Hall County’s new government headquarters is finally occupied by county employees.

This week, the Hall County Elections and Voter Registration office moved into the building on Browns Bridge Road, formerly the Liberty Mutual building.

The Hall elections office, now on the bottom floor, was the first department to move into new building.
Though it’s now officially operational, there are few signals of the county’s presence.

The interior is still under renovation. Outside, signs marking it as a Hall County government building have yet to be built. In fact, a blue Liberty Mutual symbol still hangs behind the receptionist desk at the entrance. The rest of the administration is expected to move over the summer, with the entire staff there by the fall, said county spokeswoman Nikki Young.

The elections office’s early move-in date was to give time to prepare for the next round of elections this summer.

Elections Director Charlotte Sosebee said the new location had to be precleared by the federal Department of Justice, staff needed time to adjust equipment and the office needed to be established in time for candidate qualifying for the primaries in July.

The department has actually been ahead of schedule in those goals. The move was originally supposed to take place on Friday, but employees were able to begin on Monday.

Most of the department’s boxes are unpacked and offices are already organized. Still, there was an awkward vibe in the large building occupied by only eight county employees. By the time the fall move is complete, about 80 to 90 employees will be in the building, according to Hall Public Works Director Ken Rearden.

The Liberty Mutual building was purchased using $6.1 million in SPLOST dollars, and renovations are budgeted at $2.9 million.

The move is supposed to create a one-stop shop for county government needs.

It is also expected to save some departments money.

Before the move, the Hall County Elections Office was paying about $8,000 in monthly rent.