Stephens Co. Sending Letters on Bypass Water, Sewer Easements

Stephens County and the city of Toccoa will soon send out a letter to property owners along a planned expansion of water and sewer lines along the Toccoa By-pass.

Tuesday, Stephens County Commissioners unanimously approved a letter of notice of intent to acquire with the city for the By-pass water and sewer improvements.

Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers said the letters will be notifying property owners of the county and city’s wishes to acquire easements to install water and sewer lines.

“This is a joint letter with the city of Toccoa to acquire easements on about 20 some parcels,” said Ayers. “This will be the first formal notification to the landowners.”

Toccoa and Stephens County have plans to expand the city’s sewer system from the intersection of the By-pass and Big A Road to the By-pass and Highway 106.

The project also includes water system improvements necessary to match the sewer system expansion and improvements.

Stephens County Development Authority Executive Director Tim Martin said last month that construction could start next year on this project.

Once underway, Martin said construction should take about nine months.

This planned work on the By-pass is part of a larger water and sewer expansion project that Toccoa and Stephens County have designed to build out sewer on Big A Road between Rose Lane and the Toccoa By-pass, as well as the By-pass between Big A Road and Highway 106.

In other news from Tuesday’s Stephens County Commission meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a motion to pay the city of Toccoa $23,859.66 per the probation agreement in place between the two boards.

County commissioners had tabled the matter last month pending further discussions with Toccoa Commissioners regarding the city’s use of the county jail, which took place at a joint meeting last month

According to Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers, under the probation agreement, at the end of the fiscal year, all of the fees and expenses are added up to determine each side’s share and this year, the county owed the city money.

Ayers noted some years the agreement has worked out differently.

Meanwhile, commissioners also approved some appointments on Tuesday by unanimous vote.

County commissioners appointed Katherine Sanders to the Toccoa-Stephens County Library Board and re-appointed North Georgia Technical College Currahee Campus Director Greg Roach and Martin Mayor Don Foster to the Joint Development Authority of Hart, Franklin, and Stephens counties for a four-year term.