Toccoa Rejects Golf Course Equipment Bids; Signs Inmate Crew Agreement

The city of Toccoa will head back to the drawing board when it comes to the purchase of some equipment for the golf course.

Monday, city commissioners voted unanimously to reject all bids received for the purchase of some pieces of golf course equipment.

Last month, the city received two bids for equipment like a greens mower and a truckster utility truck.

The bids received came in at over $45,000 for new equipment and over $34,000 for used equipment.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said staff recommends starting over and seeking new bids.

“After reviewing the bids, we do not feel comfortable with the bids that we received,” said Morse. “We would like the commission to reject those bids received and now that we have Golf Director Todd Voyles on board, we would want to utilize his expertise and his knowledge of vendors to re-bid that equipment. We have $26,000 budgeted and the (bids) well exceeded that amount, so we would ask you to reject those bids.”

Morse said the city is confident it can re-bid the equipment and find a bid that comes in under or at what the city had budgeted.

Also on Monday, city commissioners unanimously approved a Work Detail Agreement with the Whitworth Correctional Facility in Hartwell.

According to Morse, Whitworth would provide the city with two crews, an increase from the one crew that the city has been using.

“We have used inmate work details in the Public Works Department for several years now with great success,” said Morse. “For this reason, we budgeted funds in the golf maintenance budget for a second crew. Each detail will include a guard and a minimum of 10 team members. The city will provide a van for transportation. We do need to purchase a second fully equipped van for the new detail. We also have that money budgeted.”

Receiving the crews from Whitworth is also a change as the city has been getting its crews from Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto.

Morse said that change came at the behest of the state.

In other action taken at Monday’s meeting, the Toccoa City Commission unanimously approved a resolution of support for Tourism Product Development Grant funding for wayfinding signage.

According to Morse, grant funds up to $15,000 are available from the state that the city would like to use to install signs that would direct people to attractions in downtown Toccoa.

The grant would require a match by the city of $15,000 and Morse said that money is already budgeted.