Media release from Floyd County, GA:
The Floyd County Commission has approved an emergency allocation of $100,000 to support the temporary relocation of operations formerly housed in the Historic Floyd County Courthouse following the fire that destroyed the building on Monday.
Built in 1892, the building was a longstanding historic landmark and housed the offices and functions of the Tax Commissioner, Tax Assessor and Tag Office. The emergency funding will be used to assist in relocating personnel and services so that operations can continue with as little disruption as possible for the public. A separate fund and related accounts will be created to track all expenses associated with the relocation and recovery effort.
Commissioners also recognized the Rome-Floyd County Fire Department and their efforts to battle and contain the fire as well as Facilities Manager Ryan Davis and Facilities Supervisor Blake Oyler for swiftly evacuating the building.
“Their quick response helped to ensure the building was evacuated and protected the lives of employees and visitors during a frightening and fast-moving situation,” Floyd County Commission Chair Rhonda Wallace said. “In a moment of confusion and danger they showed courage and an extraordinary commitment to others.”
Fire crews have continued to monitor the building and as part of the ongoing response, security fencing will be installed around the site as soon as possible.
County officials said that very few vital records were lost in the fire.
According to the Tax Commissioner’s Office, almost all records were stored electronically. Older tax digest records are filed through records retention and records that remained in the office at the time of the fire, including tax sale records and recent tag and title records, are backed up electronically.
Deed records, marriage records, divorce records, veterans’ records and court documents are housed next door in the Floyd County Superior Court building and were unaffected by the fire.
The Tax Assessor’s Office reported that anyone who filed documents in person within the last few weeks should contact the office to confirm those materials were received and remain on file. Any documents filed online are safe.
In a related action, the Floyd County Commission also approved designating the former Law Enforcement Center as a judicial annex.
Additional updates regarding the relocation of courthouse operations, records access and service availability will be provided as more information becomes available.
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