Commissioners To Vote on Infrastructure Task Force

Paulding County commissioners are expected to vote at their meeting tonight on the creation of the Paulding County Infrastructure Task Force, which would be charged with creating a plan to fix 174 subdivisions that were affected by the downturn in the economy.

There are about 9,100 lots affected, and Mike Jones with Paulding County says it's a $7 billion-to-$8 billion problem.

"We hoped it would fix itself, that the economy would come back," Jones said. "Now, it's 2011, and it's time to wrestle with that tiger."

The task force would be comprised of two committees—technical and executive. The technical committee would develop recommendations for the neighborhoods and present them to the two-member executive committee. If approved, the plans would be carried out. If not, the technical committee would come up with another plan.

Resident Mike Morris told the BOC during its morning work session that he's glad that the county is recognizing the problem. His neighborhood is full of issues, he says, including people dumping trash in the cul-de-sacs, which he also says are used as "Lovers Lane". Other problems include pits for sewer runoff being filled with pine trees, and the pipes and meters on valve boxes being exposed. Morris said he hopes the work will be done in a reasonable amount of time.

"I'd hate to be here 10 years from now saying the same things," he said.

In other business, commissioners are expected to vote on preliminary approval of an amended Urban Redevelopment Plan and an intergovernmental agreement with Cobb County to provide water and sewer service to a 40-acre tract on the county line off Poplar Springs Road.

The Paulding Board of Commissioners meets at 7 p.m. at the Watson Government Complex.