City Adopts Health Rules, Regs To Help With Code Enforcement

The Toccoa City Commission approves a series of public health rules and regulations at the request of the state Department of Health.

City commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance at their meeting last Monday and then also unanimously voted to waive the second reading of the ordinance.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said the city and Health Department had two main goals in adopting this ordinance.

“First, it simplifies a very cumbersome process for the Health board by allowing them to enforce these rules through Municipal Court, as opposed to going through State or Superior Court,” said Morse. “Secondly, it creates a partnership between the city and the Health Board that will improve our code enforcement efforts as it relates to public health matters.”

Morse said it will also allow city code enforcement officers to enforce the rules in the same manner as the Health Department.

The rules adopted cover a number of areas including food service, sanitation, control of rabies, and tourist accommodations.

Morse said that hotels and motels in the city could see an impact because of this change.

“New rules have come down as of January 1, 2014, that the Health Department wants to enforce,” said Morse. “The fact that we have adopted those does not change that too much, but it does streamline their efforts to enforce those.”

The Health Department will notify the hotels and motels with letters of the regulations, said Morse.

The city commission held a public hearing prior to voting on the ordinance.

No one spoke during the public hearing.