Friday, December 29,2017
Lake Oconee News
Page A3
GREENE COUNTY
Ex-baseball player makes pitch for Lt. Governor
(Editor’s Note: Geoff
Duncan recently came to
Lake Country to campaign
forLt. Governor.LakeOconee
NewswriterDaveBrownwas
unable to attend the function,
but caught up with Duncan
later when he came through
theareaon theway to Atlanta
from Augusta.)
Dave Brown
dave@lakeoconeenews.us
No, he didn’t make it to the
big leagues after spending
six seasons in the Florida
Marlins organization, but
Geoff Duncan made some
major accomplishments in
the Georgia state house to
fuel his run for Lt. Governor.
And if you’re a fan of the
recent tax cuts and reform
on the national level, you will
probably be interested in the
plans the Republican has in
mind should he win the Lt.
Governor’s spot.
“I think it is Georgia’s turn
to work on a tax break,” said
Duncan.
“Look around at what’s
happening in Florida,
Tennessee and Alabama. If
I’m elected, I thinkwe need to
make steps in the direction of
eliminating personal income
tax in Georgia.”
So, does Duncan thinkhe’s
the man to get that done?
“That’s the best question
I’ve heard. Why would I
make a great Lt. Governor?
The answer is because of
perspective,” said Duncan.
“I became a Republican
at the kitchen table raising
three kids. I didn’t grow up
at the state house.”
That political barb is
directed at none other than
Senate Pro Tern David Shafer,
who has 28 years at the Gold
Dome under his belt and is
the Lt. Governor front-run
ner for the Republican pri
mary set some 90-plus days
from now on May 22.
Duncan was abaseball star
at Georgia Tech, and after
his stint as a professional
baseball player and running
a healthcare business in
Alpharetta, won a seat in the
House in 2012.
As a lawmaker, Duncan
had his share of big hits:
- Authored the Cargo
Theft Act. Georgia was rife
with truck jacking and sea
port theft at the turn of the
millennium. At one point,
Georgia lost millions of
dollars in cargo theft and
ranked third in the nation.
In one year after the new law
aimed at organized crime,
Georgia’s losses decreased by
68 percent. “They decided to
try other truck stops in other
states,” said Duncan.
- Ramrodded the legis
lation known as Michael’s
Law, named for a Georgia
Southern college student
who was beaten to death by
an 18-year-old bar bouncer
in Statesboro. Bouncers
must now be 21 years old
and register with the Dept,
of Revenue. “Over a three-
year period, that establish
ment had 72 citations and
102 ambulance calls,” said
Duncan. “There was no
accountability.”
- Helped establish the
Rural Healthcare Bill where
corporations get tax credit
for donating money to one
of the 54 rural hospitals in
the state of Georgia.
“I’m consumed with policy,
not politics,” said Duncan.
“I think we need to make a
big push and be bold in what
we can do to be better. That
means everything from how
we educate our kids, includ
ing school choice, but also
reform our tax code.
“I’m a conservative out
sider that wants to be a
leader for the entire state of
Georgia.”
Contributed
Geoff Duncan, a former professional baseball player
and state representative now in the running for Lt.
Governor, recently campaigned at the Cowles Clinic.
PUTNAM COUNTY
Gatewood SGA donates to Putnam General Hospital
The Gatewood Student Government
Association presents a $3,000
check to the Putnam General
Hospital Foundation for Breast
Cancer Screenings. Pictured are,
from left, Dr. Bob Betzel, chairman
PGH Foundation; Pam Douglas,
CNO-PGH; Maggie Doster, SGA
president; and other SGA members,
Tanner Fuller, Caroline Griffith,
Brandon Belans and Sean Dugan.
Ballin' to Beat Breast Cancer is an
ongoing Gatewood SGA project for
this year.
CONTRIBUTED
Rentals
Continued from A1
Thecommissionersdebated
for more than two hours
with Commissioner Trevor
Addison voting not to table
the issue.
During the discussion,
Commission Chairman
Dr. Steve Hersey and Vice
Chairman Alan Foster
seemed to prefer some restr ic-
tion on occupancy, while
Commissioners Addison and
Kelvin Irvin made opposing
remarks.
Some of the same speakers
who commented on the issue
at the last BOC meeting took
the podium to remind com
missioners of their concerns.
Jeanne Dufort of Lake
Country Board of Realtors,
and Tom Anderson, who is a
year-round Putnam County
resident, spoke again on the
issue, specifically regarding
property occupancy.
Anderson urged commis
sioners to adopt an ordinance
with a set number of people
allowed in a house.
“When you start renting,
it’s not a private property
anymore,” said Anderson.
“It’s a business. Once you
start renting something, you
shouldacceptthefactthatyou
have to followthe rules. If one
business has to do it, they all
should have to do it.”
“The right to rent your
property is the right you get
when you purchase property,”
Dufort added. “Most property
owners care more about their
property and will maintain it.
We don’t like the slippery slope
you are getting into saying one
bedroomisfortwopeopleand
coming into people’s homes
to inspect. Have uniform
enforcement.”
Addison said he wanted to
present aprocess that was fair,
but not obtrusive.
“I want to encourage people
to come,” he said, also noting
the County has more problems
with year-round renters than
short-term andhe didn’t want
the government going in and
“counting heads.”
Also advisingthe ordinance
would not trump any state
law, Addison said a level of
occupancy in a house would
never remedy a noise issue,
and officials would have the
same problems if the owner
had family over without rent
ing the property out.
Hersey said he felt some
limits needed to be set.
“Ifthere is alimitation in the
ordinance that is reasonable,
then we haveaway of address
ing those few instances where
there are egregious violations
of that ordinance,” he said.
As commissioners and
other local officials lookfortax
funds to replace what Putnam
County lost from the closing of
Georgia Power’s Plant Branch,
Foster said the reason he orig
inally brought the issue to the
board for consideration was
because as Vacation Rentals
By Owners were becoming
more popular, it could be a
significant source of revenue.
Although there are some
rules already in place for rent
ing out a home, after Foster
attended recent proceedings
regarding short-term rentals
in Greene County, he sug
gested a more formal ordi
nance for Putnam County.
Then, following discussions
between committee members
and hearing from the public,
commissioners prepared
another draft ordinance that
was agreeable, except for a
decision whetherornotto cap
the amount of occupants on
the property.
Foster noted that 90 per
cent of short-term rentals
present no problems and
wouldn’t need an occupancy
rule.
“Occupancy limit will keep
it more like a single-family
neighborhood,” said Foster.
“By this (ordinance), you
could have 12 people or more
with minor children. I think
it is fair.”
Foster also argued that
without including occupancy
limits in the ordinance, it
could propose a threat to
public safety resulting from
sewage problems. With thou
sands of homes on lakes
Oconee and Sinclair, Foster
advised there could one day
be a problem with water and
septic.
“It is absolutely foreseeable
there will be excessive pollu
tion ofour ground waters, and
eventually our lakes, if rea
sonable limits on occupancy
are not included in Appendix
D of our Code of Ordinances,”
Foster said in an email to
The Eatonton Messenger.
“For me, it’s about balance.
Protecting the right of home-
owners to have the option
of renting their property,
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while protecting the right of
full-time residents to peace
and quiet enjoyment of their
homes.”
Duringthe meeting, Foster
referenced information he
had attained from Putnam
County’s environmental
health manager, Kathryn
Hill, REHS.
“Septic systems are
designed to handle two occu
pants per bedroom,” Hill said
in an email. “If the house
was originally permitted for
a three bedroom house, then
ideally a max amount of six
people would live or ‘stay’
there at any one time. Having
15 people there all at once,
for even one day each week,
doesn’t meet the intent of the
design. It would then be max
occupancy and a much bigger
system would be required.”
Foster advised the board
that Hill explained it was like
a church, which has a system
designed by the number of
seats in the congregation.
The church only fills up once
a week, but the system has
to be designed as if they are
there every day.
Addison argued the health
department issues permits
every daythatmaynot comply
after a certain period of time.
“Why would we strap the
ones who rent for a few days
and not restrict the ones who
are not abiding 365 days per
year?” Addison said.
More Listings. More Sales.
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