Monroe County Board of Commissioners

10/31/2026

Reminder about voting precinct changes taking effect for the upcoming Tuesday, Nov. 3 General Election!!

Just a quick reminder of polling place changes. Each voter that was impacted should have received a new precinct card in the mail.

10/30/2026

10/30/2026

Photos from Friday's Trunk & Treat Halloween Event Hosted by Monroe County!!

(Photos courtesy of Anna Watkins of the MCSO)

10/30/2026

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners invites you to Trunk-or-Treat today, October 30, at 10:00 AM!

10/30/2026

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners will hold its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 in the normal meeting room on the 3rd floor of the Monroe County Administration Building. Items scheduled to be discussed on Tuesday include:

Proclamation for 2026 National Nurse Practitioner Week – Monroe County Commission Chairman Alan Gibbs will read aloud a proclamation recognizing National Nurse Practitioner Week, which runs from Nov. 8-14, in Monroe County.

Recognition for Judge Buck Wilder – Monroe County Commissioners will recognize recently retired Monroe County Magistrate Judge Buck Wilder for his 34 years of distinguished service to the county.

Solid Waste Compactors Purchase – Monroe County Solid Waste Director Nathan Dumas will recommend the purchase of four solid waste compactors and two power units in the total amount of $123,736 with funds coming from the county’s capital budget. The compactors, which will be purchased from the low bidder, Bakers Waste Equipment, LLC (BWE), will replace 20-year-old ones at the Cabaniss and Shi Road recycling centers.

Public Hearing for 434 Boxankle Road-Application #2026-23 – See below post.

Public Hearing for 715 Teagle Road-Application #2026-24 – See below post.

Public Hearing for Indian Springs Drive-Application #2026-25 – See below post.

Public Hearing for 504 Jenkins Road-Application #2026-26 – See below post.

Public Hearing for 224 Joe Chambers Road-Application #2026-27 – See below post.

Historical Preservation-Digitizing the Monroe Advertiser Archives – Monroe County Historical Society President Nolen Howard will request $9,700 in funding assistance from the Monroe County Board of Commissioners to complete the digitization of the historical archives of the Monroe Advertiser, which served as the county’s legal organ up until the early 1970s.

10/30/2026

About 60 Monroe County citizens gave their opinions about the direction of Monroe County’s future development at a public town hall meeting at the Monroe County Conference Center on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Monroe County Commissioners and Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC), the private firm overseeing the county’s 20-year comprehensive plan update, hosted a town hall meeting on Tuesday in which citizens voiced their opinions on what kind of commercial and/or residential growth, if any, should take place in Monroe County over the next 20 years.

Monroe County’s comprehensive plan, which is required by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to be updated every five years, is a long-term plan for how the Monroe County community wants the county to grow and develop in the future.

Tuesday’s town hall meeting is one of a number of steps toward identifying Monroe County’s future growth needs. About 30 community members are on a Steering Committee that is guiding discussion about Monroe County’s future while another dozen or so community members have given detailed stakeholder interviews with GMC representatives. Tuesday’s town hall meeting was an opportunity for persons who are neither on the steering committee nor given stakeholder interviews a chance to meet face-to-face with GMC officials, including Kalanos Johnson, a Senior Planner who moderated Tuesday’s meeting.

In addition to Tuesday’s town hall, all Monroe County citizens have until Nov. 16 to fill out a comprehensive plan survey concerning Monroe County’s future growth that is available on the Monroe County website at https://www.monroecoga.org/comp_plan/

As of Tuesday, 460 Monroe County residents have completed the survey.

At Tuesday’s town hall meeting, GMC set up five stations with different topics for citizens to give their opinions on. They included: 1.) A vision board asking citizens: “My vision for Monroe County is. . .” 2.) A vision board asking citizens: “What does small town feel mean to you?” 3.) Buckets that citizens dropped fake money into allowing them to identify in order of importance: What are the top three greatest challenges facing Monroe County today? 4.) A mapping exercise in which citizens could pick portions of the county they wanted to Preserve, Nurture, or Change, and 5.) An opportunity to fill out the online community survey if they hadn’t already done so.

The next public town hall meeting concerning the comprehensive plan will be held in February 2027 at which time GMC officials will update citizens on how the plan is coming along. The comp plan must be submitted to the state for final approval by October 2027.

10/27/2026

The Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board approved by a 3-0 vote on Monday, Oct. 26 a request for a special use in A-R (agricultural-residential) zoning for a 16-acre tract at 224 Joe Chambers Road for the purpose of building a telecommunications tower.

The applicant, Joe C. Gordy of Vestavia Hills, Ala.-based Tarpon Towers, has requested a special use in A-R for a 16-acre tract at 224 Joe Chambers Road for the purpose of building a telecommunications tower. Dulcie Harbuck Whitaker is the property owner.

Brett Smith of Tarpon Towers told the Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board on Monday that the tower will be located about 300 feet off of the property line. Smith said the cell tower will be a monopole design without guide wires and would be 150 feet tall. Smith said the property has extensive tree coverage around the proposed site but said it would be closer to the front of the property than was initially planned because there is a lake in the rear of the property. Smith denied concerns that cell towers give off dangerous radiation or harm property values for neighbors. Smith said with more people working from home now, many homebuyers have a need for strong cell service. He added that the tower would not have lights because it will not be taller than 200 feet and said phone data usage studies indicated a need for a tower in that area. Smith added that there would be a 12-foot-wide gravel entrance to the cell tower site and a 30-foot easement for running utilities.

Six nearby property owners spoke in opposition on Monday to Gordy’s special use request.

Joe Chambers Road resident Stan Hoyt said there are about 20 homes within 500 meters of the proposed tower, saying the tower is being located within what is essentially a residential neighborhood. Hoyt said he’s concerned about the effects of constant radiation.

Joe Chambers Road resident Scott Johnson said he’s concerned that the equipment used to build the tower will damage Joe Chambers Road. Johnson said cell service is already effective in the area and said there are larger tracts of land in Monroe County that are a better fit for a cell tower.

Joe Chambers Road resident Charlie Cannon said he’s invested a lot of money into building a home on a neighboring property. Cannon said the cell tower would be located about 200 feet from his porch.

Joe Chambers Road resident Nora Hoyt said she’s read that cell towers should not be placed within 300 to 500 feet of homes. Hoyt said the cell tower’s location will cause it to be visible to its neighbors and said it would harm nearby property values.

Joe Chambers Road resident Laura Harris said she’s opposed to the cell tower for the reasons already cited by many of her neighbors.

Lastly, Joe Chambers Road resident Andy Willougby said his property borders Whitaker’s tract and said the cell tower would be visible from his home at all times.

Due to the concerns of Whitaker’s neighbors, P&Z Board chairman Mitchell Bunce, who said he lives close to a visible cell tower, initially proposed tabling the matter until Smith could provide additional information about the tower’s design to the neighbors. However, the other P&Z Board members were reluctant to not make a decision at Monday’s meeting.

After about 25 minutes of discussion, Bunce motioned to approve Gordy’s special use request, which was seconded by P&Z Board member Shamika Morgan and approved 3-0. P&Z Board member Chuck Benson was absent from Tuesday’s meeting while P&Z Board member Chris Patterson recused himself because he’s friends with Whitaker.

Monroe County Commissioners will have the final say on the matter at their next scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

10/27/2026

The Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board approved by a 4-0 vote on Monday, Oct. 26 a request for a special use in A-R (agricultural-residential) zoning for a 62.28-acre tract at 504 Jenkins Road for the purpose of building a telecommunications tower.

The applicant, Joe C. Gordy of Vestavia Hills, Ala.-based Tarpon Towers, has requested a special use in A-R for a 62.28-acre tract at 504 Jenkins Road for the purpose of building a telecommunications tower. Stevan L. King Jr. is the property owner.

Brett Smith of Tarpon Towers told the Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board on Monday that the leasing area will be 10,000 square feet, which would include a 6,400 square-foot compound area for the cell tower, a 12-foot-wide gravel entrance, and a 30-foot easement for running utilities. Smith said the cell tower itself would have a monopole design without guide wires and would be 185 feet tall. Smith said the parcel was selected because it was wooded and a natural buffer would be left in place around the tower. He said the nearest adjoining property is located 400 feet or more from the tower’s proposed location.

No one opposed Gordy’s special use request at Monday’s meeting. However, Jenkins Road resident James Harrell submitted a letter of opposition, which was read aloud by P&Z Board member Shamika Morgan.

When it was the P&Z Board’s turn to weigh in, P&Z Board chairman Mitchell Bunce said he liked the tower’s non-intrusive design and said it will serve a purpose of enhanced cell phone service in Monroe County.

After about 15 minutes of discussion, Bunce motioned to approve Gordy’s special use request with the condition that as much natural vegetation be maintained at the site as possible around the tower. Bunce’s motion was then seconded by P&Z Board member Jason Dorsey and approved 4-0.

Monroe County Commissioners will have the final say on the matter at their next scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

10/27/2026

The Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board approved by a 4-0 vote on Monday, Oct. 26 a request to re-zone from R-1 (single-family residential – low density) to C-2 (commercial – general/highway) for a 0.51-acre tract on Indian Springs Drive for the purpose of having an office for an auto broker business.

The applicant, Danny Norton, has requested to re-zone from R-1 to C-2 for a 0.51-acre tract on Indian Springs Drive for the purpose of using an existing building as an office for a car broker licensee. Perez Leasing, Inc. is the property owner.

Monroe County Community Development Director Kelsey Fortner said an auto sales business is a permitted use in C-2 under the county’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Fortner said there are several commercial businesses either currently operating or have operated in the past next to or near Norton’s proposed location.

Norton, who currently leases office space on Patrol Road, told the Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board on Monday that he runs a small vehicle operation in which he sells about 12 to 15 cars per month. Norton said he frequently purchases vehicles at auctions to sell directly to dealerships. Norton said very few sales are made to the public on-site and said there would not be more than five to seven vehicles parked at the location at any one time. Norton said the business would not create traffic concerns because most visitors would come by appointment only rather than having regular office hours. He also said he would not have commercial lighting that would harm his neighbors.

Lassiter Road resident Rob Law said he supports the project as long as Norton does not allow the site to deteriorate as some other businesses along the Indian Springs Drive corridor have. Law said the Development Authority of Monroe County is trying to clean up that area to make its business park, located about a half mile north of Norton’s proposed business, more appealing.

Stokes Store Road resident John Cannon was the lone citizen who spoke in opposition to Norton’s request on Monday. Cannon said he owns rental property on Indian Springs Drive next to the site of Norton’s proposed business and said the Indian Springs Drive area has quality affordable housing for many Monroe Countians. Cannon said he is looking out for his tenants by objecting to a business that could create more traffic and light pollution.

After about 20 minutes of discussion, P&Z Board member Chris Patterson motioned to approve Norton’s re-zoning request, which was seconded by P&Z Board member Shamika Morgan and approved 4-0.

Monroe County Commissioners will have the final say on the matter at their next scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.