The Cumberland County Planning Commission recommended an outline of projects to the Board of Supervisors to make top priority for the 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

The projects highlighted for the CIP for 2019-2020 included software updates for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, carpet replacement at Cumberland County Elementary School, climate control installation at the courthouse, new pump station generators and added a loan request from the Cartersville Volunteer Fire Department for the new fire station.

The commission held a public hearing for the CIP. No members of the public spoke.

“All we can do is make the recommendation,” Board Chair William Burger said, noting that the board of supervisors ultimately determines the distribution of CIP funding.

The CIP projects being considered for recommendation for 2019-2020 include Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office updating the office’s LiveScan hardware and software, totaling $19,000. The sheriff’s office also requested funding for updates to mobile unit hardware, which includes laptops, mounts and wireless connectivity for the sheriff office vehicles. The total cost for the project is listed as $54,500.

The maintenance/general properties department requested a newer version of a climate control program for the courthouse at $21,490.

An application from CUCPS requested that carpet from the elementary school be removed and replaced. The total cost for the project is listed as $219,670.

The carpet, the application cited, was installed in 1996 and is more than 20 years old.

In addition to these projects, the commission included a request from the Cartersville Volunteer Fire Department for $150,000 to help pay a loan for new fire station, and a request for $70,000 from the public works department to fund pump station generators, totaling an additional $220,000.

District Two Supervisor Stephen Donahue noted that if the board of supervisors approves the planning commission’s recommendation with the additions made, it’s possible that taxes could rise.

District Four Supervisor Hunter Allen said, “the only items we are recommending being funded relate to health and safety of the county.”

“I am going by the recommendations of the committee that created the CIP, and they did not say there were health issues involved,” Donahue said.

“But the committee is not charged with making the decision or the recommendation to the board, we are,” Allen said.

“I believe that if we don’t do it now, it will cost us more later on,” District Five Commissioner Roland Gilliam said.