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Eatonton Messenger/File Graphic
The Putnam County Board of Commissioners last week cut off applications for new short-term rental permits with a 91-day moratorium and suggested more applications might be needed for serving on Putnam General Hospital’s board of directors.
What was new came in the announcement of a commissioners’ work session from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 8, that visitors will be allowed to attend but not to speak.
The commissioners will make no final decisions but will discuss issues raised in written statements and from two previous public meetings. Any actions will come after an official public hearing.
County Clerk Lynn Butterworth, who handles short-term rental applications for the commission, said there were 300 permits – “some new, some renewals” – already issued or in process. Of these, 199 have already been issued, she said, with 66 more in process and another 35 started.
As for hospital board appointments, checks and balances in the state legislation that set up the hospital authority over 50 years ago call for the county commission to seek applications for seats either vacated or at the end of their terms. The commission then would choose to send the names of three applicants for each vacant or expired post to the hospital board for their final decision.
They received four applications, but the problem this year is there are four positions to be filled. Each seat on the seven-member board is assigned a “Post” number unrelated to geography or any election district.
Jerry Gregory and Tony Franklin are retiring, and their posts will be vacant. Four-year terms of two others have expired, but they will continue to serve until replaced or reappointed.
Some apparent confusion about the process seemed in play, but the commissioners sent the hospital board three names for the Post 1 position: Billy Webster, Georgia Benjamin-Smith, and Rebecca Rocker. But without a full allotment of three other candidates, they sent only their choices for Post 1. This winnowing process promises to be repeated for the next two or three months unless more applications are received.
In other actions, the commissioners approved the rezoning of two half-acre lots at the corner of Twin Bridges and Avant Roads from commercial (C-1) to residential (R-2), approved the rezoning of 2.64 acres on Oconee Springs Road from agricultural (AG) to residential (R-2), approved the rewording in the zoning ordinance relating to variances to make it clear that variance requests must meet all three requirements and not a choice of three options, allowed the first change in 12 years for the meal per diem allowed on county travel expenses (from $50 to $65), and approved the $71,975 (minus trade-in) purchase of a hydraulic excavator.