The members of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 this week to approve a purchase agreement for an office building across from the courthouse.
Board Chairman Jevin Jensen typically votes only where there is a tie.
The $1.207 million agreement with Maurice M. Sponcler Jr., Henry C. Tharpe Jr., Ann C. Kemp and Crawford Street Investors will allow the county to buy the building at 225 W. King St.
“This will basically allow us to do due diligence,” said Jensen. “We have not done due diligence as far as testing for environmental surveys, for asbestos.”
Jensen said the agreement gives the county 90 days to perform that due diligence and if it finds any issues to back out of the deal.
County officials said the building could serve as the home of Drug Court, Domestic Violence Court and Mental Health Court offices, which are currently in a county building at 301 W. Crawford St.
County officials are also looking at what to do with the county’s administrative offices, which are now in the Wells Fargo building in downtown Dalton.
“The Wells Fargo building is unofficially for sale but not at an attractive price for the county,” Jensen said last week. “We are concerned a new owner might terminate our lease, so we’d have to move our staff to the Tharpe building. However, it is not big enough for even the current staff long-term.”
The commissioners also voted 4-0 to approve:
— A request by Miguel Arredendo to rezone from rural residential to general agriculture 7.434 acres on Airport Road, Dalton, with the condition there be no commercial poultry operations on the site.
— A request by Michael and Leta Atkins to rezone from low-density, single-family residential to medium-density, single-family residential 1.58 acres on Johnson Road, Dalton.
— A request by Raul Bibiano to rezone from general commercial to rural residential 0.88 of an acre at 2751 Old Tilton Road, Dalton.
— A request by Hollis Holdings to rezone from general agriculture to planned unit development 14.62 acres on Cleveland Highway, Dalton.
— A request by Austin King to rezone from low-density, single-family residential to general commercial 3.91 acres on Welcome Hill Circle, Dalton.
— A request by Lixandro Ramirez to rezone from rural residential to suburban agriculture 6.5 acres at 421 New Zion Hill Road, Dalton.
— A request by Scott Anthony Sides to rezone from rural residential to general agriculture 25.47 acres at 3349 Oscar Nance Road, Tunnel Hill.
— A request by Tanya and William Vasbinder to rezone from general agriculture to suburban agriculture seven acres at 5468 Blair Road, Cohutta.
— A request by Daniel and Louise Wise to rezone from general agriculture to low-density, single-family residential 10.04 acres on Tucker School Road and Hopewell Road, Cohutta.