Commissioners gearing up for code enforcement vote
- 9/8/11
- Categorized in: DeKalb News
After deferring a vote for four months, the county’s Board of Commissioner’s appears to be ready to pass a tougher code enforcement ordinance.
“We believe we have something that actually works for the county and is doable and is in compliance with the laws of the county,” said Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton, chairwoman of the board’s county operations and public safety committee. “So when it gets to court [judges] can actually adjudicate the ordinance.”
The ordinance is in response to complaints from residents about overgrown grass and weeds, inoperable vehicles, commercial vehicles in residential areas, and unmaintained pools.
“I’m a citizen that has spent an enormous amount of time over the years trying to ensure that where I live looks decent,” said Gil Turman, who served on a code enforcement task force that looked into the problems of county code violations.
“If you ride down I-20 and you get off on any exit in DeKalb County, it’s shameful as to what you start to see,” Turman said.
Under the proposed ordinance, violators could receive a fine of up to $1,000.
Some county residents said they want the Board of Commissioners to establish a minimum fine of $250 for code violators.
“We want to be a beautiful county and we have high expectations,” said Gil Turman. “If you violate the law then you’re going to pay for it.
“I don’t think we need to play games,” Turman said. “That’s why we got the nastiest-looking county in the metro area.”
Sutton said the $250 minimum is not needed but judges will decide what fine is fair in each case.
“The reason that we have judges in the judicial system is so they can hear each individual case and make a judgment,” Sutton said. “We set the minimum and maximum fines and I believe we should let the judge do their job.”
Commissioner Lee May objected to Turman’s characterization of the county.
“We don’t have the nastiest county,” May said. “We’ve got sections that are nasty.
“This is only one baby step to get us to where we need to go,” May said. “Now we need to look at the comprehensive plan.”
The code compliance ordinance is on the agenda for the Board of Commissioners’ Sept. 13 meeting.
As this Study, Commissioned by The DeKalb BOC and paid for by : The Tax Paying Citizens of DeKalb REPORTS : "many departments are dumbed down . . . ."
The Management and Supervision of Ted Reinhart's Roads and Drainage which includes Sanitation is a fine exanple of "dumbed down" or the DeKalb News Papers would not read : "UGLY UGLY SOUTH DEKALB"
I came home from the Tuesday BOC meeting to find 1000 freet of Flat Shoals Rd, including my yard covered with BAGS OF GARBAGE, not the little stuff that we see almost every time a Garbage Truck is SPEEDING down our streets streaming trash out the back.
Now Sanitation did I Guess come out and pick up the Large Bags but once again ignowed the small stuff.
From trimming trees next to the streets, to curbs destroyed by the Work Crews doing this Ga Power pipe line work, to road repairs by these Same Ga Power Contractor Work Crews, to the driveways and sidewalks damaged by these Same Work Crews = WHERE IS TED ?
Dear Commissioner Reinhart; TO AVOID BEING "DUMBED DOWN", YOU AND YOUR SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS MIGHT LEARN THAT = Any job worth doing is a job worth doing well !
All the new Regulations in the World will do nothing to clean up DeKalb County with Sanitation Trucks speeding up and down the streets spewing garbage everywhere !
As it pertains to Mr Lee May, I believe he has lost his way and has forgotten how he got into office. First the environmental mess he pushed on Lithonia and now acting as if the county is sweaky clean, come on now Mr May be realistic. The same can also be said of Mr Larry Johnson. The roadway along Rainbow Drive needs help (between Wesley Chapel and Columbia Drive) and to think Mr Johnson lives off Rainbow Drive.
The plan is to get the Dist 1 and 2 taxpayers to pay for the cleanup of Dists 3,4 and 5. That is what is behind the (Taxpayer Raider) Rader- Gannon proposal for cutting tax pickups from 4 times a week to 1 time while paying the same amount for collection. The trash collectors will be shifted to Dist 3,4 5 cleanup. Enforce the littering code and get the local residents to pay for their own cleanup.
Commissioner Johnson said that there is garbage all around and not just in So DK. Start with the Maloof Building. .
On the other hand we have Lee May who behind the backs of every tax paying citizen in this DeKalb County had Special Catered Meals brought in on BOC Work Days ! This money could have gone to DeKalb's Meals on Wheels Program so desperate for money but instead it went right in Lee May's mouth !
I travel this metro area very well Districts 3, 4 and 5 in DeKalb County are Welfare States and 70 % looks like Hell !
AND HOW ABOUT THE ILLEGAL GAMBLING ALL OVER EAST AND SOUTH DEKALB COUNTY - ALL IN PLAIN SIGHT - WHAT'S UP WITH THAT LEE MAY ?
Pandering Preachers and Pandering Politicians is going to be the death of DeKalb County !