Board agrees to purchases, hears trash pickup update
Fannin County Public Works Director Zack Ratcliff requested that the county purchase a 2019 LeeBoy tar trailer for $13,600 at the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday, October 8.
The purchase was approved unanimously and Ratcliff said the trailer will be used for pot hole patching. It will be paid for using SPLOST funds.
“It’s a much easier process driving to pull a trailer mounted unit around than driving that 2,000 gallon tank around everywhere,” Post One Commissioner Earl Johnson said.
He also requested the repair of a dump truck engine for a cost of $9,615.30 at Rafter’s Truck & Trailer Repair out of Blairsville, Georgia. The repair was unanimously approved by the board and Johnson said, “I can tell you from experience, that’s a very good price.”
Ratcliff provided the board with an update on the prison detail.
“They picked up a couple of roads and last week and this week, they’ve picked up 175 bags of trash,” he said. “Those guys are just, they’re doing it so I’m just tickled that we got them.”
Chief Land Development Officer Marie Woody told the board that she received 36 building permits for the month of September, an increase from the 11 permits received in August.
“The total for the year is 218,” she said. “We’re 52 away from being even with what we had in 2018. That’s 52 permits to sell between now and December 31 for new homes only.”
She also provided the board with an update on condemnations within the county. While two sites are moving forward in the judicial system, the remaining sites are being monitored by Woody.
“Well I think we have to handle these with just the correct tone of staying involved, trying to move people forward, but we don’t want to cross the line where somebody considers us bullying them,” Chairman Stan Helton said. “When we have exhausted all avenues and we have no other options, then we look at going to court and that’s certainly the last resort, but we want to avoid that and we don’t want to put people in that position. I think staying on top of these and as long as you can see some progress being made that’s acceptable to the board then we’ll keep on doing it that way.”
Johnson requested that photos be taken once a month of the areas to track the changes over time.
Helton declared October Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Fannin County during the meeting.
“Domestic violence affects people of all races, ages, income levels, genders and religious backgrounds,” he said. “It is an intolerable, violent crime with public health implications for victims, survivors as well as family members, partners, neighbors or peers of victim survivors.”
A variance request for Stephen F. Boller and Catherine M. Ramsdell to build a garage on Old Toccoa Loop was approved by the board.
A variance request for Cooper Properties, LLC was tabled for the board’s next meeting due to a lack of proper advertisement.
Post Two Commissioner Glenn Patterson said he had been unable to find the property. Helton advised that every person making a variance request needs to properly display the yellow sign, provided to them by the county, on the property in order for neighbors to know a request is being made and where they can go if they wish to contest it.
“I think without him properly displaying the variance proposal that it would be unfair to any of the neighbors in the area,” Johnson said. “I don’t know of any other way they would know what he’s proposing so I don’t think we should move forward with the variance being as it was never advertised.”
An application for an Alcoholic Beverage License for a farm/winery has been submitted and advertised by Stephanie Cotts at the Cider House. The board will decide at their next meeting Tuesday, October 22.