Other action
Also at a Tuesday work session, Forsyth County commissioners did the following:
• Approved an individual Medicare supplemental plan for retirees, which would require county contribution.
• Accepted two 2011 Victims of Crime Act grants from the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for the sheriff’s and district attorney’s offices. The funding totals more than $100,000, with a county match required of about $25,000. The money will provide salaries and benefits for victims’ advocates.
• Hired ArcMP for consultant work on the county’s software conversion project at a cost of no more than $150,000.
• Appointed Dan Slott to the District 2 parks board post. Former member Chris Stovall no longer wished to serve.
• Discussed a potential revision to the unified development code allowing for timbering on properties zoned residential with restrictions.
• Awarded a bid for cleaning services to American Building Services for about $153,000 for a year.
• Directed legal staff to modify the alcohol code setbacks for distilled spirits to match state law. The code must be updated based on the U.S. Census population count.
Note: All votes are 5-0 unless otherwise noted.
-- Alyssa LaRenzie
Attention drivers, the speed limit along a few Forsyth County roads likely will be changing.
John Cunard, county engineering director, said the speed zone ordinance, which lists all the county roads and their limits, must be approved by the state in order for sheriff’s deputies to use radar in enforcement.
“Every year or so, we update the speed zone ordinance, as we add new roads, we add new school zones, make any changes that need to be made,” Cunard said.
During a recent work session, county commissioners voted 5-0 to hold two public hearings on the proposed changes before submitting the list to the state.
The most notable speed change, Cunard said, is lowering the limit along a 2-mile section of Post Road, which is a state highway.
If approved, the maximum speed would drop from 55 mph to 45 mph from Highway 9 to just past Majors Road.
Tim Allen, assistant engineering director, said after the meeting that a study found congestion already has traffic going about that speed.
That stretch of road passes Vickery Creek middle and elementary schools, which will be linked to nearby subdivisions through state’s Safe Routes to School program.
The grant project will provide for sidewalks and a crosswalk, whose safety would be enhanced by lower speeds, Allen said.
Another speed change has been proposed for a 1-mile segment of Union Hill Road from Shiloh to Mullinax. The limit would drop from 40 to 30 mph.
Allen said other changes include the addition of new roads and school zones.
The newest segment of Ronald Reagan Boulevard, from McFarland Parkway to McGinnis Ferry Road, would be added to the list, as would Carolene Way, which is the entrance to Fowler Park.
Adding those roads would make them eligible for law enforcement to use radar once they receive a permit.
“That doesn’t mean they can’t enforce the speed limit now,” Allen said. “They just can’t use radar.”
The state could approve the list in about four months, at which time an updated radar permit would be granted.