Kevin Hall
MOULTRIE — County attorney Lester Castellow has been working on a noise ordinance for Colquitt County for a month and a half, but when he presented it Tuesday night, he asked the board not to vote on it because he wasn’t satisfied.
Castellow said he had a number of concerns with the proposal, which he based on noise ordinances in place in other counties, but the biggest issue was its effect on agriculture. Under the law he had written, he said, a farmer running pivot irrigation all night would be in violation. So would a cotton gin or a peanut facility.
“I just think we need to take a look at that closely before you act on that,” he told commissioners.
Commissioners took his advice and postponed a decision until Castellow can rework it to address agricultural concerns.
The noise ordinance came up in mid-September when residents of the Ga. Highway 133 area complained to county commissioners about loud music from a private club in their neighborhood. Responding to a question from the commission, one of the residents said Tuesday the club has not been rented out for a party since the complaint was made, so there has not been a noise problem during that time.
The ordinance as proposed deals with sound from both outdoor and indoor sources, limiting the volume so that it can be heard plainly no more than 100 feet away between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and 300 feet away at other times. On Fridays, the reduction in noise would begin an hour later, at 11 p.m.
In other action Tuesday, the commission:
• Agreed to pay $1,250 as part of a joint project with the City of Moultrie, Family Connection and the state Department of Community Affairs. The money — $1,250 each from the city and county, plus $2,500 from Family Connection — will match a grant of up to $5,000 from the DCA to fund two projects: a community involvement plan to connect students at the Colquitt County High School Achievement Center with hands-on experience in the community, and financial literacy efforts that will inform the public about tax credits available to them on their income tax returns.
• Reappointed Johnny Slocumb and appointed Scott Brown to the Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority. Brown will replace Broughton Williams, who asked not to be reappointed when his term expires Dec. 31.
• Approved two applications to use the agricultural auditorium, one for a family reunion and the other for a church banquet.
• Agreed to sign a proclamation for Farm-City Week, Nov. 20-26.
• Approved a special use permit and lease agreement for a cellular tower. T-Mobile will use the tower, to be located on Destiny Drive, to improve its coverage of the eastern part of the county.
• Accepted a pair of bids for furniture for the new courtroom at the Courthouse Annex. Winning bids were $53,441 from Furnishings and Design Inc. for tables, desks, chairs and cabinets, and $17, 862 from IFS Business Interiors for jury chairs. In addition, the contract for a metal detector, printer and flags will be rebid because none of the furniture companies that bid on the project could meet the county’s needs in those areas.
