Jones County Commissioners met with Zoning and Code Enforcement officers to find out the impact of new software and ordinances now in place.
The June 21 meeting was called to order by Board Chairman Chris Weidner. Zoning Officer Tim Pitrowski was the first to present. He explained that building inspections were a large part of the function of the Planning and Zoning Department.
Pitrowski said 785 inspections have already been completed this year, with some days having 15-20 inspections. He said those inspections generate dozens of violations each week.
The officer said the number of inspectors was reduced in 2008 because of the recession, and it still has not be refilled. The number of permits are up, and he said if that continues, filling that position could become a necessity.
Pitrowski said the use of the new database started in November of 2021, and since then 32 complaints have been filed. He said 34 percent of them have been closed, 3 percent are operating under a judge’s order and 41 percent have received their first violation letter.
The officer said 22 of the complaints remain open. He has spoken to half of the property owners, and they are already taking steps to correct the violations. Pitrowski said the other half have been inspected and are ready for their first letter.
He said 39 stop work orders have been issued due to soil erosion issues in the past month. Pitrowski said each stop work order requires multiple inspections. He added that one contractor has had permitting privileges revoked.
Weidner asked Pitrowski for his thoughts on the program, and the officer said it was a matter of shifting focus.
Commissioner Sam Kitchens asked Pitrowski if the number of complaints had increased since they could be anonymous, and he said yes. Kitchens then asked if the name of the complainant was visible on the report. The answer was the name is not, but the email or phone number connected to them is.
Martin asked the officer if P&Z needed another position. Pitrowski said they are keeping up now because they react to complaints. He said if the process changed to being proactive, another person would be needed.
Pitrowski clarified however that his department was proactive when it came to soil erosion.
At the conclusion of the work session, he said it appears the county is making a paragon shift to proactive, and he needs written instructions for his staff.
Commissioner John Wood said it was his opinion that the county needed to be proactive. He added that complaints need to be anonymous because people were fearful of making reports.
Kitchens said he agreed with the concept of the county being proactive, but officers also have to be careful of the appearance of targeting.
“We can address issues that are visible and obvious from the public right of way,” he said.
County Attorney Ashley Brodie explained that Jones County’s Solid Waste, Scrap Tire, Noise and Nuisance Ordinances were recently updated, with the addition of suggestions from the Blight Committee.
The updated ordinances were adopted April 19.
“Our ordinances are not either reactive or proactive,” she said. “It has been the policy of the board to be reactive, but Tiffany (Davis, Code Enforcement Officer) has the ability to cite if she sees something.”
Brodie said it was her advice for officers not to cross the line of going out and looking for violations.
“The idea of us being reactive or proactive is really not an issue,” she added.
Kitchens noted that, as a board, they want to say the county is proactive.
“Widening the way we report complaints is being more proactive,” he said.
Davis gave her report reaffirming that if she sees an obvious violation while on another call, she can do something about it. She then went over a list of policies and ordinances from surrounding counties. “I was really surprised that we were ahead of the curve,” she said.
Davis is a one-person department and said she gets a lot of support from the water department and public works. She said the fines for code violations are heavy, and she gets 200 percent support from the courts.
The officer said the software to report violations is in place, but most people want to talk to a person. She went on to say, however, that the being part of that database has helped.
Davis pointed out that just because something does not look pretty does not mean it is a violation. She also said that submitting multiple complaints about the same property and/or issue is not helpful and actually slows the process.
The officer said, since the database was activated at the end of 2021, 236 environmental complaints have been received. She said 50 cases were already on the books. Davis said there were 248 cases concerning abandoned and dilapidated houses. She said a few of them had no violations, and the remainder were repaired or torn down.
Davis said of 20 cases that were ready to take to court, only five remain in violation.
“There is an uptick in complaints, and it keeps me busy. I like it,” she said.
Comments
Jan Andrews said people do not know how to file a complaint and suggested the information should be more assessable.
George Scoville talked about junk vehicles and how they are supposed to be obscured from view.
Brodie said she was not sure of the exact wording of the updated ordinance and did not have a copy with her. Clerk of the Board Shannon Wagner said the new ordinances were in the process of being uploaded to the county website.
Frank Duke said he put the county’s stop littering sign in his yard and it had been “trashed.”
He said he has used the reporting database. He said it is anonymous, but it does list the phone number of the complainant.
Duke said Blight Committee members spent three years on the issue of littering and blight. He said they got a lot of help from the Middle Georgia Regional Commission and had a lot of recommendations about how to clean up the county.
“We did it for the love of Jones County,” he said.
Duke suggested there were state resources that may be able to help to county in the effort.
