The problem was broached during Monday’s monthly Cedartown City Commission meeting. Commissioner Scotty Tillery brought the issue to the forefront, stating that he has received a number of complaints about the problem from Cedartown residents.
"Grass season is upon us,” Tillery said. “What we’re running into are bank-owned and investment properties.”
Joseph Martin, Cedartown’s code enforcement officer, said he identified 25 problem properties last week just by driving around the community. Only two of those houses had residents. The rest were vacant.
“When there’s nobody there that I can deal with face to face, it takes a lot longer,” Martin said. “I have to go to the courthouse, look through the books and try to identify the owner.”
In addition to the high grass, there are also a few houses with smashed windows and open doors, owned by individuals who live elsewhere.
Martin said in the case of houses owned by banks, he has gone to the banks only to be redirected back to a property manager or the tenant to correct the problem. That then puts him in the role of having to do, at taxpayers’ expense, what the banks should be doing themselves, Martin said – making sure that their properties are being looked after.
After some discussion, commissioners reaffirmed that the city’s policy is that the property owner – not a manager or tenant – is ultimately responsible for maintaining a piece of property. Martin received the commission’s backing to take all property nuisance complaints straight to the property owner.
In further discussion, Tillery asked for clarification about “what rights we have as a city” to abate nuisance properties. Martin outlined the process.
First, the city issues a notice that the problem needs to be corrected. After two weeks that will be followed with a citation and fine. After two weeks, if the citation has been ignored (problem still not corrected, fine not paid) it moves to the courts. Typically, the court will give the property owner 30 days to abate the nuisance.
“At that point you’re going two months without the grass being mowed,” Tillery noted.
Unfortunately, city attorney Rob Monroe said, there is no quicker process for the city to correct nuisance properties. Until a court gives its authority, city crews cannot enter a property to cut grass or correct other problems.
The city commission also heard from several delegations.
Dock Elliott Gammage requested the use of Peek Park for a youth-themed event that is still being organized. He said a group of local men got together and decided to put on a safe, fun activity for children, especially teen-ager, this summer. The group was granted the use of the park in June, July and August, on the first Thursday of each month, for 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Bishop Joseph Sewell asked for the Cedartown Police Department’s assistance with a Prayer Walk, planned for May 16. Church members will stop at churches and pray on the way to the county couthouse, and the police department is needed for traffic control.
Mike Dingler, general manager of Waste Industries, was joined by Don Collins, the trash collection company’s government contract manager, to discuss recycling efforts. The company is making available a program, completely voluntary, by which industries and larger businesses can recycle plastic, aluminum and paper.
Collins said the program uses a “co-mingled” recyclable material collection bin. A business that currently uses a large “eight-yard” collection bin might choose to instead switch to a cheaper “four-yard” bin and a free recyclable materials bin.
“It’s free with the stipulation that we can only serve it one day a week,” Collins explained. “If they want to get a recyclables container and take six weeks to fill it before we dump it, we’re fine with that.”
Collins said the program is really geared toward larger industries and institutions, such as a school, nursing home or industry.
In other business Monday, the commission:
Approved the renovation of the playground area at Peek Park at an estimated cost of $6,800 for materials and labor;
Approved seeking bids from road construction companies to repave Burkhalter Road. County road crews are not expected to be available until July at the earliest and the road is in very bad shape, City Manager Charles Akridge said.
“The county has 19 other road priority projects ahead of it,” Akridge also noted.
Approved the request from University of Georgia Extension Service Agent Ricky Ensley to hold a twice-weekly farmer’s market at Peek Park. The market opens June 25 and will be held from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday.
Approved an agreement with the Georgia Rural Water Association for the use of a television camera system to check the integrity of city sewer lines. The system has a 360-degree camera that is inserted into the lines through a manhole. As the camera runs through the lines, city employees and the equipment handler can view problems, such as cracks, breaks and disconnected sections of pipe, over a video monitor. Approved was a survey of 3,000 linear feet of pipe, at a cost not to exceed $7,000.
On a related note, commissioners got an update from Akridge and city employees about efforts to repair sewer system complaints from residents on Girard Avenue. Resident Lynn Ingram had complained last month of raw sewage backing up into her yard.
City crews made some repairs to manholes along the line and also identified other areas for future repairs and maintenance. Asked whether she was satisfied with the work so far, Ingram responded, “As long as my yard is not standing in raw sewage, I’m happy.”
I live in the Goodyear Village and I saw the City operate a TV camera and Recorder in the sewer pipes.
This is really bad governing!!!!!They already know the line on Girad is too small. Why are they spending resources on this at all. The fix is costly. But they have the same equipment. The 360 degree argument is silly-- I saw the way the city's camera worked. People, especially employees should look into this dreadful use of money.