Dawson County Public Works Director Robert Drury told the Board on July 3 that county staff is pursuing a right-of-way maintenance agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation to allow limited, nonroutine maintenance on state routes, including State Route 400.

Drury said the DOT agreement is a standard form the county attorney has reviewed and that it allows local governments to perform certain nonrecurring work on state routes under a liability-waiver arrangement the DOT provides. He said the agreement would not authorize routine maintenance but would allow county crews to respond when nonroutine needs arise.

Drury said the county does not currently have the labor capacity to perform extensive work on state routes but wants the agreement in place in case a future labor-services partnership or other opportunity makes it feasible. A commission member described visibility at the SR 400/453 intersection as a gateway for the community and expressed interest in more frequent mowing than the state's three annual cycles.

The board discussed the proposal and thanked Drury; no formal approval vote was recorded in the provided transcript.