ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) -The Dougherty County Commission is weighing how to address the jail’s aging HVAC system.

The current system is about 35 years old. County staff and the Sheriff’s Office are evaluating options to prevent a major failure, especially ahead of summer.

Some commissioners say they want transparency on options, costs, timelines, and risks before taking formal action on funding. They’re also debating a full replacement or a more limited repair approach.

Others urged the board to vote on the finance committee’s recommendation on securing a line of credit to finance the work.

“Let’s just go ahead and do what we need to do. Bring it forward. Bring it forward so that we can go ahead and you can vote on it,” said Anthony Jones, Dougherty County commissioner for District 6.

He proceeds to say, “But at the end of the day, we got to do something about that jail over there. And I hate every time there’s a conversation about the jail, that’s fussing and bickering going back and forth. We’re adults here. All of us are adults. It ain’t one big elephant in the room. It’s not two big elephants in the room. It’s seven of us in the room.”

The county administrator says staff will meet tomorrow to discuss further options.

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