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Business owner and city staff dispute permit for deer processing and taxidermy; staff to review zoning and attorney letter
Summary
A local resident seeking a business license for deer processing and taxidermy told council she was told previously she could operate; staff said zoning does not allow taxidermy and that the applicant must pursue rezoning or another permit pathway. Council and staff said they will review the application and consult the city attorney and DNR.
A Walnut Grove resident seeking authorization to run a deer-processing and taxidermy business told the council she believed a prior mayor had approved her license, but city staff said the current zoning does not allow taxidermy and that the previous licensing was incorrect.
The applicant, who identified herself in the meeting as Monia Mamou, said she invested roughly $100,000 in equipment and has repeatedly tried to renew or obtain a business license for deer processing and taxidermy. She told council she had state-level interactions and was told by some inspectors she was not regulated by the local office, and she asked the council for assistance.
City staff responded that the application on file lists taxidermy and deer processing and that the application was denied because the property is not zoned for that use. Staff said the city attorney previously wrote the applicant explaining options, including applying for rezoning or permitting through the appropriate commercial zoning process. Staff also said they had contacted the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in researching the matter.
The mayor and staff told the applicant the city would take another look at the application, review the attorney correspondence and the zoning status, and follow up with her. No formal license was granted at the meeting and no rezoning action was taken; staff said the applicant must pursue the rezoning or other formal route if she wants to locate the business on the property in question.
The exchange included repeated clarifications from staff that while the applicant may have received a license in the past, that prior approval was not consistent with zoning and was therefore not a lawful basis to continue the use without appropriate rezoning or permit approvals. The applicant said she would pursue follow-up with the office and the DNR and that she sought a solution that would allow her to operate legally.
