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Bullock County commissioners approve abandonment of County Road 2085 after public hearing
Summary
Following a public hearing, the Bullock County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution to abandon County Road 2085 (referred to in the petition as Bertie Lane/Birdie Lane); staff and the petitioner will coordinate a 911 address change before the road is physically closed.
The Bullock County Board of Commissioners on a unanimous vote approved a resolution to abandon County Road number 2085, identified in the petition as Bertie Lane (also referenced in tax records as Birdie Lane).
The action followed a public hearing required under Georgia law and presentation by County Attorney Jeff Akins, who told the board a petition requesting abandonment was on file and that notices had been published in the Statesboro Herald on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 and mailed to property owners on the road. Akins said there are two property owners on the dead-end road and that the house at the end of the road also has frontage and access on W.H. Smith Road.
The petitioner, Joey Jones, who identified himself as the owner of Groover Mill Farms and the owner of the tract divided by the road, told the board the road is about 475 feet long and said he sought abandonment so he could stop trespassing and illegal dumping. Jones said he had spoken with the neighbor who uses the road for access and that the neighbor indicated he had no objection.
During discussion commissioners and staff flagged a practical safety step: that the road not be physically blocked until Bullock County 911 shows the residence on the alternate access road so emergency responders will not be routed to the closed roadway. County staff agreed to coordinate the address update; County Attorney Akins said the resolution as written referenced a portion of the road and would be corrected to say the entire road prior to final documentation.
A motion to adopt the resolution to certify abandonment of County Road 2085 passed on a unanimous vote.
The board directed that staff stay in touch with the petitioner and county 911 staff to ensure the address change is reflected before any physical closure or blocking of the roadway occurs. No specific timeline for physical closure was set during the meeting.
This item completes the statutory public-hearing step required before a county may remove a road from the county system; the legal standard Akins cited allows abandonment if the road "has ceased to be used by the public to the extent that no substantial public purpose is served by it, or its removal from the county road system is otherwise in the best public interest."
