Some residents of Brantley County may have noticed a new letter from the county government in their mail, specifically from Brantley County Code Enforcement.
The opening line might read, “This letter is written to you to notify you that you are in violation of the Brantley County Beautification Ordinance.”
The Beautification Ordinance was introduced in 2022, replacing the previous Brantley County Unsafe Buildings, Systems or Property Ordinance, and was further amended in 2023.
According to Brantley County Manager Joey Cason, trash-covered properties is an issue the commissioners have been concerned about for some time.
“I was not here when the original adoption was made,” he said. “I can tell you the commissioners are tired of seeing folks not take care of the property. It is an eyesore for the county and creates a bad look.”
However, the main concern, he said, was that of health and safety, as well as property values.
“You have the potential to have major rodent issues, which leads to other health concerns,” said Cason. “You not only devalue that property, but all of the surrounding properties.”
It’s not just rodents though. Cason also listed mosquito holding/breeding areas as concerns, as well as garbage serving as a fire hazard. Such trash serving as a hazard to EMS and law enforcement was also mentioned.
The ordinance specifically lists “properties, with overgrown vegetation, overgrown grass which exceeds two feet in height, accumulation of weeds, overgrown shrubbery which blocks the view of the roadway and street intersections/ corners or to permit the open accumulation of yard debris or overgrown vegetation”, as well as “any filth resulting in undesirable odors from, but not limited to, livestock/domestic animals, dead animals, open/damaged sewage piping, septic holding and transfer tanks, open containers which retain unusable liquids, stagnant water, or other unsanitary, unsafe or unfit conditions.”
For those only recently receiving a letter, Cason explained the history of county code enforcement.
“Based on my knowledge, the county has had a Code Enforcement staff person in the past, prior to my arrival in 2023,” he said. “Since my arrival, we had a code enforcement/building inspector that was in place about six months.”
Then, in 2024, the Board of Commissioners and the sheriff (Len Davis) reached an agreement — pay 50 percent of a deputy’s salary to provide for code enforcement. This has remained in effect for over a year. Cason stated the deputy addresses issues all over the county, not “one specific area”.
“When our current Code Enforcement Officer came on board, he and I took a trip around the county to review concerns,” Cason said. “During our travel, I told him I wanted him to utilize ‘Compassionate Justice’. This means we do our best to ask folks to just clean up the mess. He has done this consistently.”
But what about those who may not have the means or ability to clean their property? For those unable, Code Enforcement, along with Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Steve Beal, created “a group of local faith-based churches and organizations that are willing to help if folks can not physically clean up their land.”
Cason said Code Enforcement does respond to citizen complaints.
“I, the Commissioners, and other staff are watching for concerns on a regular basis,” he added.
For those looking to contact the County Commissioners about this, they can be reached at 912-462-5256.
