DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved spending $438,093 for shelving and furniture for the new library during Tuesday’s voting session.

The $4.7 million dollar facility is expected to open in January and is under budget. Denson Martin, of the Lumpkin County Library Foundation presented commissioners with a check for $26,000 and pledged to raise $24,000 more to donate to library operations.

Commissioners sailed through the remainder of the meeting with ease until they hit a speed bump during public comments.

One-by-one, nine residents of McDonalds Mills subdivision stepped up to complain about the existence of short-term rental homes in their community, which they say violated their community’s restricted covenants.

Complaints ranged from loud music and parties lasting until 1 or 2 a.m., trash being discarded in the street and private property disappearing.

Mary Thompson said, “Our neighborhood has protective covenants and one of the covenants states ‘no commercial operations of any kind.’ We’ve been told by Lumpkin County this is a civil matter, but governmental approval of something that is legally registered zoning or covenants is not a civil matter. It is a governmental matter. Approval of this (short-term rental) application is a mistake that Lumpkin County made and we are suffering with.”

Commissioners took the complaints seriously. Chairman Chris Dockery said “I feel like you all have some valid concerns It looks like there have been some violations of our ordinance.”

Commissioner Jeff Moran, who represents the community, asked to exchange contact information with Thompson to gather more information.

The Board unanimously approved:

• A Banking Services Contract;
• County and City Fueling Station IGA;
• Calhoun Mine Road Bid Proposal;
• Memorandum of Understanding with Union County to Acquire Blue Recycle Bins;
• Memorandum of Understanding between GEMA Homeland Security and Lumpkin County Emergency Management;
• Radio Frequency Memorandum of Understanding between Lumpkin County Emergency Services and Dawson County Emergency Services;
• Secure Rural Schools Act – Title III Money Certification on Use of Funds;
• Merit increase for Non-Civil Service departments;
• 2014 SPLOST – 2019 Work Plan Amendment 1;
• Community Development Block Grant extension request;

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