Fire and sheriff needs featured prominently in the work-session discussion of SPLOST 9. Administrator Allen and the fire chief explained that the fire department's current revised request totals $21,800,000, with roughly $15,000,000 earmarked for apparatus replacement and one new station included in the current package. The fire chief said much of the department's fleet and stations are beyond typical service life: "The life expectancy for a fire station is 50 years... Station 9, I think, is 58 years old," he said, and noted stations 9 and 13 are among the busiest.

Sheriff's office representatives described aging patrol vehicles and replacement policies. The sheriff's representative said the office aims to swap vehicles approximately every five years or at 200,000 miles and estimated a need of about $3,000,000 per year to achieve that cadence. The session included an announcement that the sheriff had secured an approximately $8,700,000 grant that will fund 30 positions for three years; staff explained the grant will be used to flip funding for those positions from the general fund to grant support during the grant period.

Detention center: Officials discussed an $85,000,000 renovation for the detention center, described in session as roughly $70,000,000 for construction and $15,000,000 for immediate capital repairs. Staff recommended prefabricated pods and said two pods would provide about 288 beds and implementation could be quicker and less expensive than a full brick-and-mortar build. Officials said operational cost increases would likely follow when construction begins and that some efficiencies in staffing design could modestly reduce recurring costs.

What changed or was decided: No formal votes were taken at the workshop. Commissioners pressed staff for additional detail on station siting, life-expectancy data, vehicle replacement schedules and the timeline for when grant-funded positions will require local budget support (three years). Staff committed to provide detailed line-item backup and to circulate packet materials for follow-up.