Stephens Co. Temporarily Lifts Road Acceptance Moratorium

Stephens County lifts a road acceptance moratorium, for now at least, to accept one road into the county maintenance system that used to be maintained by the county.

On Tuesday, commissioners approved a motion to take the 620 foot road in front of a parcel near the Jeanette Jamieson Intersection into the county road system, name the road, place a county green sign on the road, acquire right of way, and turn the road into the state DOT.

The road is in front of property that is owned, according to tax records, by John Bradford and Gloria Flanigan York.

The York family said the road was deeded to the county and was at one point maintained by the county, and they want that to resume.

Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers said that they could not find the road deed, but did find proof that the county had at one point maintained the road.

“The county workers were last on that road … July 2, 2012 and August 27, 2012,” said Ayers.

County commissioners voted 3 to 2 to accept the road back in and lift the moratorium to do so.

Commissioners Dean Scarborough and Michelle Ivester voted “no.”

Scarborough said that he feels the moratorium has worked in allowing the county to get caught up on road work without worrying about additional roads and says he wanted to wait on accepting this road until the moratorium was lifted for good.

Ivester told WNEG she agrees with Scarborough.

In other action from Tuesday, Stephens County approves some new equipment for the Public Works Department.

On Tuesday, the county commission voted unanimously to purchase two rollers for the Public Works Department to use on paving projects that the county does in-house.

One of the rollers is to cost $49,901, while the other will cost $71,150.

County commissioners also approved a financing bid for the rollers from South State Bank over a four-year term at an interest rate of 1.917 percent.

Money to pay for the rollers will come out of SPLOST VI funds.