$100,000 set aside with county approval for Cedartown, Rockmart to use to pay officers

The recently formed group of law enforcement and city and county officials who have met in recent months to discuss what to do about the growing opiate and methamphetamine problems in Polk County will now have some money behind their ideas to make it more difficult for drug dealers to be able to operate locally.

Commissioners first approved setting aside money in a proposed FY 2022 budget amendment to give the Cedartown and Rockmart Police Departments each $100,000 to use on spending for police pay due to increases that will come with officers undertaking new strategies to combat narcotic sales within the county.

The unanimous vote was followed by a second – the approval of an intergovernmental agreement between the cities and the county laying out the use of the funds and how it will be reported. That was also approved by the Commission unanimously.

Commissioner Scotty Tilley at the conclusion of Tuesday’s regular session for the month of November thanked the commission for their support in the vote to provide the financial means for the cities and county to work together toward a combined front against drug trafficking.

“I appreciate the commissioners being on board 110%,” Tillery said. “This is going to make a difference. I’m excited. We’re going to take the convenience out of selling drugs in Polk County. ”

Tillery also had praise for Polk County Police and Sheriff’s Office officials – including Chief Kenny Dodd – for arrests over the weekend involving drugs.

The cities will still have to agree to the intergovernmental agreements formally this month during their sessions next week during the Cedartown City Commission and Rockmart City Council sessions.

Hopes for the effort are to make it more difficult through a variety of tactics for drug traffickers to operate, and therefore force their business to move outside of Polk or put them in a position to make it harder for them to sell narcotics like heroin, prescription medications and methamphetamine without being caught.

Along with the funding for the police departments, additional money was also set aside for the Public Defender’s office with hopes they’ll be able to decrease their caseload through additional help in the office.