County Commissioner's Office

County Talk
By
Lamar Paris - Commissioner

The next two weeks will deal with community involvement in the Commissioner’s office.

Q.   What happened to all the committees you set up during the past few years? 
A.  Within the first two years of taking office, because we had very few ordinances in place to deal with all the problems we were facing with new growth, I solicited many volunteers for different projects and committees, which we still do today.  Fortunately, we were able to solve many of the initial problems a few years ago.   

Q. What were some of those committees you formed and what did they do?
A.  Below is a listing of those committees and a brief description of what they accomplished.

Animal Control Committee was made up of about 20 people.  It was formed as a result of a pit bull dog bite on a small child.  They came up with one of the most comprehensive rural animal control ordinances that exist.  Several counties have borrowed many of our ideas.  We have recently had some small amendments, but overall, the ordinance has been a complete success. Several dangerous animals have been either permanently caged or euthanized making our community much safer.

Cell Tower and Antennae Committee. This committee was composed of several engineers and designers who came up with an excellent ordinance that has remained intact since first being written. We have utilized it with many of the new cell towers. This ordinance has been responsible for towers blending in with the neighborhoods and the environment, without an outcry from the public as is happening in other counties.  Unfortunately, several towers were built in inappropriate places prior to my taking office and before this ordinance was in effect.  Cell towers now require a monopole construction with a height limitation of under 200’, which insures that they do not have lights on them.  This in turn prevents the entire valley from being filled with red blinking lights at night and strobe lights in the day.  You can tell the counties that do not have regulations because they are filled with tall lattice work towers that are lit constantly day and night.

Litter and Recycling Committee.  This was one of the few committees that were unable to come up with an ordinance, however their work started the process and we have been able to utilize some of those early ideas to piggy back on state law without requiring our own ordinance.  We are actively pursuing those who litter and have established a litter hotline phone number 706-439-6025.

Of course we now have an extremely active recycle committee that is providing recycling (every Wednesday) at most of the fire stations all over the county. With the help of a state grant and exceptional volunteers, this group continues to provide an excellent service to the citizens of Union County at a very minimal cost to the taxpayers.  If you are not currently recycling, please consider beginning. You can receive information on this program by calling Ashley at the Commissioner’s office (706-439-6000).

Billboard  Committee.  This committee came up with an excellent ordinance that has stood the test of time.  You may remember two huge 200' tall billboards that were the first thing you saw when entering Union County from Blue Ridge on Hwy 515.  Because of the ordinance and the cooperation of the company, these monsters were removed and the county permitted these billboards in more appropriate locations.  This ordinance maintains a balance of property rights while still allowing a sufficient amount of advertising to be available to the public.  When I took office in 2001, Union County was on track to be covered up with billboards without any regulations on the books.

RV Park Committee. This again was a large committee made up of around 15 people. Some favored RV Parks and some were against them. This committee was formed as a result of a new RV Park being developed in the middle of a residential subdivision.  The committee met for several months and ended up with a compromise ordinance that attempted to protect the property rights of those who owned land. It has slowed the development of these parks requiring any potential site for a new RV park to be located in such a manner that it minimizes the visual effect on the adjacent property owners.  Unfortunately, some parks were built or were in the permitting process prior to the ordinance being adopted.  This ordinance has worked well to achieve its purpose.

Road and Subdivision Committee
This committee worked hard to come up with some minimum guidelines for road construction.  While all of their recommendations were not adopted, we reinforced requirements for roads that were to become county roads.  Prior to this, many sub-par roads had been accepted by the county to maintain.  The cost to the taxpayers to bring them up to acceptable standards was becoming a burden to our taxpayers.  We therefore began requiring a minimum of 6” of compacted base gravel and 3 & ½ inches of asphalt paving with minimum road width of 19’.  This has made a huge impact on the quality of roads built for county acceptance.  We now also have instituted some minimum guidelines for private roads.

Comprehensive Planning Committee- This committee was made up of over 25 citizens who had one of the most difficult jobs. The state of Georgia requires that counties redo their long range plans every ten years.  This document is used as a guide to help plan for our future. This committee met more than any others and hammered out a basic land use guide for the county.  These guidelines they developed do not have the force of an ordinance or even a regulation, but are designed to give guidance to local governments. The Georgia Mountains Regional Development Council also provided expertise and guidance throughout the process.  This plan will need to be updated some time in the near future.

Q.  Did the county have any problems finding people to volunteer for these committees?
A. No. We never have a problem finding people to volunteer to help out.  We have utilized other volunteers that worked alone on different projects when a full committee was not necessary.  We have several people who have volunteered just in case we have another issue for which they are needed.  I have always said that this is the most caring community anywhere. I am very proud of the work and service these many people have provided for the citizens of Union County over the past seven years that I have been your commissioner. Allowing the citizens to have input into the workings of local government is what separates us from other governments.  While we have a Sole Commissioner form of government, this office always has and always will listen to what is important to our citizens and you will always have adequate input into what is done in our community - the best community and county in the State of Georgia.

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