Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Stephens County postpones permit-fee waiver for ASI Southeast expansion, approves driveway/address exception
Summary
Commissioners postponed a decision on waiving permit fees for ASI Southeast's planned $45 million expansion until the July 28 meeting to allow staff and the company to firm up cost estimates; the board approved a separate waiver allowing ASI to create a private driveway and use an address point.
The Stephens County Board of Commissioners on July 14 postponed a decision on a request from ASI Southeast to waive permit fees for a planned expansion and approved a waiver to allow the company to create a private driveway and an address point for its facility.
An ASI representative told the board the project is about a $45,000,000 investment in Stephens County and estimated the expansion would add five jobs. "We see this as a $45,000,000 investment in Stephens County and ASI Southeast," the representative said. The company also said it hopes to break ground within one to two months and to occupy the expanded facility next year.
County staff explained that permit fees cover multiple items, including the time required to review submitted documents and the cost of inspections. The county currently does not employ an in-house commercial inspector and reimburses third-party inspectors for commercial projects, which is why commissioners expressed concern about the county's potential out-of-pocket exposure if fees were waived.
Commissioner [identified by function in the transcript] moved that the board postpone a vote on the fee waiver until its next regular meeting to allow staff and ASI to provide a more detailed project cost estimate and a breakdown of inspection costs. The board agreed to postpone the matter to the meeting scheduled for the 28th.
Separately, staff requested — and the board approved — a waiver of certain private-driveway/address requirements under Stephens County Code of Ordinances (article 6, section 18-205) so ASI can create a private driveway and use an address point for the facility; staff reported no objection from a staff reviewer named Danielle.
The board also reviewed several invoices and quotes during the meeting, including JN Comfort Solutions ($21,561.74) for emergency HVAC repair, Acree Oil ($12,653.66) for fuel, Elite Glass ($30,738.93) for tempered glass work (under budget), and a quoted amount from Billy Kane Ford ($41,491) that was added to the invoices and quotes list earlier in the meeting.
Next steps: ASI and county staff will provide a refined project cost estimate and inspection-cost breakdown before the July 28 meeting. Planning/Inspections will process the private-driveway/address waiver and record it in the county files.
