The Henry County Update - July 25th, 2013

July 25, 2013

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Called Meetings July 25th at 6:00 p.m.

July 29th at 6:00 p.m.

August 5th at 10:00 a.m.

Regular Meetings August 6th at 9:00 a.m.

August 20th at 6:30 p.m.

Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings will air Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays on Henry TV Channel 14 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

ULDC Amended Regarding Permit Fee Valuations To help make the community more attractive to new companies and businesses, the Henry County Board of Commissioners has amended the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) to allow developers the option to contest permit fee valuations. The action came at the July 22 regular meeting.

Until this change was made, permit fee valuations were based solely on the square foot value as published by the International Code Council (ICC).

This method was met with frequent complaints by businesses/developers, who claimed this method yielded unreasonably high permit fees on certain types of construction that were not consistent with the actual cost to complete the projects.

The Henry County Development Authority echoed these concerns and shared specific examples of this inequity during the public meeting.

Permit fees for the Georgia Pacific

building, at 900,600 square feet, were established to be $350,000, based on the ICC table, which showed a cost of construction $77.33 per square foot.

However, the tilt wall construction of this building was actually closer to $21-$25 per square foot.

In another example, the cost of constructing a 1.1 million square foot building was listed in the ICC table as $91 million, while it was completed for about half that, at $46 million.

“In smaller projects, the international data would be ok because it’s not going to be tremendously over,” explained District 4 Commissioner Reid Bowman. However, Bowman went on to explain that with larger projects, “it takes us out of the playing field in some instances in order for us to get Class A office space or other structure that would provide jobs and benefits and other things for our community.”

To rectify this situation, and create a valuation method that is both fair and

Continued on Page 3 the henry county update

1

Commissioners Amend Code Pertaining to Certain Livestock

Henry County BOC Rolls Back Property Tax Millage Rates

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved amending the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) pertaining to the keeping and raising of livestock.

The action came at the regular meeting on Tuesday, July 16, 2013.

Commissioners approved amending the Chapter 2 of the ULDC and Chapter 3-4 of the Henry County Code of Ordinances for requirements pertaining to the raising of backyard chickens on lots less than three acres. The ULDC distinguishes what is considered a domestic pet and allows for up to four pets on any property.

The amended ordinance will allow for up to four chickens to be kept on property which is less than three acres but at least a half-acre in size or larger. The ordinance also stipulates that the chickens must be female and raised for the purpose of providing food or companionship.

Among other requirements, all backyard chickens must be housed in a coop that is enclosed on all sides, including the top and located in the rear of the property. Additionally, the structure must be set back ten feet from all property lines.

For more information, or to review the Henry County ULDC in its entirety, please visit www.henrycountyga.org/ULDC.

In an effort to avoid a tax increase, the Henry County Board of Commissioners elected to rollback millage rates in adoption of the 2013 millage rate. The unanimous vote came at a called meeting on Tuesday.

The Henry County Commission opted to roll back the millage rate to 14.497 ($14.497 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation) for unincorporated Henry County (down from 14.500 mils), 11.418 mils for the City of McDonough (down from 11.430 mils), 14.497 mils for the City of Stockbridge (down from 14.500 mils) and 12.297 mils for the City of Locust Grove (down from 12.453 mils).

The millage rate for the City of Hampton will remain at 12.513 mils.

For more information on the millage rates or your tax bill, please visit www.henrytc.org.

Focus will be on Education The July Town Hall will focus on the future of Henry County Public Schools and Henry County School Superintendent Ethan Hildreth will be the featured guest speaker.

July 27, 2013 • 9am Cross Road Christian Church 5365 North Henry Blvd. in Stockbridge Across from the QT w w w. h e n r y c o u n t y - g a . o r g

MELBA • Rat Terrier Mix www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26587730 I am a sweet and loving soul that needs a lifetime companion to give me the home that I deserve. I was picked up as a stray, so my friends here at the shelter do not know anything about my past. If you would like to meet me, then please call my friends at (770) 288-PETS. My I.D. #6/19-1616 please refer to this number when inquiring about me. Lost and stray animals are held at the Henry County Animal Care and Control Shelter for four (4) calendar days (excluding Sundays and county holidays) in order to give their owners a chance to reclaim them. After that time period, adoptable animals are held as long as space allows.

ULDC From Page 1

equitable, Henry County revised the ULDC to allow applicants to contest the ICC valuation data by submitting at least two of the following documents for consideration: • A copy of the turn-key contract for the construction project, supported by an affidavit as sworn to and executed by the owner and the contractor that the contract accurately reflects the true cost of the completed project • A bank approved appraisal, prepared no later than twelve months prior to the building permit application, or if no bank appraisal is available, a selfcontained appraisal prepared by an appraiser approved by the Building Official at the applicant’s expense • Another type of published valuation data that is

nationally recognized and used in other jurisdictions in the United States, supporting the value of the completed project.

“Our biggest concern was not to turn the Building Department’s fee schedule on end but to look at the methodology that was being used and come up with something that is fair, and I do think that the things described here are a reasonable safeguard,” explained Bob White, Executive Director of the Henry County Development Authority. “I feel comfortable this accomplishes the goal that we were concerned with.”

For more information, or to review the Henry County ULDC in its entirety, please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/ULDC.

3