Dalton-area resident raises concerns about proposed chicken houses on Mount Byron Road; county staff point to building inspector and state agencies

A Dalton-area resident told the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners he is concerned that a neighboring property at 1185 Mount Byron Road is being prepared for chicken houses and that the parcelmay not meet setback or acreage requirements. Ken Hilton (3107 Hilton Road) spoke during the public-comment period and said his property was rezoned to agricultural last year and he had been told at the time that poultry or hog houses would not be permitted on his parcel. He said the neighboring property later was rezoned and that he cannot find an up-to-date legal description or recorded survey for the parcel; using county GIS, he said he could only locate about 24 acres rather than the 35 acres shown in courthouse records. Hilton asked who would verify setbacks and minimum-acreage requirements; county officials told him the building inspector and code-enforcement staff would handle permit and setback verification, and that state agencies (the Georgia Environmental Protection Division was named) handle state-level regulation for poultry operations. The county also noted federal conservation-easement questions would require further research or legal review. Commissioners and staff identified Kent Benson as the countybuilding inspector and invited the resident to follow up with building-inspection and code-enforcement staff to review legal descriptions, survey plats and permit records. No formal action was taken during the meeting; commissioners said staff would continue to assist Hilton in locating records and answering procedural questions.