JUDGE: Keeping county clean leaves good impression

It is important for us to keep our county clean and sanitary. An unsightly mess is certainly not appealing for anyone especially those new to the county.  

Most often these issues are violations of the various state health and safety laws. For these and other reasons, your county government has been working hard to keep the county clean and sanitary.  

The State Health and Safety Code prohibits numerous unsanitary activities, such as, but not limited to:

1. Premises used as residences or for business or pleasure shall be kept in a sanitary condition;

2. Keeping, storing, or accumulating rubbish, including newspapers, abandoned vehicles, refrigerators, stoves, furniture, tires, and cans, on premises in a neighborhood or within 300 feet of a public street for 10 days or more, unless the rubbish or object is completely enclosed in a building or is not visible from a public street;

3. Maintaining premises in a manner that creates an unsanitary condition likely to attract or harbor mosquitoes, rodents, vermin, or other disease-carrying pests; and

4. Maintaining a building in a manner that is structurally unsafe or constitutes a hazard to safety, health, or public welfare because of inadequate maintenance, unsanitary conditions, dilapidation, obsolescence, disaster, damage, or abandonment or because it constitutes a fire hazard.

Recently, several individuals in the county have been indicted and prosecuted for felony violations of the health and safety laws. Pursuant to the law the county has also taken possession of property and abated the unsanitary conditions. When that occurs, the county can and will assess a lien against the involved property for the cost of cleaning and if not paid, in some cases, sell the property to recover the cost of cleanup.  That is the situation with the Thrasher property in Rockdale.  Several other similar cleanup projects are currently underway in the county.

Just about everyone wants our surroundings and our county to be clean and sanitary.  Just about everyone wants to take pride in the county in which they live. Junking up a place is an unsightly health hazard and often a violation of the law. So please don’t let that be your place. 

Do your part and let’s keep it clean and safe for all of us!