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Resident questions driveway citations; county says warnings are a courtesy as crews prioritize storm damage
Summary
A resident speaking for a neighbor questioned why code-enforcement warnings were issued during a rainstorm and why county road repairs took several days; county officials said warnings are the formal system and crews prioritize repairs with limited equipment.
JD Abercrombie, speaking on behalf of neighbor Teresa Parrish at the Oct. 1 Cusseta‑Chattahoochee County commission meeting, challenged the timing and enforcement of a code‑enforcement warning for dirt washing onto Massey Road and asked why repairs requested in a work order took about ten days to be addressed.
Abercrombie said the citation — issued Sept. 13 — gave seven days to correct the problem and was delivered the same day the area received two to three inches of rain. He said volunteers cleared sand from the driveway and asked how many other driveways received warnings that day and why the county’s response lagged despite a work order filed Sept. 20 for Patterson Road ditches and pipe clearing.
County Manager Thomas Weaver responded that roughly ten driveways received warnings that day, some on Highway 137 as well as Massey Road, and that warnings are part of the county’s formal system designed to notify property owners about hazards that appear or worsen in storms. Weaver said staff prioritize work with the resources available and that crews often make roads passable first and return later to finish repairs.
"A warning is a courtesy and we do not have to give them," Chairman Charles Coffey told the room, describing the notices as a formal means to inform residents while noting limited county resources. Commissioner Jason Frost added that the county’s motor grader had been out for repairs, limiting immediate road‑work capacity.
The exchange centered on two practical questions: whether enforcement was applied consistently during the storm and how quickly the county should respond to work orders filed by residents. Abercrombie framed the issue as one of equal treatment and prompt maintenance; county officials framed it as constrained by equipment availability and a need to prioritize safety and passability.
The commission did not take formal action on the enforcement policy at the meeting. Commissioners said the county will continue using warnings as part of its formal system and will address road repairs as crews and equipment permit. The meeting record does not indicate any change to code‑enforcement procedures or a timeline for revising the warning/ citation process.
