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Pickens County adopts ordinance to create capital improvement special districts for private-road communities
Summary
The Pickens County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance establishing a process for property-owner petitions to form Capital Improvement Special Districts (CISD) — a tool to fund publicly owned capital repairs (10-year project life) via assessments on affected properties, with an 80% petition threshold.
Pickens County commissioners on Monday approved an ordinance establishing Capital Improvement Special Districts, a new mechanism that allows groups of affected property owners to petition the board to create a district that can fund qualified public capital improvements through assessments or special fees on those property owners.
County staff described the ordinance as aimed primarily at private-road subdivisions and other communities that lack established homeowner association funds to bring roads and drainage up to county standards. The ordinance, modeled in part on a neighboring county’s draft, sets an 80% petition threshold for affected property owners, establishes a 10-year maximum project life, and requires qualified improvements to be publicly owned prior to expenditure. Staff said qualified projects could include road paving, ditch and drainage work but generally would not include sewer projects as a routine qualified item.
Charles Reese, the county presenter for the rezoning and planning items, told commissioners staff found the proposed language met criteria for use in rural areas and recommended adoption. Reese said the ordinance would be administered by Public Works with assistance from the director of administration and that earlier project timing can reduce price escalation.
During public comment, Scott, a resident of the Eagle’s Nest neighborhood, urged commissioners to ensure petition terms would not impose unmanageable per-household costs on long-time residents and described private roads that are “one way in, one way out” and have deteriorated for decades. Scott said many residents are elderly and lack resources to carry the full cost of repairs and asked the board to consider flexibility in payment timelines.
Commissioners discussed scope and timing during presentations and said staff will follow up with neighborhoods that inquire. After debate and without recorded roll-call tallies, the board moved, seconded and approved the ordinance by voice vote.
Next steps include staff outreach to communities that have requested help and formal procedures for petitioning the county; staff said they will provide guidance on how to prepare a petition and the public-notice requirements that must be met before any district can be formed.
