Commission tables code changes on compaction testing, heavy-hauling bonds and solar fees

Code Enforcer Jeffrey Laymon presented three proposed revisions to Long County's uniform codes on Dec. 2 and commissioners voted to table the measures for further review at a work session.

Laymon proposed requiring manual compaction testing by a state-licensed engineer for any structure over 700 square feet with footers, with certified results filed with code enforcement, a change intended to protect homeowners and ensure structural integrity. He also proposed a heavy-hauling ordinance that would require a $5,000 bond per dump truck and a county decal system to recoup road damage costs, modeled on a system in McIntosh County. Finally, staff recommended changing solar farm permitting fees from a per-panel fee (which staff said would have exceeded $7.5 million for a proposed 1,450-acre, 300,000-panel project) to a $100-per-acre land disturbance fee, which would approximate $145,000 for that project.

Commissioner Gerald Blocker moved to table the revision proposals until the commissioners' work session; Commissioner John Reddish seconded and the motion passed unanimously.