County Approves Property Divisions
The first hour-plus of the Jasper County Commission meeting Monday was taken up with public hearings.
The commissioners approved all three property division requests, although one of them only got Phase 1 approved. The first division was for a residential plat off Cook Road. The property is zoned agricultural, and there will be 19 lots at 288.707 acres. The smallest lots will be five acres, but many will be larger, said the applicant. The second division was for a residential plat, Hardy Creek Estates, off Millen Road. The request is for 11 lots on 152.06 acres.
Both of those divisions had stipulations suggested by the Planning & Zoning Commission, but the commissioners voted to approve both of them with no conditions or stipulations.
There was some concern about the quality of those roads and adding residences to the roads, particularly while big trucks are bringing materials in during the building process. One neighbor spoke, saying the road cannot handle more traffic, it is in shambles already.
Commissioner Bruce Henry voted to approve them without conditions. He said the people have been asking for bigger building lots, and asking the county not to change the rules as they go along. He said, now someone wants bigger building lots, and we’re adding stipulations, changing the rules.
The ordinance does not require road improvements for division of property, unless it is a subdivision. After some discussion, the division requests passed unanimously.
The third hearing was for an industrial/commercial preliminary plat at the NNW intersection of Hwy. 83 south and Edwards Road. The request is for a total of 10 lots on 35. 72 acres. Discussion revealed the developers had purchased the lane from the Development Authority of Jasper County (DAJC). Brian Cagle and Ricky Adams plan to bring their own businesses—Cagle Grading and Southland Paving—to the new area, and hope to find others to fill the space. Phase 1 concerns entry off Edwards Road, and the development of several sites for industries. Phase 2 would be the portion of property along Hwy. 83 south, and Mark Walton, who represented the developers said that property would likely have more of a retail feel.
David Thompson of Monticello suggested that before that portion is approved that the Scenic Byway Commission be re-established and for it to look at the proposal before the County Commission approves it.
The last zoning issue was the moratorium, and there were no objections voiced over the 180 day stop to rezonings.
Planning & Zoning Director Judy Johnson presented each of the cases to the commissioners, reviewing the requests and presenting the P&Z Commission’s actions.
During public comments, John Henderson of Herd’s Creek Road suggested the board consider adopting a code of ethics and establishing an ethics board. He even had ideas on the make-up of the board. In addition, he suggested the commissioners consider a “meaningful exemption” for those 65 plus, as assessments keep going up, and the seniors need some relief, he said.
Asher Gray expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of response he has gotten for some open records requests. He also spoke negatively about real estate agency Adam McGinnis, who spoke up to defend himself.
He also suggested that Commission Chair Don Jernigan resign for his health. Mr. Gray said you had a stroke earlier this year, and maybe it would be best. Chairman Jernigan said his health was his and his wife’s concern, not Mr. Gray’s. He said he will go down fighting. (Mr. Jernigan is currently the subject of a recall effort.)
Rob Alexander expressed his concern about a the county spending money in the city when there are needs in the county. He suggested the money could be used for raises at the Public Works Department, citing how underpaid those workers are. He also expressed concern about open records. Cathy Benson complained again about short term rentals. She said a short term rental is a commercial endeavor and should not be allowed next door to her.
She said they are shooting fireworks, toting guns, and drunker than you can imagine. She pointed out a real estate advertisement saying short term rentals were o.k., although the county voted not to allow them when they discussed the issue some time in the last year.
Mary Patrick said the county needs a minimum of two code enforcement officers…that the job is too big for one person. She also suggested that since the county helps fund the health department maybe the county could get David Mercer, sanitarian, to help when there are structures that are not suitable for living. She also encouraged the commissioners to not only “roll back” taxes to reflect the increase in assessments, but to actually cut taxes and roll them back further. Lastly she complained about the county spending money on Sands Drive Park.
Shelia Jones, District 1 Commissioner, said her constituents in the city pay county taxes too. She said, “that’s my district; that’s my people.” She also said “we need to work together.” Lastly she thanked the other commissioners for agreeing to it. The expenditure was approved last summer.
The commissioners approved expenditures for the jail renovation project, after being assured Barnsley Construction had approved both vendors.
County Manager Mike Benton suggested the county apply for work under the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) low-impact bridge program. Applications will be completed for Cook Road bridge, River Road bridge, and Guy Jones Road bridge. Commissioner Henry said low-impact did not refer to the capability of the bridge, but to the low environmental impact to replace these structures.
Commissioners agreed to ask Pittman Construction which is currently paving on Jackson Lake Road about a cost to do some patching on County Line Road and Hodges Farm Road. Since the company will be in the area, commissioners are hoping the additional work can be done for a good price. They discussed the bad condition of the two roads, particularly Hodges Farm. It has deteriorated significantly since the tornado, District 5 Commissioner Steve Ledford commented.
After some discussion, commissioners agreed to give the Azalea Regional Library the impact fees that had been collected on behalf of the library. There was some discussion as to whether the library has to come back each year and ask for the funds, or if they could be distributed automatically. Commissioners were concerned about the funds being used properly—for capital outlay, and agreed to continue to vote on release of funds.
The commissioners agreed on an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the city of Monticello on the work at Sands Drive Park. The county plans to fund a pavilion, picnic tables and benches. The IGA would cover liability to the county and has the city continuing to maintain the park, the discussion indicated, so the hesitation for a 50 year agreement was overridden.
The commission heard from Fire/Rescue Chief Chris Finch who spoke of the need for a new pick-up truck for fire/rescue. Their 2008 truck needs an engine, the chief said, and has other damage as well. Public Works Director Michael Walsh indicated he had a use for the engine-less truck. In addition, the chief needs something tougher than the F-150, as it doesn’t have the towing capacity he needs. The commission agreed to purchase a new truck for fire/rescue. Next, the chief explained his need for a lawn mower to cut the grass at the county’s seven fire stations. The low price came from Jasper County Small Engine, and the commissioners approved the purchase.
Commissioners heard the third quarter financial report which shows that at the end of March the county has already collected the majority of the revenues anticipated for this budget year. For expenditures, the county is at 76 percent of what is budgeted being spent at the end of March.
Mr. Benton told commissioners that CTC, the debris-removal contractor who will be hauling off tornado debris, was to begin work Tuesday, having arrived in the county Monday. They said the work would take four to six weeks, but the county manager is confident with their equipment it will not take that long.
Commissioners will have a called meeting tomorrow morning, May 5, beginning at 9 a.m. After they vote on allowing Pittman to do the patching, they will move into a work session on budget. Several other budget work sessions are planned.
At the end of the meeting, by which the majority of spectators had left, the commissioners went into closed session to discuss personnel and litigation.
