple of days, and I don’t see anything to worry about right now,” said Glenn. “Now that does say, ‘Right now.’”

Glenn also reported the EMA had received a new PDMG and a new truck, as well as ongoing practice sessions for the dive team. 

The EMA had no in-county calls, but was placed on standby to assist Washington County. However, before the Treutlen EMA could fully mobilize, the call had been resolved.

In County Manager TJ Hudson’s updates, the board considered the vacant seat on the Treutlen County Election Board. The board has two applicants for the position: one submitted application and one application on file from the previous vacancy.

According to Commissioner Thalia Gillis, the board adopted a policy to keep unaccepted applications on file in case of a vacancy, so the application could be reconsidered without the need to advertise the position. However, other board members were confused as to the nature of the policy, and so chose to table the discussion of the seat until the October meeting.

Hudson also presented the board with a $97,580 bid from Garland Construction for repairs to the Treutlen County Public Library. According to Justine Gillis of the library board, the repairs will address structural damage in the library’s mechanical room, decay in the foundation, a rodent issue in the attic and damaged flooring.

The repairs would be paid out of the 2019 SPLOST fund. Gillis offered a motion to accept the bid, which passed unanimously.

Holis also reported the county’s financial report and balances. According to the report, the county had accrued $265,995, which is 4.13 percent of its expected annual revenue, and spent $596,520, which is 9.43 percent of its expected annual expenditures, as of July 2025.

For balances, the general fund totaled $770,997.40, the CD balance totaled $415,835.94, the LMIG balance totaled $1,154,652.50, the 2019 SPLOST balance totaled $1,017,061.37, the 2025 SPLOST balance totaled $197,118.01, the crime victims assistance fund totaled $328,942.94, the drug abuse treatment education balance totaled $34,282.01, the federal drug seizure fund totaled $61,251.21, the state drug seizure fund totaled $4,763.34, the E-911 balance totaled $302,112.60, the jail reserve balance totaled $73,229.78, the Treutlen and Wheeler landfill balance totaled $11,131.06 and the TSPLOST balance totaled $164,460.69.