“The legislature doesn’t want to impose on the businesses, but like I say, we’re at war,” said Rockmart City Manager Jeff Ellis. School board member Regina Roberts added, “The tougher you can make it, the better we’re going to be.”

This strong language was used at the Polk County Intergovernmental Committee meeting last Monday while discussing the proposals for a local methamphetamine ordinance. Proposed local ordinances may mandate that businesses keep certain products, particularly those containing pseudoephedrine hydrochloride like Sudafed, behind the counter and that local stores keep records on customers who buy more than a certain amount of such products.

The discussion of the proposed meth ordinance elicited strong responses from many of the committee members, with several suggesting that local governments should also look into controlling drug paraphernalia.

Many local convenience stores sell materials which people use for drugs. These include pipes, bongs, and even innocuous looking plastic tubes containing a small flower.

The tube from these flowers can be used for smoking drugs.

However, members agreed that legally, little could be done to curb the selling of such paraphernalia. After deciding that little could be done by the committee on such an issue, Ellis added that such action would not be necessary if people would say, “Look, I ain’t doing business with you as long as you have this stuff.”

Also discussed was a proposal to establish a joint grant writing program to acquire funds from state and federal grants. Several members expressed the belief that this would be more effective than hiring a full-time lobbyist, a plan previously discussed. The initial program could start with two full time grant writers with a start up cost estimated in the range of seventy to eighty thousand dollars.

The recently established county transit system was also discussed. Cedartown City Manager, James Stephens, informed the panel that the Georgia Department of Transportation says separate departments must be maintained for city and county buses for the first year because of separate budgets. Interim County Manager, Wayne Johnson, indicated that Polk County would acquire six buses including two with lifts for wheelchairs.

Other topics covered at the meeting included standardizing zoning ordinances between cities and the county and updating the Comprehensive Plan, Solid Waste Plan, and Service Delivery Strategy.

A steering committee was appointed for updating these plans with a first public hearing on the matter being set for March 29 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The next intergovernmental meeting was set for Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.