Residents complain of suspected junkyard and blight in Glencoe; county says new code-enforcement officer is in training

Residents at the Aug. 8 Gallatin County fiscal court meeting raised concerns about property conditions and a newly placed driveway at the intersection of Highways 16 and 127 in Glencoe, saying the site appears to be operating as a junkyard and that neighbors were not notified.

One resident asked whether the fiscal court could stop work on the driveway; the court’s chair responded that the parcel likely lies within Glencoe city limits and that Planning and Zoning and the Glencoe City Council have authority over building and zoning approvals. The chair said the county would check whether a state encroachment permit was filed for access to the highway and would follow up with the resident.

Several residents lamented the lack of recent code enforcement, citing unmaintained properties and a vacancy in the county’s code-enforcement office. Manager Moore told the meeting a code enforcement officer resigned earlier in the year and that the county has hired one person who is currently in training. "We'll have a meeting with the new code enforcement officer, and he’ll be putting feet on the street," Moore said.

Officials also noted potential jurisdictional limits for actions on waterways and dams, pointing to oversight by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and state agencies for stream and encroachment matters.

The court said it would investigate permit records and encroachment filings and promised to keep concerned residents informed.