BOC votes to build new county government complex on Hwy.129

WHITE COUNTY, Ga. – A new 16.97-acre county government complex is on the horizon for White County.

The Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 Monday to purchase three parcels of land on Hwy. 129 North near Smith’s Soda Shop that will potentially house a new Tax Commissioner’s Office, courthouse, and library.

The Tax Commissioners Office is overcrowded and needs to expand. But county staff discovered that expansion on the current site is not feasible due to the bottleneck that would be created in the parking lot.

Chairman Travis Turner said the Board decided, “It would be financially more responsible to build a new building on a vacant lot and have it benefit the county for years, and not something we’re just going to put a band-aid on.”

Commissioner Edwin Nix said, “We need to be frugal with the money we spend, We don’t need to be remodeling buildings that are that old. I think we’re going in the right direction for the future of the county. I really do.”

The funding will come from the 2014 special purpose local option sales tax.