Page 6B March 20, 2019
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forsyth@mymcr.net
Several citizens told Monroe
County commissioners on Tues-
day, March 5 that they opposed
commissioners' decision last
month to raise their annual pay to
$15,000 each.
Mayfield Road resident Heath
Autrey told commissioners he isn't
they deserved their raises. Autrey's
wife Cathie echoed her husband's
comments, saying she preferred
additional funds to be dedicated to
school safety enhancements, mad
improvements and for raises for
law enforcement officers. Cathie
Autrey added she didn't under-
stand why commissioners raised
their pay by 46 percent the average
increase of the four district com-
missioners, who each previously
had different salaries).
"Y'all are crazy for a 46 percent
increase in your income," Cathie
Autrey said. "Five percent, 3 per-
cent, or 10 percent, but 46? Why
didn't y'all just go ahead and round
it on to 50 (percent)?"
District 3 commissioner John
Ambrose said the increase was
necessary because commissioners'
part-time pay doesn't square with
their myriad, often full-time, job re-
sponsibilities. Ambrose told Cathie
Autrey commissioners currently
make an average of under $700 per
month and asked her if she would
serve as a commissioner for that.
When Cathie Autrey replied that
she would, Ambrose challenged
her to run in the next election.
Cathie Autrey responded, "I just
might Just to see the county
thrive and the community thrive,
you could pay me 400 bucks a
month."
In other Board of Commission-
ers' news:
Weldon Road resident Leila
Stone urged Monroe County com-
missioners to impose impact fees
on local builders.
Stone told commissioners on
Tuesday, March 5 that she's con-
cemed about erosion on her prop-
erty, which she said was caused by
nearby construction. Stone added
that she knows of a number of local
builders who are still receiving
building permits despite having
county tax liens on their properties.
Commissioners revise
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County commissioners retroac-
tively amended the minutes of their Nov. 6,
2018 meeting after county officials discov-
ered an error.
At the conclusion of a six-hour-long
meeting on Nov. 6, 2018, commission-
ers granted Maynards Mill Road resident
Joseph Egloff a conditional use variance in
agriculture allowing him to build a cattle
processing facility/slaughterhouse on a
60.18-acre tract on Hwy. 42 South.
A number of stipulations were placed
upon Egloff's project as part of the vari-
ance, including the requirement that Egloff
tap onto county water should it become
available at the location. The Nov. 6, 2018
meeting minutes were approved six weeks
later on Dec. 20. 2018 with 17 listed stipu-
lations. The third listed stipulation stated:
"Water use will be high and should be sup-
plied through the county water system and
not from wells so as not to impact neigh-
boring water supplies"
After Egloff notified the county that he
was ready to proceed with building the
slaughterhouse despite county water not
yet being available on the property, several
neighbors, including Larry Letson and
Craig Martin, objected, citing the stipula'
tion listed in the minutes that water use on
the site should be from the county water
system and not from private wells.
In response to the neighbors' concerns,
District 2 commissioner Eddie Rowland,
in whose district the slaughterhouse will
be built, listened to the audio of the Nov. 6,
2018 meeting and re-wrote the stipulations
as outlined during the meeting and came
up with 15 stipulations. In regard to the
water supply, Rowland wrote: "Municipal
water is currently unavailable at the prop-
erty. Should municipal water be run to the
property at the road, the business shall tap
on to the new water line at the expense of
the processing facility."
After Rowland read his adjusted stipu-
lations aloud, he asked the other two
commissioners present, District 4 commis-
sioner George Emami and District 3 com-
missioner John Ambrose ff they believed
it was commissioners' intention not to
allow Egloffto begin building the slaugh-
terhouse until after he had county water
available. Ambrose replied that it wasn't.
Emami then followed by noting that Egloff
would have had to start his business within
six months of the variance approval, per
county regulations, and it would have been
virtually impossible for county water lines
to be In place at the tract within that time
frame.
Emami said, "My recollection of it was
that if and when water is run out that way,
he (Egloff) would be required to hook
up to it. And if he didn't at that point, he
would be In violation of what he was ap-
proved to do"
Martin, a Hwy. 42 South resident, then
gave commissioners a copy of a legal opin-
ion from Macon-based attorney Wayne
Crowley citing a 1974 Georgia Supreme
Court decision (Bowen v. Pendley) which
states that once a governing body makes
a zoning decision it cannot change the
action by revising the minutes. Martin told
commissioners they had six weeks to make
changes to the minutes before they were
approved on Dec. 20, 2018 and argued
it was too late to adjust the minutes on
March 5.
Martin said neighbors are concerned that
the amount of water the slaughterhouse
will use could cause nearby wells to dry up
and said the project's opponents thought
commissioners had banned Egloff from
using well water at the site.
"I would greatly appreciate y'all looking at
things from our (opponents) side of view
a little bit" Martin said. "Because it seems
this whole process it seems like we've been
fighting an uphill battle and we have had
no one on our side the whole time It just
does not seem like a neutral fight"
Emami said commissioners have the
right to adjust the minutes to reflect more
accurately what occurred in a prior meet-
ing.
Emami asked rhetorically: "Isn't that
what is most important is that whatever
we agree to in the public hearing is what is
reflected in the minutes and what is carried
out? Otherwise, it's just a mess"
After about 40 minutes of discussion,
commissioners voted 3-0 to amend the
Nov. 6, 2018 minutes to indude the stipula-
tions Rowland drafted upon listening
to the recording. County attorney Ben
Vaughn refused to advise commission-
ers on how to handle the matter since he
recused himself from the process because
his father James Vaughn owns property
next to Egloff. Emami said after the meet-
ing that commissioners had discussed the
matter with legal council prior to voting
to amend the minutes but did not specify
with whom they met. Madison-based
attorney Christian Henry stepped in for
Vaughn during the initial zoning hearing.
Commission chairman Greg Tapley and
District 4 commissioner Larry Evans were
absent from the March 5 meeting.
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Com-
missioners plan to limit
the amount of time to 15
minutes that each side has
to state its case during a
zoning hearing.
At the request of the
Monroe County Planning
& Zoning board, commis-
sioners approved by a 3-0
vote on Tuesday, March
5 an amendment to the
county's zoning ordinance
to reduce the amount of
time each side has from 10
minutes per speaker to 15
minutes total for each side.
The next step in the pro-
cess is for the P & Z board
to hold a public hearing on
the proposed change with
commissioners to make
the final decision following
public comments.
In other Board of Com-
missioners' news:
Monroe County Com-
missioners approved a
preliminary plat for a new
subdivision offWeldon
Road.
Commissioners ap-
proved by a 3-0 vote on
Tuesday, March 5 to ap-
prove the preliminary plat
for Weldon Farms subdivi-
sion after county zoning
officer Anita Buice said
it met all county require-
ments.
Local real estate agent
Kerri Swearingen, speak-
ing on behalf of Mc-
Donough-based developer
Brian Wesley, said all 32
new homes in the subdivi-
sion will be at least 1,500
square feet of heated space
in size.
to repair
By Richard Dumas
brsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County commission-
ers hired Houston Asphalt for
$62,900 to repair the entrance
road of the new Five Below facil-
ity at the Rumble Road industrial
park.
County manager Jim Hedges
recommended on Tuesday,
March 5 that commissioners
approve the repairs on Logistics
Center Parkway as a short-term
fix since Five Below intends to
open next month. The funds for
the project, which was approved
by a 3-0 vote, will come out the
county road department's 2019
budget. Hedges said the long-
term solution is to replace the
asphalt with concrete but said
that could cost hundreds of
thousands of dollars.
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Commission-
ers re-appointed Dennis Benson
and Robert "Steve" Slocumb Jr.
to new three-year terms on the
Monroe County Board of As-
sessors on Tuesday, March 5.
According to a Feb. 20 e,mail
from county manager Jim
Hedges to commissioners,
the other Assessors' members
unanimously requested that
both Benson and Slocumb be
re-appointed.
Benson and Slocumb have
each served on the Board of As-
sessors for three years.
In other Board of Commis-
sioners' news:
Monroe County commis-
sioners re-appointed District 1
commissioner Larry Evans to
the Middle Georgia Consor-
tium Executive Committee/
Board of Directors.
With Evans and commission
chairman Greg Tapley each
absent from the Tuesday, March
5 meeting, District 3 commis-
sioner John Ambrose motioned
to appoint Tapley to replace
Evans on the board. After
Ambrose's motion failed to get a
second, District 2 commissioner
Eddie Rowland motioned to
re.appoint Evans, which passed
3-0.
on concession
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County commission-
ers tabled a decision on Tues-
day, March 5 on hiring a new
concession stand operator at
the Monroe County Recreation
Department.
Monroe County received two
bids, one from Cristi Landers
and the other from David Bailey
of Peachtree Sales & Market-
ing, Inc. Landers proposed the
county receive $300 per month in
concession rental fees while Bai-
ley proposed the county receive
$126 per month in concession
rental fees. According to county
manager Jim Hedges, Landers
proposed offering a larger variety
of food, drinks, candy and snacks
than Bailey at a lower retail price.
Therefore, Hedges recommended
commissioners contract with
Landers.
Landers' proposal was for a
one-year contract with the op-
tion to renew for two additional
one-year terms. Since commis-
sioners were unsure whether
Landers intended to maintain
her same retail prices and rental
fee payments over the length of
a three-year deal, commission-
ers approved 3-0 to table the
contract until county attorney
Ben Vaughn could draft a revised
version.
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By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County commissioners have begun the pro-
cess of dosing the railroad crossing on Hwy. 41 South
at Charlie Benson Road.
County manager Jim Hedges said Norfolk Southern
railroad has agreed to widen the railroad crossing on
Hwy. 41 South at Old Rumble Road, including the
installation of crossing arms, if the county doses the
Charlie Benson Road crossing.
,er commissioners approved the measure by a
vote on Tuesda March 5, the next step is for the
county to hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on April 2
about the proposed dosing before rendering a final
decision on the matter.
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County commissioners
hired Harbin Engineering to review
the permit for the county's Strickland
Loop landfill.
Commissioners approved by a 3-0
vote on Tuesday, March 5 to pay
Harbin Engineering up to $170,000
for work to fulfill a new requirement
by the Georgia Environmental Pro-
tection Division (EPD) that all solid
waste handling facilities undergo a
permit review every five years.
According to county manager
Jim Hedges, the county landfill was
granted its EPD permit on April 15,
1992, but that was the last time that
the facility's plans were approved.
Hedges said the deadline for filing the
permit review is Sept. 1, 2019. Harbin
Engineering president Steve Harbin
estimated the process will take 16
months to complete, including EPD's
review time.
Harbin and vice president Cur-
tis Reynolds represented Harbin
Engineering at the March 5 meeting.
Reynolds said future five-year plans
won't be nearly as costly as the initial
one. However, Harbin said he hopes
the initial permit review will cost
considerably less than the estimated
$170,000.
Harbin said, "It is a large investment
for the county, and we will honor that
investment by doing the very best
that we can and spending that money
as flit was our own"
In other Board of Commissioners'
news:
Monroe County commission-
ers spent $91,368 to buy a new front
end loader/backhoe for the county's
public works department.
At the recommendation of county
manager Jim Hedges, commissioners
approved by a 3-0 vote on Tuesday,
March 5 to buy a Caterpillar 416F2
HRC model from McDonough-based
Yancey Bros. Co. The front end loader
will be paid for using Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)
funds.
