Whitfield commissioners to vote on grant for Domestic Violence Court
May 10—The Conasauga Circuit Domestic Violence Court aims to close a revolving door of domestic violence victims and offenders.
Monday, the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on whether to accept a $79,328 federal grant that could help keep the court operating for another year.
The commissioners meet Monday at 6 p.m. in the meeting room of the county courthouse. The meeting will be livestreamed on the county's Facebook and YouTube pages.
In March, the commissioners voted to use $100,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to help fund the court. Together, the grant and the American Rescue Plan Act money would fund the court's 2024 operations.
At the March meeting, Conasauga Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris, who oversees the court, said people in the court "are changing their lives and the lives of their families."
Founded in 2014, the court seeks to help people charged with domestic violence avoid reoffending by requiring them to complete a family violence intervention program and treatment for the underlying issues for their abusive behavior.
The commissioners are also set to vote on:
— Whether to apply for a two-year grant for the Conasauga Community Addiction Recovery Center from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust. The grant would fund an additional counselor as well as operating costs to broaden services and allow for evening sessions.
— A request by Peggy Sue Cook to rezone from rural residential to general agricultural 11.83 acres at 104/110 Bloomingdale Way, Tunnel Hill. The site "is currently developed with a single-family detached dwelling and manufactured home," according to a staff report. The rezoning would bring the use into conformity with the zoning.
— A request by Beverly Hawkins to rezone from general commercial to rural residential 0.96 of an acre at 2511 Old Chatsworth Highway, Dalton. The site currently has a single-family, detached dwelling on it. The rezoning would bring the use into conformity with the zoning and allow electricity to be reconnected to the dwelling.
— A request by Jorge Rene Ruedas to rezone from general commercial to rural residential 0.9 of an acre on Old Grade Road, Dalton. The owner wishes to develop it as residential.
— A request by Adrianna Cuevas to rezone from low-density, single-family residential to general agricultural 10.49 acres, with 9.41 acres in the unincorporated county and 1.08 acres in the city of Dalton at 402 Brooker Drive. The owner wishes to build a guest house on the site.
— A request by Jonathan Hedden to rezone 15.82 acres on Chattanooga Road near the city of Cohutta from general agricultural to rural residential.
