Chief code enforcement officer John Bradley told the Long County Commission that the county should assume maintenance of several roads.
“I see no way we cannot accept these roads, once they make some repairs,” Bradley said at a commission meeting last week.
The roads are Johnson Street, Laurel Way, Jackson Avenue, Miller Street, Madison Avenue, Franklin Road, Norton Street and Highland Road, as well as a portion of Coleman Pass in Crawford Subdivision.
Bradley said the roads have been maintained by developer Bill Nutting. But, Bradley said, county codes make the county, not Nutting, responsible for the roads.
Bradley said the county also should assume care of Murray Crossing Boulevard, Marion Court, Francis Marion Court, Ledford Circle and Archie Way. These roads are in Murray Crossing Subdivision and have also been maintained by Nutting. Bradley said there are asphalt cracks at three intersections, but Nutting said he would repair the cracks when he paves the last phase of the subdivision.
Commissioner Gerald Blocker asked whether the roads were up to state specifications. Bradley said they are not, but that the county ordinance does not require state standards.
Commissioner Kent Hall said some of the roads are not paved, and Bradley said paved roads are not required if the development is for 5-acre or larger lots. Hall said it should be required.
Commissioner Dwight Gordon asked who inspected the developer’s plans to insure they met guidelines. Bradley said an engineer hired by the developer is supposed to assure they are correct. Commission Chairman Robert Long said current ordinances need to be updated.
Tax Commissioner Becky Fowler also went before the commissioners, reporting the state auditor told her she has a 94 percent tax collection rate, which it considered “excellent.” Fowler also told commissioners she did not need $1,500 that had been budgeted for a new computer in her office. She asked if she could use the money for $250 bonuses to her employees and for a Christmas party.
Fowler cited several state laws that allow constitutional officers to divert funds at their discretion. Long said if she has authority to divert funds, he had no problem with it. Hall disagreed, saying the $1,500 was a line item for a computer and could be used only for that.
After discussion, Long told Fowler the commission would research the matter.
Fowler also told the commission she would no longer place the sanitation fee on tax bills, because it was not a tax. She said there had been a lot of confusion over polycarts and who was being billed.
Blocker reported that the county firefighters had been working on a residence on Highway 57 to get it ready for training, including search and rescue training that used a smoke machine.
He also reported that the Long County Protective Services Auxiliary donated $1,000 to the fire department to assist with Insurance Services Office testing of the fire trucks.