Floyd County Operations during COVID19 Pandemic

Floyd County Operations during COVID19 Pandemic

March 14th, 2020

Floyd County Board of Commissioners –

The Floyd County Board of Commissioners are working hard to ensure the health and safety of our employees that deliver critical services as well as the safety and welfare of our residents.  From March 14, 2020 until March 29, 2020, certain departments within Floyd County will be limiting operations.  Specific information for the departments is listed below.  Please contact the Floyd County Clerk’s office at 706-291-5110 for more information.

Superior Court—Please refer to earlier release on Superior Court Services

District Attorney’s Office—Grand Jurors do not have to report for March 20, 2020. The District Attorney’s office will reevaluate and let them know via email and/or phone calls when they will next meet.

Juvenile Court–Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 38-3-61 The Chief Superior Court Judge controls access and operations of all judicial proceedings for the Rome Judicial Circuit, per Chief Supreme Court Justice Harold Melton.   The Floyd County Sheriff is responsible for the physical control and operation of the Floyd County Courthouse.   AS SUCH, the Juvenile Court of Floyd County will comply with the directives of the Chief Presiding Judge of the Rome Judicial Circuit, i.e. Judge Bryant Durham and the operational mandates of the Floyd County Sheriff as to screening procedures, public access, and judicial operations and procedures related to the Floyd County Courthouse (which includes the Juvenile Court).  Thus, scheduled Juvenile Court hearings will be subject to those directives and mandates and may be subject to necessary continuances or delays.  Such continuances or judicial delays obviously will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.  Policies and procedures for Juvenile Court hearings (due to the unique and changing nature of the current COVID-19 situation) must therefore be malleable. All parties engaged in Juvenile Court matters MUST maintain immediate and ongoing contact and communication with their attorneys or probation officers. (If a party is unrepresented or has no Probation officer, they should communicate with the Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office as to the status of any upcoming and previously scheduled hearings and procedures for the same).  Newly filed cases will be received and processed through the normal intake process.  New hearings will be scheduled to reduce the risk of having large numbers of individuals gathered in any one location at one time by staggering hearing times and dates to thus reduce possible exposures.  It is again noted, however, that these juvenile case scheduling’s still remain subject to the protocols and mandates established by the Chief Superior Court Judge and the Sheriff.  The public is urged to understand the unique nature of the current crisis and are asked to please be patient with Juvenile Court personnel.  We are all trying to provide justice to our children, our families and the public in the safest and most efficient manner possible considering the current unique and difficult circumstances.  Sincerely, Judge C. Gregory Price

Sheriff’s Office/Jail—The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office has implemented a new three-tiered color coded system in response to any potential issues regarding communicable diseases.

  • Code Green – Business operations will continue as normal.
  • Code Yellow – Essential operations only.
  • Code Red – Facility Lockdown

Effective March 11, 2020, we are in the Code Yellow phase of our system. We are temporarily suspending our religious services and our community service programs. Clergy members will still be allowed to hold one-on-one visitations using our normal security measures. Additional programs may be affected as we determine necessary for the safety and security of our facility, personnel, and inmates.

Engineering—Engineering requests citizens visit the website at www.romefloyd.com/departments/floyd-county-engineering  if possible for driveway permits, plat approvals, and addressing.  Most of these operations can be handled online or via email if the customer has internet access.  Customers with questions can call (706) 291-5114.

Public Works—With the suspension of access to community service workers for at least two weeks, weekend litter pickups will be suspended as well.

Floyd County Prison/Work Release Center—Upon order of Governor Kemp, all inmate visitation and outside programs have been cancelled until April 10, 2020.  Floyd County Prison is in the process of having video visitation software installed for inmates to use at this time.  The full prison population should have access no later than Monday, March 16, 2020.

Floyd County Remote Sites—Remote Site attendants have been directed to keep a safe distance and not assist with dumping trash or recycling material.  Citizens will need to be able to dispose of their refuse and recyclable items without the assistance of the attendants.

Tax Assessors’ Office—Starting Monday, March 16, 2020, the Floyd County Tax Assessors’ office, located on the second floor of the Historic Courthouse at 4 Government Plaza, will be closed to public access.  Citizens can visit https://www.romefloyd.com/departments/tax-assessor to determine a method of application and/or delivery for Real Property Returns, Personal Property Returns, Homestead Exemption Applications, etc., which will still be accepted.  The property appraisal staff will continue to visit properties during this time but will refrain from as much face-to-face interaction as possible.

Tax Commissioner’s Office—The Floyd County Tax Commissioner’s office, including the tag and property tax offices, will remain open with increased screening and limited access.  Customers should expect delays when processing in person at the tax office.  We strongly encourage all tag renewals and property tax payments to be made through our website at www.floydcountytax.com.  To help our customers, beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, the tax office will not charge the processing fee for online property tax payments through the end of March.

Magistrate Court—The Magistrate Court will work with the Superior Court and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office to ensure the safety of all citizens who use Magistrate Court and our employees. We will continue to schedule cases but will limit the number of citizens to 30 or less if at all possible. We realize this may delay the scheduling of cases beyond the normal times and hope that the citizens understand the reason why. We continue to monitor the situation and appreciate the understanding of our customers.  Citizen are urged to call our office if they have any questions or concerns.

Public Animal Welfare Services– We currently are asking all citizens who wish to surrender a pet to call and make an appointment. We will take all the information needed over the phone for the surrender and email a surrender form to be signed and sent back.  When you arrive, we ask that you please stay in the vehicle and call the shelter at 706-236-4537. We will come out to the vehicle to retrieve the animal and complete the process.

Floyd County Water Department—The Floyd County Water Department will continue to offer current level of services as long as staffing is available to support.  They request that customers attempt to make payments via mail, online, or by telephone instead of in-person, if possible.  Any customers wishing to start a new service should make the initial request via telephone at 706-291-5130 as opposed to in-person.  In some instances, the transaction may be completed without an in-person visit.  At any rate, the initial phone call can provide an opportunity to share any information necessary to minimize the amount of time required in the office.

For more information, please contact the Floyd County Clerk’s office at 706-291-5110.