The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a renegotiated contract with the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter at Monday’s meeting that included an increase in funding and a new plan for accepting animals.
The county agreed to increase the rate from $3.25 to $3.97 per county resident, which is the same rate as Madison County. Commission Chair Jay Paul said Oglethorpe County will pay $58,855.25 yearly, an increase from the current $43,563 for residents to use the shelter’s services. The amount will be based on the county’s population in the 2020 U.S. Census.
New language in the agreement will also allow county officials to bring what Paul referred to as “homeless” animals to be housed at the shelter for three days maximum, with a $40 fee per day.
This has been a particularly hot topic for Paul and other officials.
“We’re just not in the business of going around catching dogs, but in that event, the rare event we have a homeless animal, that we can help take care of it,” Paul said.
The agreement doesn’t apply to dangerous animals, only stray or homeless animals.
“We’re just simply saying if we got a homeless animal, we’re going to try to make things better for it, if we elect to pick it up,” Paul added.
Paul, county attorney Chip Ferguson and new MOAS executive director Will Stevenson were among a group that met Nov. 22 and Nov. 25 to discuss changing the terms of the existing agreement.
Ferguson advised the BOC he felt comfortable with the new deal legally, and it doesn’t affect Madison County’s arrangement with MOAS, Ferguson said during the meeting.
Rec department promotion
The board unanimously approved giving rec department employee Daniel Eubanks the title of athletic director and giving him a $7,000 raise due to growing enrollment in its programs.
The money will come from the county’s general fund.
White said the number of youth involved in sports in the county has grown from 500 to 1,200 kids during his time there.
“The number of kids have tripled, and the number of sports have doubled,” rec department director Michael White said.
White said he doesn’t have plans to leave the rec department, but he’s preparing Eubanks “to be director of the park.”
Road updates
The Commissioners unanimously approved a letter of support for the Georgia Department of Transportation to build the county’s first roundabout at the intersection of Highway 22/Comer Road at Collier Church Road/Watson Mill Road.
Currently, only traffic on Collier Church Road/Watson Mill Road must stop at the intersection, which several commissioners said is dangerous.
The state will pay for the construction, with the county paying for the landscaping and electricity for the lights.
Two four-way stops in Hawks Landing were unanimously approved, at the request of the Hawks Landing Homeowners Association.
Those will be at the intersection of Coiles Grove Road and Blackthorn Road/Blackthorn Lane and at the intersection of Blackthorn Road and Gwens Xing/River Estate Drive.
Last month, the BOC approved a four-way stop at Sandy Cross Road and Lexington-Carlton Road. Those signs have been installed and that four-way stop is operational, public works director Adam Nation said.
Public comments
Comments were also made by Randy Gordon and Brad Johns, who voiced their concerns about the condition of Almond Drive near its intersection with Watson Mill Road again.
They also attended the August meeting after the U.S. Postal Service cut off mail delivery to the dirt road because of what it considered unsafe conditions.
“I built this road 50 years ago, and it's been eroding for 50 years,” Johns said.
Johns brought a homemade map and photos of the road.
“People are even going against the traffic to get the mail in that curve,” Johns said.
Paul said he had met with Gordon to discuss the issue and that the crew would do “the best that they can what they have right now.”
Stackhouse denial
Jeff Crump’s updated site plan for a stackhouse, used for composting poultry, was unanimously denied after public comments and recommendation for denial by the zoning board.
“They want us to get away from getting these pits and throwing these chickens in the ground, because anybody’s ever done that knows you ruin that ground forever when you do it,” Crump said.
Crum said he had room on his land to build the stackhouse at the required 200 feet setback from the property line, as required by code.
“There is run-off that comes onto my property every time it rains,” neighbor Karen Ogle said. “I don’t want it there. I have children. I have four grandchildren. That property is for them to inherit.”
In other business, the BOC:
- Approved David Busbee’s request to rezone land from general agriculture to agriculture residential per recommendation of the zoning board.
- Also approved Busbee’s request of variance to the maximum number of lots accessed by private drive to subdivide for his family per recommendation of the zoning board. The approval was made with the condition that the county has “no responsibility” for the maintenance of the road.
- Approved Lawrence Miller's request to rezone land from general agriculture to single family residential per recommendation of the zoning board.
- Approved Travis Legg’s request to rezone land from intensive agriculture to single family residential per recommendation of the zoning board.
- Also approved Legg’s request for a variance to the minimum acreage for an intensive agriculture zoned parcel in order to subdivide per recommendation of the zoning board.
- Approved the reappointment of Carla Houston to the Board of Elections for another four-year term.