The Newton County Board of Commissioners discussed several topics at last weekend's county retreat. Below are some briefs from the meeting:
Alcohol distance dispute settled
County commissioners finally reached a consensus in their distance dispute on alcohol sales. The county's proposed ordinance, which would go into effect if alcohol-by-the-drink sales are approved by voters in November, will be based on state guidelines. Alcohol-selling establishments must be at least 300 feet from churches, schools and public libraries, measured from front door to front door. The Salem Road corridor is one area where sales would be allowed.
An order of eggs, but hold the hassle
The urban farming movement is growing because people want fresh, inexpensive food they know is safe to eat. The county has vague standards about where and how many animals can be kept and even whether farmer's markets are allowed. Residents don't want to be bothered by roosters crowing or foul odors, but local food production is important.
No new residential daycares
In 2008, the county outlawed new daycares, for either adults or children, from being located in residential areas. While some residents are asking to start up new businesses, the board didn't seem inclined to make a change because of concerns about traffic, noise and unsupervised children. However, people who watch only one or two children for pay aren't regulated.
We won't pay for these...
The county has its fair share of empty subdivisions, where the road network is in place but no houses were ever built. Because developers went bankrupt, the roads were never finished to grade and will likely cost a lot of money to bring up to grade if development does come back. In order to avoid being on the hook, the county is considering abandoning the roads now as they serve no public use. At least nine subdivisions could be included.
...But we need to pay for these
Newton County has around $2 billion worth of roads, bridges and other road infrastructure, according to a preliminary evaluation. Those nearly 1,000 miles of road require a lot of maintenance and repair and many of them are in bad shape. Chairman Kathy Morgan said it would take $30 million to simply bring all the bad roads to fair condition. Morgan has suggested the county budget at least $3.78 million for road projects next year.
Sales tax numbers are good, to get better
Even before the new Walmart opened in March, the county has seen improved shopping numbers, including an impressive December where SPLOST collections passed $1 million for the first time ever. SPLOST collections have already totaled $7.05 million as of February, surpassing expectations by $654,939. The county will closely watch collections now that Walmart has opened on the western side and Dollar General opened in Newborn, as both stores could draw from surrounding counties. If SPLOST collections stay high, projects could be completed ahead of schedule.
