County Commissioner's Office

County Talk
By
Lamar Paris - Commissioner

Q.  When are our new addresses going to be ready?
A.  The county has our part ready now, but unfortunately, we have had a problem with the post office.  Union County has completed our readdressing and turned the data disc over to the post office several weeks ago.  We were told several months ago at a preliminary meeting with the US Post Office that they should have all addresses ready to change within two months after receiving our data.  Apparently, the official making that commitment misunderstood the process.  They are now telling us it could take as long as six months.  We have another meeting with them in two weeks and hopefully we will have an update to pass along.

Q.  Is the county changing our street names as well as our number?
A. The vast majority of changes will be only the house number; however, there will also be several road name changes.  Most of the changes will be where a road changes names right in the middle.  This often happened when a road was first built and named but then later a new development might be added at the end of the road and the name changed.  However, in reality, it is the same road.  While this may upset some, it is necessary to correct addressing problems that will simplify the entire process for years to come.

Q. We have heard that the county will have standardized address signs for everyone in the county. Is this true and who will pay for them?
A.  Yes, everyone will have the same signs.  They are attractive green fiberglass posts with white numbers that are highly reflective at night.  County employees will be installing the signs over the next several months and the county will be furnishing the signs at no cost to the property owners.  This is a very ambitious project that will enhance safety for all of our citizens.

Q. Why do some property owners have to pay the county to have their own roads paved. I thought that was what we paid property tax for?
A. There are some private roads in the county where the residents have asked to have the county take over maintenance. If the roads otherwise comply with right-of-way requirements and the road bed is adequate, the road must also first be paved.  In certain cases where either the people had a developer who left them in a fix or other unforeseen problems, we have given the property owners the option of paying the county cost of paving the road.  If it is already a county gravel road and owners or developers want it paved, then sometimes the county will pay 1/3 of the cost and the property owners pay 2/3 the cost of paving plus any right of way or grading costs.  This benefits the tax payers in that we are able to pave more miles of road at minimum cost.  If the county had to assume maintenance of all roads in the county, your property taxes would probably take a drastic increase.

 

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