The Morgan County Board of Commissioners met on May 5 for its first session of the month.
A majority of the meeting consisted of public comment, following the commissioners’ decision to approve the consent agenda, as discussed during their previous meeting.
Shortly before addressing the new business portion of the agenda, commissioners heard from Morgan County resident Virginia Bonnough, who received a stop-work order after rebuilding a shed that had been damaged when the original structure was destroyed.
According to the agenda, Bonnough contacted Building and Zoning after receiving the order, explaining that she had obtained a building permit for the original structure, which was issued in 2020.
However, the Building and Zoning Department informed her that permits must be renewed annually. The agenda also included a document from the department document stating that components blown away in the original damage were later added to the rebuilt structure and were not included in the original permit scope.
Bonnough said her son-in-law had been helping complete repairs to the damaged shed and that she wished she had received clearer notice regarding the need for a new permit.
“He was trying to finish this shed for me, and I got this big red card that said ‘stop work,’” Bonnough said. “Someone could have just knocked on the door and said that I needed to get the building permit, but nobody did that, and they just put the order on the structure.”
She told commissioners she is facing more than $1,000 in fees and emphasized that the shed is located on her private property and used to store yard equipment.
“I really can’t afford to pay a thousand dollars and finish this shed, too,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything, and you can see it from the road. I would appreciate it if you could consider taking the fines off, tell me what the permit cost is, and I will gladly pay it.”
Moving into a new business, County Manager Adam Mestres provided updates on several county operations.
He reported that during April, the Public Works Department issued 51 new work orders, completed 41, and had 16 still pending.
“As far as road resurfacing projects, construction is fully completed on Parks Mill Road, High Shoals Road, and Fairplay from Sandy Creek to Highway 83,” Mestres said. “We’ll be doing a Fairplay residential section as we work back toward the Rutledge area.”
District 3 Commissioner Ben Riden also shared updates from the Joint Development Authority regarding financial activity tied to the Rivian project.
“The JDA has paid out $70 million in the life of the project, and that includes the $10.5 million payout, so the net gross has been $59 million,” Riden said. “On the Rivian side, their payout is at $1.5 million right now and is supposed to be at $15 million in 2029.”