County Commissioner's Office

County Talk
By
Lamar Paris - Commissioner 

Q.  We did not know about the senior tax exemption until the deadline had passed.  Is there anything we can do about that?
A.  Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done this year. This was a tax exemption that was passed for the Georgia Legislature last year to exempt seniors with homestead exemption from having to pay the portion of the State property tax.  While this amount of savings would typically be only $10 to $15, it is still a discount that should be available to everyone.  The state has informed us that there is no way to extend the deadline for signing up for this exemption this year and any other counties that have done this have done it in error.  The state did suggest that anyone who did not sign up in time should go ahead and sign up with the Tax Assessor’s office now for next year.

Q. This question is in response to a reply I made in the 3-14-07 issue of the North Georgia News.   "Why would you tell anyone to call 911 if they saw someone throwing out litter, etc.?   I have always been told that 911 was a number to call for an emergency.  I have been very ill and still have a long way to go to recover. What if my husband dialed 911 to get an ambulance to our home in an emergency, and the line was busy because of someone calling about some trash being thrown out.  Shouldn't the 911 number be used only for emergencies?"
A.  You are exactly correct, 911 is only for emergencies and normally this would not be an appropriate use of the system.  However, if we are to ever catch and prosecute anyone littering, it has to be done immediately after the act.  We feel it is an important enough problem that the system can in fact be used for this purpose in the short run.  The 911 center has assured me that a call like this will not interfere with other emergency calls, even if you or your husband called requiring an ambulance. Our system is capable of handling many calls at the same time.  Litter calls are extremely rare and it is hard to actually catch someone littering, which is why so many people get away with it.

Q. When we call 911 to report litter, how can we do it quickly?
A. Simply say you just spotted someone littering near 1000 Helton Creek Rd , the tag number is MJB821 and it is a late model red pickup. This should take less than 30 seconds.

Q. Does the county have other plans to combat litter?
A.  Absolutely! 
We will have a “Litter Hotline” number that will be in place very soon so you will be able to call this number when you see someone littering.  It will be a number with voice mail so that if you do not have a cell phone or don’t want to make a call at the time, you can simply wait till you get home.  Then call the number, you can leave a call back number or be anonymous if you like.  We will then need all the information you have on the person that has littered.

Q.  What type of enforcement are you able to do?
A.  We got a call this week with a tag number, location and even the description that it was a styrfoam cup that was thrown out.  We have prepared a letter that is being sent to the address of the tag number we received.  The letter tells the person that they were spotted throwing litter on the roadway and that the letter will be kept on file for two years.  If the county receives another call and the same tag number within that two year period, the case will immediately be investigated and prosecuted if necessary.

However, if as a result of finding someone immediately through 911, the people could be arrested, then the maximum fine of $1,000 would be available to the Sheriff’s Dept.

Q. A gentleman just told me today a good idea that he had and would I print it?
A.  To help keep litter picked up, simply do what he and his family does.  If everyone would simply keep the litter picked up off the portion of the road that fronts on their property, most of the litter would get picked up.  He even made an interesting point. If you have enough money and own a large tract of land with lots of road frontage, then maybe you can afford to pay someone to pick it up for you if you don’t have time yourself.

Q.  Do we have a committee to work with the litter problems?
A.  We are in the process of setting up one.  We are going to invite those who currently have “adopted a highway” in their area to sit on the committee and will also invite any of the commercial haulers to be involved.  

Q. Is the State of Georgia involved?
A.  Yes they are.  The Governor has launched a statewide campaign called  LITTER, IT COSTS YOU.  Because the taxpayers ultimately pay the cost of pickup.  For more information on this program, you can go to their web site,
www.litteritcostsyou.org. We currently have a display in the courthouse near the Tax Assessor’s office in the lobby.  There are some brochures, even one for those wanting junk autos picked up.

Q.  Where do you think most litter comes from?
A.  We still occasionally hear of a commercial hauler not having their load tarped, but that is pretty rare.   Pickup trucks seem to be the worst problem.  While many people have a good idea by picking up litter around a work site, they often out of habit, simply throw it in the back of a pickup.  Once they start down the road, it magically disappears.  We don’t think it is intentional, but we want to encourage everyone with a pickup to not use the bed for holding trash unless it is in a secure bag.  The simplest way is to always have a small garbage bag in your vehicle.

You will hear more about litter over the coming months.

 

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