Commission Discusses Violations

The Jasper County Commissioners spent much time at their regular meeting Monday discussing violations of the county’s planning & zoning ordinances and noise ordinance.

Planning & Zoning Director Shane Sealy brought an update on Bennett Cove, saying that he is going to start citing them each time there is a violation. Bennett Cove is a property on Hwy. 212 west that, according to the internet, is available for rent for private parties, including but not limited to weddings, corporate challenges, family reunions, and the like.

The property is in an agriculturally-zoned area of the county, and the owners attempted to get a text amendment previously, but it did not fall properly anywhere into the zoning ordinance, so no text amendment was allowed. Therefore, it is a private property like any residence.

The venue has been used for numerous parties and weddings since it opened, and a party last year caused problems with loud noise and other complaints. Advertisements for the party which was held by someone who rented the property suggested heavy drinking, loud music, and much partying. Law enforcement has been called on several occasions because of the noise.

The county has been working on updating its noise ordinance for some time, as it is hard to enforce, according to Sheriff Donnie Pope. Currently, Mr. Sealy, Sheriff Pope and the county attorney are working on an updated ordinance.

The owner of Bennett Cove has a court date in August in Jasper County Magistrate Court, for a citation issued in April, but the sheriff said when his deputies were called there last weekend, the noise was not extreme, with them seeing no need for a citation.

Mr. Sealy said that the owner’s defense is he’s not operating a business, as he is not charging for the venue to be used. He has enlisted attorneys who have met with Mr. Sealy, but no resolution has been reached.

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During citizen’s comments at the end of the meeting, Mary Patrick wanted to know why they could not issue a cease and desist order to stop the property from being used as a gathering place. David Ozburn, serving as county attorney, said that an order like that would likely have to come from Superior Court. That wouldn’t happen until a case is appealed to Superior Court and it gets involved. The case in August, and any subsequent cases, will be heard in Magistrate Court.

A neighbor of the Bennett Cove property, Scott Harris, spoke to the commissioners about his concerns. He cited muni-code saying it seems they could be cited daily for violating the planning & zoning ordinance.

Jim Stansell, a resident on Jackson Lake Road, also had noise ordinance concerns, but his concerned his neighbor. He encouraged the county to adopt a noise ordinance and “stop the nonsense” referring to the loud music from his neighbors.

Mr. Stansell was also concerned about truck tearing up county roads. He suggested that the county should post “No Thru Trucks” signs on several roads. He had previously spoken to County Manager Mike Benton about the signage, and Mr. Benton suggested he work with Captain Mike Steele at the Sheriff’s Office to get a list of roads where the signage is needed. Mr. Stansell’s concerns Monday were Jackson Lake Road, Brazey Road and Bethel Church Road. Mr. Benton said he had taken it a step further and talked with a representative of the Department of Transportation (DOT) about erecting signs on the state highways deterring trucks from turning off the state highway onto the county road. He said that once they are on the county road and see the sign, it is often difficult or impossible to turn around.

While discussing signage, Commissioner Carl Pennamona asked about signage on Hwy. 212 at the end of Harvey Lane Road. It was brought up at the last meeting that the large, highly visible sign was down. The county Public Works Department (PWD) replaced it with a smaller sign. There are concerns the sign will not attract enough attention. Commissioner Pennamon said that most intersections that dead end into a state highway have the yellow bars and signs clearly showing there is no where to go. Mr. Benton is going to contact DOT.

Commissioner Doug Luke said he had occasion to travel in Putnam County and encountered several stop signs outlined in LED lights that were powered by solar panels. He wondered if the county could invest in some of those. Mr. Benton is to look into it.

The city of Monticello had approached the county about doing code enforcement in the city, with the city picking up the tab for some of the work. Mr. Benton recommended that the county not take on the city issues, as the county has enough already. He said he looked into it and the city could hire their own officer who could write citations that could be handled in the county courts.

Commissioners also agreed to pursue a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that would only require a small county match for a new senior citizens’ center. The county had originally hoped to get a CDBG grant for a recreation complex, but learned that use is not allowed.

Commissioners also agreed to have the PWD patch and put triple surface treatment on Middlebrook Pond Road. Mr. Benton said he had determined that is the worst road in District 1, and he wants to move forward with a project for July. He said he is riding all the roads in the county to get a matrix of which roads are worse, based on road condition, residences, businesses, and access to other roads.

Mary Patrick asked why Mr. Benton needed to do that, as it has been done numerous times before. She questioned why work done by a previous commission often appears not to be available to the next one.

Commissioners learned that the state Department of Revenue has made changes to the Forest Land Protection Act (FLPA) that would take nearly a million dollars out of Jasper County coffers if it goes through. The Association County Commissioners of Georgia, and several county attorneys are working to stop the change from taking place. It would cost the county about $476,000, and the school board slightly more if the change goes through.

In other action at Monday’s meeting, commissioners:

•Learned the state is inspecting bridges this week in the county, and the condition of the bridge on Barr Bridge Road will be addressed in the survey. They also learned the state may replace the bridge on Goolsby Road at no cost to the county other than traffic control, possible right-of-way, and utility relocates. The commissioners agreed to pursue the state’s help. They also learned that the county manager and Commissioner Doug Luke will meet with Newton County and state DOT officials today, July 14, about the bridge on Pitts Chapel Road. Commissioner Luke has been pressing for a long time to have that bridge replaced, and the county has bene in talks with the other entities. They will all sit down together today, and hopefully make a plan to replace the bridge.

•Chairman Gene Trammell recognized Jasper County Library Manager Tamala Alexander for the job she does on the library, and presented her with a certificate rewarding her. She received a round of applause from the commissioners and audience at the meeting.

•Agreed to raise the fee for a Special Exception Permit from $300 to $500. Mr. Sealy explained that the P&Z board members get paid $75 per meeting, so $300 doesn’t even cover their cost.

•Agreed to appoint Mike Benton and Carole Norris to the Board of Health.

•Amended the budget to give raises to the employees of the constitutional officers. The commissioners agreed during the budget process that raises could be given after employees had undergone evaluations. The constitutional officers got their evaluations done already, but the county department heads have not finished theirs yet. All raises will be retroactive to July 1.