Lee Commission rejects road proposal

LEESBURG, Ga. — Although his motion died for lack of a second, Lee County Commissioner Dennis Roland still managed Tuesday to register a complaint about expected plans to use special-purpose local-option sales tax money to fund a conference center as part of a library complex.

After Public Works Director Mike Sistrunk reported to the commission cost options for improvements on Old Leslie Road in response to requests from citizens who live on the road, Roland recommended borrowing enough money to meet one of the options.

“If y’all are going to borrow $1.5 million to build a conference center, I make a motion that you add option 2 to the loan and pay for the repairs out of the next SPLOST,” Roland said.

“Option 2” mentioned by Sistrunk calls for $111,300 to provide crushed granite on part of the road.

“Are you saying that that’s the next road to fix?” Commissioner Rick Muggridge asked Roland. “Are you saying that this is the next road we should look at?”

Roland suggested the commission “start somewhere” by financing work on the road, but none of the other commissioners seconded his motion.

Roland went 0-for-2 moments later when he offered a motion to allow homeowners Michael and Sandra Yerby a variance that would allow them to build a brick column within the 10-foot setback required between their property and that of the adjacent homeowner. That motion also got no second.

The Yerbys brought a letter from their next-door Winnstead Drive neighbor saying he had no problem with the plan, which was caused by an architectural oversight, and the county Planning Commission recommended allowing the variance so long as the new construction met existing architectural standards.

But the commission voted not to allow the variance.

“I know you’re a good guy, and you have a beautiful piece of property,” Muggridge said to Michael Yerby. “And while I’m not speaking for the board, I think it’s imperative that we draw a line somewhere. I don’t think we should set a precedence.”

Roland asked County Attorney Jimmy Skipper if others could argue “you allowed them a variance, so we should get one, too” if the commission agreed to the Yerbys’ request, but Skipper said that would not be a viable complaint.

“People can argue that,” he said, “but you are not bound by that argument. A variance is just that; each case is unique.”

In other action at the meeting, which is the only one scheduled by the commission in November, the board heard a report on Capital Improvement Element impact fees from Bill Ross of Atlanta-based Ross and Associates, held a public hearing to discuss impact fees and then voted to approve a resolution that will send the approved CIE reports to the state.

The commission also voted to accept a matching Georgia Emergency Management Agency emergency management performance grant of $20,000. The 50-50 matching grant was approved by the board for use to upgrade the county’s emergency operations center.

Commissioners also approved the purchase of a pickup truck for animal control usage after one of the facility’s vehicles was deemed unsafe.

“That truck has 370,000 miles on it, and it just didn’t make sense to put more money into trying to repair it,” Sistrunk said.

The commission voted to approve the purchase of a used vehicle for $13,750 from Ford Town of Albany after two bids for a new truck came in too high. The truck will be purchased using contingency funds.