Montgomery Board of Commissioners Decide Against Court Merger

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners opted against merging the local probate and magistrate courts during their regular meeting on Feb. 9 in the Montgomery County Government Annex.

The merger did receive a motion from Commissioner Amie Vassey to begin effective Jan. 1, 2027, but no other commissioner offered a second, so the motion failed.

Vassey initially brought the potential merger to the board as a cost cutting measure, with later estimates suggesting the board could save approximately $40,000 by merging the two courts together.

However, the merger was opposed by Montgomery County Magistrate Judge Ashley Thornton, who argued a merger of the two courts would place too great of a workload on the existing staff to properly manage.

“I do not believe the combination of these offices placed on one person is mentally or physically fair, not only to the person holding the position, but to the people of Montgomery County as well,” said Thornton during the board’s Feb. 5 work session.

According to Thornton, the number of cases submitted to the Montgomery County courts were far higher than other nearby counties with larger staffs which had performed the merger. The number of cases submitted, mostly hospital and credit card lawsuits, are “increasingly increasing” as Montgomery County continues to grow.

Thornton also argued the workload would necessitate the hiring of assistants to the court to properly manage the workload, which would reduce the potential savings to between $20,000 and $25,000.

The board also considered a finalized fire agreement with local city governments, which would include $13,000 paid to each charter station. Vice-Chair Clarence Thomas offered a motion to accept the agreement, which passed unanimously.

In addition to the fire agreement, the Board also considered the construction of a fire training center behind the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) building. 

Offering training to other fire departments would cost the county little to nothing, as Montgomery County EMA Director Tristan Willis is a certified instructor whose salary already includes training services. According to County Manager Heather Scott, the trainings would actually bring money into the county, as outside fire departments would likely shop at local stores and restaurants.

“It would cost nothing other than if we feed them,” said Scott.

The primary cost related to the training ground would be materials for construction, specifically shipping containers. Scott estimated the project would cost between $20,000 and $25,000, though the county had $10,000 in solid waste savings which could be applied to the training grounds.

Scott asked the board to set a price cap for how much could be spent on the containers, estimating the training grounds would require seven containers. Commissioner Leland Adams offered a motion to set a cap at $2,000 per container, which passed unanimously.

The board also considered two bids for road construction projects: one costing $53,681 and the other costing $113,600. Commissioner Jimmy Sharpe offered a motion to accept the lower bid, which passed unanimously.

Commissioner Leland also offered a motion to appoint Scott to Montgomery County’s seat on the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission, as they had not received any applicants for the position. The motion passed with Vassey against.

The board also reviewed the January 2026 cash bases financial report, delivered by County Manager Scott. According to the report, the county earned 25.4% of its projected revenue, while the county’s total expenditures totalled 9.3% of its budget of $6,048,403.89.

In individual expenditures, general government costs have totaled 5.7% of its budget of $1,427,297.14; judicial costs have totaled 16.3% of its budget of $592,769.75; public safety costs have totaled 7.3% of its budget of $2,004,320.55; public works costs have totaled 6.6% of its budget of $1,233,455.53; health and welfare costs have totaled 8.3% of its budget of $53,250; culture and recreation costs have totaled 13.8% of its budget of $123,815.36; housing and development costs have totaled 0.4% of its budget of $82,815; debt service costs have totaled 24.6% of its budget of $10,700 and other financing use costs have totaled 26.1% of its budget of $519,990.56.