Carroll County commissioners hear monthly reports, operational updates

Carroll County commissioners heard monthly reports at their Dec. 8 meeting.

Dawn Faulk, superintendent of the Carroll County Golden Age Retreat, presented her December report. She thanked community members, churches and donors for providing cakes, doughnuts and holiday contributions to residents.

“The amount of interest and generous donations we received toward our upcoming facility projects has truly been heartwarming,” said Faulk.

The facility received a grant from the Carroll Electric Cooperative People Fund to upgrade lighting and flooring. Six new security cameras were installed, bringing the total to 15, and the access control system is now fully operational.

The facility also transitioned to Spectrum internet to improve reliability, particularly for phone and paging systems. The Golden Age Retreat is seeking a full-time housekeeper and a part-time activity assistant. Commissioner Donald Leggett II confirmed all resident beds are now electric.

Transit Director Sonja Trbovich reported transit vehicles logged 33,203 service miles in December and provided 1,699 passenger trips, a 4.4% increase from November. There were 99 declined rides, largely due to holiday closures. She announced the upcoming retirement of employee Robyn Sutton March 31, 2026, and received approval to advertise for two part-time drivers and a part-time dispatcher.

Trbovich also outlined ODOT’s upcoming Technical Assistance Review, with a virtual portion scheduled for March 12 and an onsite review March 19, noting that a commissioner must be present at the start. The commissioners said someone will be there.

In other business, commissioners: 

—HEARD Dog Warden Merle Long report 10 dogs were brought in during December, six were adopted and two were reclaimed by owners. One dog was euthanized after continued medical decline despite an attempt at treatment. No citations were issued for unlicensed dogs or animals at large. 

“We had one dog that we did have to put down for illness,” said Long. “It would not gain weight and kept losing weight. After spending $781.35 on trying to save the dog, we decided it would be humane to go ahead and euthanize the animal.” 

—HEARD Treasurer Jeff Yeager present the county’s investment report, noting total funds on deposit of $38.7 million and strong interest earnings, with the general fund earning more than $1.5 million for the year. 

—HEARD Leggett receive an extensive update on the county annex project, which is progressing toward partial occupancy. According to the architect, the county should expect to receive part-time occupancy approval around the third week of January. Once that clearance is granted, the county can begin planning an open house and start moving departments into their designated spaces. 

—PAID the bills of $232,954.84. 

—HEARD that in 2025 the county sold 75 items on GovDeals, earning $97,125.10, mainly from the Engineer’s Office.