MOULTRIE, Ga. — Colquitt County officials agreed on Tuesday to take a wait-and-see approach to cracking down on properties that are unsightly or unsafe to give the matter further consideration.

Colquitt County Commission and Moultrie City Council both considered measures this month to significantly increase property taxes on dilapidated property, but only the latter approved the plan.

“Commissioners wanted to see how it would work out for the city,” Colquitt County Administrator Chas Cannon said of a Tuesday commission work session. “They tabled it.”

Commissioners plan to take the measure up later this year or in early 2020.

Under Moultrie’s ordinance, as was the case with the one reviewed by the county, taxes on properties deemed blighted can be quadrupled. The proposed county ordinance would have allowed the extra tax proceeds to be used for community development purposes, including demolishing buildings and structures deemed unfit for use.

That delay will give the county time to see how the city’s ordinance is working out and how the county might want to alter its own proposal.

One issue raised by commissioners dealt with how a property would be placed on the list.

“It’s very subjective,” Cannon said. “The goal is to make it as objective as possible.”

At an earlier meeting in February commissioners raised other concerns, including the costs of acquiring and mitigating dilapidated property, especially when mitigation costs are high due to buildings containing asbestos or lead paint, and the amount of notice property owners are given to fix problems themselves before facing increased taxes.