News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A Putnam County resident says he won’t stop addressing the county commission until they do something about substandard and non-permitted housing.
Stephen Maddox said county officials have refused to take action on his proposal from two months ago.
“Which of you here would support the use of a firetrap storage building as a dwelling? How about the residential use of a portable toilet? How about an old motorhome with a convicted meth dealer camped out on your block?,” Maddox asked the county commission. “If this is not acceptable in your neighborhood, then why allow it anywhere else?”
Maddox said he plans to continue the campaign until the county accepts its responsibility to prohibit the occupancy of any substandard or non-permitted structure.
“The commission just approved an 8-percent property tax hike on every law-abiding homeowner,” Maddox said. “You said the money was needed for law enforcement and school safety. Yet no action has been taken to eliminate unsafe, non-permitted dwellings and their tenants. How much property tax revenue is being lost because of this?”
Maddox addressed the county commission for the second time in as many months last week. In June, he said the county could address his concerns by adopting a set of procedures to address non-permitted dwellings.
“I propose rule and procedure changes to enable the county to investigate and to enforce health, safety, and quality standards on all residential dwellings,” Maddox said. “To prevent non-permitted structures from being as dwellings and to prevent portable toilets from being used as a substitute for residential septic systems.”
Maddox said county code enforcement procedures currently apply only to permitted structures, and not storage buildings or old mobile homes. He said current rules also allow indefinite use of a portable toilet.
During the June meeting, Putnam County Attorney Jeff Jones said the county has no authority to enforce subdivision restrictions.
