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Photo by Ferdinand Asakome
Following a lengthy and heated discussion during Monday night’s meeting, the Hart County Board of Commissioners (BOC) voted 3-1 to approve parameters for a “grandfathering stipulation” for an ordinance that will allow the construction of duplexes in Hart County.
The ordinance was officially approved following a third and final reading by the board July 25.
Commissioner Joey Dorsey voted in opposition of the stipulation while Commissioner Frankie Teasley abstained.
Teasley said he abstained as he is “related to one of the part[ies]” who would be “involved” as part of the stipulation.
The “grandfathering” stipulation will allow people who have previously applied and been denied permits to apply for a building permit if they can provide documentation of their due diligence.
Applicants have 60 days to pull a permit and that 60 day window began Aug. 8.
“For those who have applied or been denied a permit for building duplexes in the last years that we’ve had the moratorium on, this would allow them to go ahead,” Chairman Marshall Sayer said. “If they’ve already got documentation that proves that they’ve been working on duplexes during this time, this will allow them to go ahead and build their duplexes. It’s the same documentation that we used on grandfathering the subdivision ordinance when we grandfathered those in, people who had already been working on a subdivision then we grandfathered those in.”
The July 25-approved ordinance was the first step toward approving duplex developments that has been part of a moratorium for the past two years.
The commissioners originally voted to enact the moratorium, which halted all residential development outside of site-specific, stick-built single family residential homes, mobile homes or modular homes, on July 27, 2021 in order to modify its ordinances regarding subdivisions and multi-family residential developments.
The moratorium was originally proposed to last 180 days, however was extended for an additional 120 days on Dec. 14, 2021, then extended until the end of 2022 on June 28, 2022 before being extended again on Dec. 13 for an additional six months.
The moratorium was amended and re-amended for six months on Feb. 22, 2022 and was then extended for an additional 180 days during the board’s June meeting.
County Manager Terrell Partain said Wednesday that the duplex ordinance did not list an “effective date,” which usually means the ordinance goes into affect the day it was approved.
Partain also said he is “waiting until the next meeting to get clarification” on whether the moratorium for duplexes was actually lifted. Partain said the board may decide to officially vote to life the moratorium before approving any duplex permits.
Partain said Wednesday that he hopes the first reading of a subdivision ordinance will be held during the Aug. 22 meeting.
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In other business:
Chief Appraiser Shane Hix presented the Tax Assessors’ quarterly report wherein he reported 311 property tax appeals, 192 which are currently active and 119 are either resolved or pending.
The BOC approved a request from Frankie Gray, Clerk of Superior Court, to fund refurbishments in the county facility to be installed in 2023 and 2024.
Terrell Partain, the County Administrator, presented the July 23 financial report which reflected that actual revenues were up 16 percent and expenditures were under budget by four percent.
The BOC voted unanimously to approved the purchase of budgeted State Contract vehicles.
The BOC approved a No Thru Trucks ordinance that would prohibit trucks traversing on Joe Finlay Rd.
The BOC approved an application for a Beer and Wine License, Class A, for applicants Tommy and Tamela Tilley for Lakeside Pit Viper BBQ at 33 Ack Powell Road.
The BOC opened bids for Inmate Health Services for the Hart County Jail, which is currently under construction.
The BOC gave consideration for a land division request which would result in four parcels. Following some deliberation and some study of Parcel C81A 033, the BOD moved to deny and asked that more information be provided.
The BOC approved a credit request made by Jordan Thomas, Chief Magistrate, to provide a pay grade increase for Deputy Clerk, Susan Williford.