The never-ending battle continues to fight blight in Jones County, as two more cases were recently resolved with the least desirable outcome – the demolition of the structures and clearing of the property by the county.
Jones County Environmental Officer Tiffany Davis recently shared information abou++t the demolition of two structures. The first was a house on Oak Street in Haddock Aug. 20 and the second Aug. 22, which was a doublewide mobile home located on Carl Williams Sr. Road off Greene Settlement Road.
Davis said she started working with the owners of the property on Oak Street to bring it into compliance, and multiple times the owners would start making repairs, then stop.
“Once all work ceased, I started the court process. That was Aug. 30, 2023,” she said.
The officer said she had dealt previously with the property on Carl Williams Sr. because of waste accumulation issues on the property. She said those cases started July 25, 2023, and the court process toward demolition was started Oct. 12, 2023.
Davis said Jones County Animal Services was asked to assist with the property on Carl Williams Sr. Road because of the number of cats in and around the home. She estimated the number of cats involved was easily between 40-50.
The officer said the owners were informed of the demolition to allow them to enter the structure and remove any cats inside. She said that structure had safety issues, including a collapsing roof, rotten floors and was basically unstable.
Davis has been Jones County’s Environmental Officer since 2002. She grew up in Milledgeville and earned a BS and MS in Biology from Georgia College & State University. Prior to her Jones County employment, she worked for the Environmental Health Division covering four counties, including Jones County.
Davis has since earned Georgia Association of Code Enforcement certifications through the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute and has gone on to receive her master’s and Level III certification in GACE Management and Administration.
Jones County’s Abandoned and Dilapidated Housing ordinance was adopted in 2006, and in 2009 the commissioners voted to allow the complaints to be anonymous, which greatly increased the number of complaints.
The process begins with a complaint, and Davis is the first to take a look at the property. An inspector from the Planning and Zoning Office then goes to the property to evaluate and document the complaints.
After the complaints are verified, Davis said the first notice is sent to the property owner, who is given 45 days to contact the office and begin repairs. The road to demolition of the property is a lengthy one designed with the purpose of allowing the owner to bring the property into compliance when possible.
Davis said, as long as the owner is working to repair the issues, she tries to work with them, even though that means many return visits to the property. Taking the owner to court and demolition of the property is the last option.
Her office has processed more than 300 cases since she took her position in 2002.
Four Jones County structures were demolished in 2023, and with the two recent take downs, the total is 24 since the first ones in 2010. Davis said she is currently working on between 65-70 cases with 20-25 of them being abandoned or dilapidated structures cases.
“Just this week I appeared in court for multiple cases, six of which I was seeking demolition orders to tear down the abandoned dilapidated structures that have not been brought into compliance by the owners,” she said.
Davis said the best resolution to a code violation case is for the owner to rehabilitate the home.
“We don’t want to have to step in and tear them down,” she said.
The number to contact the Code Enforcement Office for complaints or information is 478-986-6084.
