Toccoa Commission Approves Two Purchases

Toccoa City Commissioners make two equipment purchases.

Monday, commissioners unanimously approved both the purchase of a new computer server and the purchase of a tag reader for the Toccoa Police Department.

City Manager Billy Morse said Toccoa’s current computer server needs to be replaced.

“The city does have a computer hard drive server that we use to process all of our utility accounts,” said Morse.  “Needless to say, that server is very important.”

The current server has started to fail, said Morse.

“It has gotten very hard to find replacement products for it,” said Morse.  “The manufacturer will no longer warranty the product.”

City officials said the current server has been in use for 10 years.

Morse said the total cost of replacing the server will come to just under $26,000.  The funding will come from the city’s Commission Reserve Account.

Regarding the tag reader, Morse said it is a piece of equipment that will instantly read the license plates of passing cars.

“In an instant, the device lets the officer know if a passing car has been identified by the state crime database for one of several violations,” said Morse, who added the department has used one on a trial and been very impressed.

In a memorandum to the city manager regarding the tag reader, Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell said it will assist the police department in locating stolen vehicles and individuals wanted in various crimes.

The initial system cost is $19,930 from Synergistic Software, Inc. of Villa Rica, Georgia.  That funding will also come out of the Commission Reserve Account.

Jarrell also said the tag reader will have a yearly operational cost to the police department of about $1,956.