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Staff proposes code changes to curb illegal tire dumping; DeKalb committee defers action
Summary
Staff presented red-line edits to DeKalb County's scrap-tire ordinance that would align individual storage limits with state law (reduce 100 to 25 tires), shift enforcement to Code Compliance and clarify reporting and penalties; the committee deferred the item to November 18 so the law department can complete review and staff can provide further detail.
The committee considered a comprehensive policy paper and red-line code amendments aimed at reducing illegal tire dumping and strengthening enforcement. Staff said the matter affects all commission districts and presented a mix of local code changes and a request for state legislative support to expand local penalty authority.
Staff described the principal edits: reduce the personal storage limit for scrap tires from 100 to 25 (to align with state standard in Title 12, Chapter 8, Section 40.1 referenced in the presentation), adjust the business storage cap (currently 3,000 in county code), move reporting duties and quarterly transport-report submission to the director of code compliance and enforcement (from public works), and clarify penalties and enforcement pathways. Staff also proposed language explicitly allowing state or federal agencies to file separate or concurrent charges in cases that meet higher thresholds.
Staff noted legal constraints: local ordinance violations are generally misdemeanors with a local maximum penalty of $1,000 and up to six months in custody under state law referenced in the presentation (Title 15 cited in the discussion). The staff presentation recommended pursuing state legislation to increase local penalty authority for large or commercial dumping and to create a formal pathway for state prosecution of significant cases.
Commissioners and staff discussed practical next steps: expand code-compliance capacity, enforce existing manifest and transport-reporting rules for scrap-tire generators, consider business-license reviews and coordinate with regional partners, and present a refined set of red-line amendments and law-department opinions at the November 18 meeting. The committee voted to defer the item to allow law department review and departmental input.
