County Expands Rentals
The Jasper County Commissioners re-opened the application process for Short-Term Rentals after hearing from several people during citizen comments at their regular meeting Monday evening.
Several people complained they did not know of the requirement to register before July 2024, and they felt they should have been notified personally. They personally received cease and desist orders recently, but never received anything in person before the deadline. (It was advertised in this newspaper and put on social media.)
District 3 Commissioner Don Jernigan made the motion to open the process back up, saying it was not a good business model to send cease and desist orders to people who had not received correspondence about the requirements. In addition, he said, originally the county thought it would license about 30 units, and now only 12 are licensed.
Therefore, opening it back up will not induce a proliferation of these type rentals. The motion to reopen the application process passed 4-1 with District 4 commissioner Asher Gray dissenting. Commissioners agreed to have a work session on October 28 to further discuss requirements.
In the meantime, commissioners gave final approval to several properties that have completed application, inspection, repairs, and are ready to rent.
Another topic that gathered public comments was the request by the Development Authority of Jasper County (DAJC) to consider rezoning property on Rock Eagle Road for a solar farm that will generate more than $4 million in tax revenue annually. Tony Rogers of the DAJC made a presentation to the commissioners, but never said what the proposed development would be. However the commissioners had brochures outlining plans, and apparently some residents were aware.
The commission had voted 5-0 before to not allow solar farms in the county.
Commissioner Jernigan said we voted 5-0 when we received information about the hazards of such a production, but it appears some of that information was incorrect. Mr. Rogers said the farm would have a 50 foot vegetative buffer plus green fencing. It would bring in tax dollars without taxing services. It would bring no people, no jobs, not require services, no children in the schools, etc.
Two town hall meetings are planned for the public to hear the plans and voice opinions. One will be Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. at the Jasper County Middle School. The next one is Thursday, Oct. 24, in Shady Dale at the Providence Baptist Church fellowship hall.
At the beginning of the meeting, the commissioners held four public hearings, noneof which garnered any comment. The first was a rezoning request to put 30.23 acres currently zoned RES to agricultural. The applicant said they wanted a family farm, and Planning and Zoning recommended approval 4-0. After no public comments, commissioners approved unanimously.
The three hearings were ordinance amendments, mostly cleaning up language to reflect changes made. Commissioners passed two unanimously, and tabled the third after hearing comments from Mary Patrick, who sits on the P&Z Board. That concerned whether a conservation subdivision is required.
Commissioners handled several other orders of business including:
• Approving a $87,500 contract to Ross & Associates for assistance in revamping the impact fee program.
• Accepting the low bidder from Johnson Grading for a drainage project at the Jasper County Senior Center.
• Agreeing to raise the pay of court bailiffs from $50 per day, established in 2006, to $100 a day. Clerk of Superior clerk LeAnn Airington said she thought her budget could absorb the change this year, as there have been few jury trials.
• Named Tony Rogers as the private sector appointment to the Georgia Regional Commission.
• Named John Stork to the Library Board. He already serves as chair, but since the city of Monticello suspended funding of the library, it no longer has a seat at the table. He was a city appointee. Commissioners unanimously approved Mr. Stork’s application
• Planning to meet for a work session on the county’s retirement program and on recreation improvements. That meeting is set for Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. The other work session was the one for short term rentals on October 28.
After about an hour and a half the meeting was adjourned with no closed session.
