Resident Wants County To Do More About Subdivision Rules

A Putnam County resident has complained to the county commission about substandard and non-permitted housing near his subdivision.

Stephen Maddox said the county could address his concerns by adopting a new set of procedures.

“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 he built his “dream home” in a restricted subdivision on the border of Monterey Lake. Soon after, developers allegedly leased an adjacent lot to a buyer who set up a storage unit and port-a-john in the front yard.

“A lease-to-own land contract allows the buyer immediate use of residential land at minimum cost with no background check,” Maddox said. “The county does not enforce subdivision restrictions and the developer has no legal obligation or financial incentive to do so.”

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.

Putnam County Attorney Jeff Jones said Putnam County has no authority to enforce subdivision restrictions.

“Mr. Maddox, I understand his frustration, but he’s made some presumptions about the law that are simply not correct,” Jones said. “The bottom line is that it has to do with subdivision restrictions, which is a private contract and the county doesn’t have any authority to enforce or make anybody aware of.”

Maddox expressed his frustrations to the county commission during Monday night’s regular scheduled meeting.