2A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, December 7,2022
New county ordinance spurs talk about residential RVs
By Julia Hansen
jhansen@dawsonnews.com
Although Dawson County’s
Board of Commissioners unani
mously approved the new proper
ty maintenance ordinance as pre
sented Thursday, there were still
lingering concerns about the mea
sure’s language for recreational
vehicles or RVs.
Dawson County Marshal
Angela Byers appeared before the
board at their Dec. 1 voting ses
sion to stress what the county’s
land use ordinances already say
about non-dwelling structures.
District 3 Commissioner Tim
Satterfield, noting multiple com
plaints about non-compliant RVs,
asked why those rules weren’t
being enforced.
“We’re wanting to add teeth,
but what’s the point if we already
have it?”, Satterfield said. “Why
put it (the new change) in if we
can’t enforce the ordinance
[now]?”
Byers noted that her office has
enforced those rules over the past
two to three months, particularly
in response to the complaints that
Satterfield noted of non-compliant
RVs on the Ga. 400 corridor.
“Have you noticed they’ve all
been removed?” Byers said to
Satterfield.
“I haven’t seen any lately,”
Dawson County
Residential Land Use
Ordinance, Chapter 121-58
Non dwelling structures shall
not be connected to utilities
and shall not be used as a
dwelling in any zoning dis
trict. Non dwelling structures
include but are not limited to:
campers, travel trailers, rec
reational vehicles, motor
homes, buses, and utility
buildings.
District 1 Commissioner Sharon
Fausett said, chiming in.
“I just wanted to clarify that
because I don’t want anyone
watching to think [the opposite]...
this is something we work on
daily,” Byers said. “[It’s] the fact,
enforcing this piece of the ordi
nance, that it is prohibited to live
in an RV because it is a non-per-
mitted dwelling. I heard that at the
last meeting and I wasn’t here to
address it.”
During the Nov. 18 voting ses
sion, BOC Chairman Billy
Thurmond seemed to use the
phrase “mobile home” inter
changeably when discussing
amending the ongoing moratori
um to allow single-family home-
owners to submit residential per
mits for their individual manufac
tured homes.
Dawson County Property
Maintenance Ordinance,
44-18-E
"It shall be unlawful for any
owner, operator, occupant or
any party of interest to connect
a non-dwelling structure to utili
ties and be used as a dwelling in
any zoning district. Non dwell
ing structures shall not be
parked or stored to be used as a
dwelling on any property unless
the property is zoned, licensed,
“When we look at it then, I
think we take a more serious look
at residential zoning that encom
passes multiple houses, because
we’ve got some single-housing
people caught up that need the
attention of the board just to do
their single mobile home,”
Thurmond said on Nov. 18.
Byers clarified on Dec. 1 that
she didn’t want people “to get the
wrong idea unless we add some
thing to the ordinances.”
Planning and Development
Director Sharon Farrell said the
new property ordinance, which
has been in the works for the past
three-and-a-half years, addresses
the renting of unfit structures and
non-dwelling structures such as
RVs.
“That language has been added
that you cannot have an RV on
Death Notices
Carmen E. “Pat” Couch
November 26, 2022
Carmen E. “Pat” Couch, 94, of Dawsonville died
Saturday, November 26th. Funeral service,
Tuesday, November 29th at 3 o’clock, Harmony
Baptist Church. Bearden Funeral Home,
Dawsonville, GA.
Sharon Mae Green
October 24, 2022 Arrangements by Bearden
Funeral Home, Dawsonville, GA.
Dawson Chamber honored as GACCE Ga. Certified Chamber
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County Chamber
of Commerce has been recog
nized as one of only eight cham
bers in the state to be named as a
Georgia Certified Chamber for
2022.
According to a press release by
the Georgia Association of
Chamber of Commerce
Executives (GACCE), the orga
nization’s board of directors first
created the Georgia Certified
Chamber program in 2011 as a
way to recognized chambers of
commerce in the state that “have
focused internally on their opera
tions to assess their strengths,
weaknesses and opportunities to
create efficient, effective organi
zations positioned to deliver
great value”.
“The purpose of the program is
to facilitate continuing excel
lence in the Chamber of
Commerce industry and to foster
a pro-business environment
across the State of Georgia,” the
release said. “Chambers must
meet standards in organization,
service intent and capacity, pro
fessional administration, finan
cial management, communica
tions and advocacy in order to
achieve the designation.”
While there are over 150
chambers of commerce in
Georgia, only eight chambers
were recognized as members of
the 2022 class of Georgia
Certified Chambers, the release
said. These eight chambers were
recognized for their certifications
during the GACCE Board
Development Conference and
honored for achieving the high
quality, expertise and strong
leadership that is displayed by
accredited chambers.
The full list of chambers that
were recognized as the 2022
class of Georgia Certified
Chambers includes:
• Barrow County Chamber
of Commerce
• Dawson County Chamber
of Commerce
• Greater Dalton Chamber
of Commerce
• Greater North Fulton
Chamber of Commerce
• Griffin Spalding Chamber
of Commerce
• Thomasville-Thomas
County Chamber of
Commerce
• Thomson-McDuffie
County Chamber of
Commerce
• White County Chamber of
Commerce
“The chambers recognized this
year make up over 50 organiza
tions that have been recognized
with this distinction over the past
11 years,” the release added.
“Congratulations to each of these
Chambers and thank you for
your service to your communi
ties!”
FROM 1A
Ralston
“I’m running to complete the
unfinished work of my husband,
David Ralston, specifically as it
relates to mental health reform
and advancing and protecting the
interests of Georgia’s 7th House
District,” Ralston said. “David
was our champion and voice at
the Capitol, and, if elected, that’s
what I intend to be as well.”
FetchYourNews CEO Brian
K. Pritchard has also announced
his Republican candidacy for
the seat on Nov. 28, according
to a statement from his news
site.
Georgia’s District 7 now
includes a northern portion of
Dawson County, along with
Fannin and Gilmer counties. Part
of Dawson was added to the dis
trict during redistricting efforts
following the 2020 U.S. Census.
Ralston reiterated her intent to
honor her late husband’s work
and legacy, sharing that David’s
heart “was always for his con
stituents and his home.”
“I can never express how
grateful I am for this community
and their support during this sad
and difficult time,” Ralston
added. “I thank you for your
prayers and outpouring of love.
In the coming days I hope to win
your support as well.”
Sheree Ralston currently
serves as the executive director
of the Fannin County
Development Authority. She
lives in Blue Ridge and is a
longtime resident of Fannin
County. Ralston and her late
husband, David, have four chil
dren and three grandchildren.
Dawson County voters in
State House District 7 will have
the opportunity to vote in the
Jan. 3 special election. You can
verify your state house district
by going to the Georgia
Secretary of State’s “My Voter
Information Page” at www.mvp.
sos.ga.gov/s/.
FROM 1A
Crash
As the deputies tried to initiate
the traffic stop, the driver, identi
fied as Garcia, abruptly fled,
Johnson stated.
Garcia allegedly fled north
bound on Ga. 400 and turned
eastbound on Ga. 53. He lost
control of his vehicle on Ga. 53
in the area of Hughes Court.
“The vehicle rolled over and
into the ditch,” Johnson said.
“Deputies ran towards the crash
and immediately took control of
the suspect and passenger before
the vehicle caught fire and was
fully engulfed.”
Both the suspect and passenger
were transported to an area hos
pital for minor injuries, Johnson
added.
Garcia was released into
DCSO’s custody and is being
held without bond at the Dawson
County Detention Center.
He has been charged with flee
ing or eluding a police officer,
aggressive driving, reckless driv
ing, possession of a controlled
substance with intent to distribute
and 16 other traffic violations.
In April 2019, Garcia pleaded
guilty to four charges relating to
another car chase in Hall County,
according to court documents.
He was accused then of lead
ing Georgia State Patrol troopers
on a car chase before exiting his
vehicle and running into the
woods. His concurrent sentences
for those charges included three
years and nine months on proba
tion.
and operated as a Recreational
Vehicle Park. Non dwelling
structures include but are not
limited to: campers, travel trail
ers, recreational vehicles, motor
homes, busses, pickup camp
ers, converted trucks or buses,
motorized homes, tent campers,
tents, or other short-term hous
ing or shelter arrangements and
devices, boats and boat trailers,
combinations thereof and other
similar equipment, cases and
boxes, and utility buildings."
any property other than one that is
zoned, licensed and operated as an
RV park,” Farrell said.
“I thought we discussed that as
far as residential goes if some
body’s in the middle of building a
house or renovating or their home
is damaged,” Satterfield said. “I
thought we were just going to
address commercial property with
the RVs.”
Farrell recognized temporary
uses like that could be allowed
through building permitting, as
the county’s building official has
latitude to grant such permits.
A main thing the ordinance
sought to address was people liv
ing in commercial parking lots,
which District 2 Commissioner
Chris Gaines acknowledged had a
lot to do with health and safety
concerns.
Satterfield cautioned against
having duplicity with the current
and new ordinances, but Byers
clarified that the rules would
enforce “different things as it
comes to health and wellness,” so
there would be “nothing conflict
ing.”
Before the commissioners
voted, county attorney Angela
Davis clarified that the board
would leave the proposed ordi
nance as-is and cross-reference
the ordinances mentioning non
dwelling structures and residential
RVs so it would be clear that
“under certain permitting you can
do this.”
As he moved for a vote, Gaines
acknowledged the challenges that
families nowadays face when
looking to build their homes in
Dawson County.
“I know that it does take much
longer than three months to build
a house these days,” he said, “so
you’re probably looking at a year
basis, I would think, to give them
enough time from start to finish
[on a home].”
King Crossword
ACROSS
35 New newts
11
Highlander
1 Singer Lovett
36 Tint
13
Oklahoma city
5 11 Ben-Hur" stu
37 Import duty
19
Redact
dio
40 JFK info
20
Retired jet
8 Beanies
41 Portent
21
Serve coffee
12 "Madam
42 Enraptured
22
Greek vowel
Secretary"
47 Theater award
23
Highway divi
actress
48 Eternally
sions
14 Opposite of
49 Variety
25
Cheap way to
"sans"
50 Still, in verse
live
15 Very hungry
51 Playwright
26
Chorus sylla
16 Gambling city
O'Casey
bles
17 Coq au —
DOWN
27
Apple tablet
18 Painter
1 USPS delivery
29
Squabble
Georges
2 Pro vote
31
"See ya!"
20 Watched sur
3 Restroom, for
33
Like marble
reptitiously
short
34
Great divides
23 Pot covers
4 Football team
36
Commotion
24 Any time now
5 Earth circler
37
Grabbed
25 Stuffed Italian
6 Bearded beast
38
Both (Pref.)
pasta
7 Written mes
39
Check
28 Boy king
sages
40
Divisible by
29 Doctrine
8 Tenor Enrico
two
30 NYPD alert
9 Say it's so
43
St. crasser
32 Gulches
10 Elizabeth
44
Weed whacker
34 Potter's
of "Jacob's
45
Notable time
medium
Ladder"
46
Lair
1
2
3
12
15
13
8
9
10
11
14
16
37
38
39
41
47
49
J
2022 King Features Synd., Inc.
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^ Daws o n C o u nty N e ws
A Metro Market Media Publication
Established in 2015 by the merger of Dawson Community News and Dawson News and Advertiser
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