Officials want to stiffen Elbert County’s rubbish ordinance — but some residents claimed Wednesday that the county is just looking to raise money and that it should just enforce what it has on the books now.
The county can fine a property owner up to $600 if cited for violating the current ordinance. The
would penalize owners substantially more and establish deadlines for cleaning up property.
Under the proposal, property owners would have seven days to clean up a site, unless the owner requests a hearing on the matter. If the property is not cleaned up after a week, the owner could be fined $100 on the eighth day, $200 on the subsequent day, $400 for the day after that and $600 daily thereafter.
Elbert could elect to clean up the property and charge the owner for the costs plus 5 percent for the inspection and other expenses.
The Sheriff’s Office would oversee the process with a code-enforcement officer instead of it being handled by the county attorney, as it is now.
At a meeting of the county commissioners Wednesday, some residents were not pleased with the proposal.
“The new ordinance is a very short fuse and very concerning to me,” resident Barb Fogel said.
Compounding the issue is that the county’s , the result of safety concerns.
County spokesman Cory Stark said the county now has to incur all the costs for those who walk away from trash situations or bear the brunt of cleanup costs when they exceed the current $600 cap on fines.
“The county had to do something to seek restitution,” Stark said.
Commissioner Del Schwab said the proposal is not about making money but about ensuring that properties are properly maintained.
“One of the things the county has lacked for years is enforcement,” Schwab said. “Other (counties) have uniformed officers that enforce the law. We’re not doing anything different than any other county.”
Douglas County charges $100 for a first violation, then $200 a day after that, and officials can take a case to the commissioners to seek a permanent resolution. “We rarely get to that point,” county spokeswoman Wendy Holmes said. She said 98 percent of owners comply without being fined.
“We reach a solution we need to have without fines,” she said.
