Photo by Mariann Martin
David Blackburn asks questions about the consolidation of city and county governments during a Dalton city council meeting Monday.DALTON, Ga.-City Council members voted to privatize Dalton’s probation services, a department that brought the city just over $100,000 in revenue last year, despite questions from a former judge about the legality of the process.
The change is the latest in a series of dust-ups involving Dalton Municipal Court. City leaders fired the judge last September, and earlier this month, several employees filed complaints about constant roof leaks and mold in the building.
During a council meeting Monday evening, Municipal Judge Jim Wilbanks recommended city leaders vote to allow a local company, Alternative Probation Services, to perform the service.
Wilbanks said he made the recommendation because he believes governments should defer to private businesses, if possible.
“Even if there was money being made, I don’t believe the government needs to do what private companies can do,” Wilbanks said after the meeting. “In the state of Georgia, the law allows private companies to handle probation, and the vast majority of counties use private probation companies. It has no cost to the city.”