STATE OF GEORGIA CITY OF DEMOREST ORDINANCE NO.200807


  Notice that they welcome your thoughts and comments... click to open Ordinance as .pdf 

    All the "Whereas" stuff is simply legalese sugar coating on a bitter pill... as in: "nuisances ought  to be regulated and eliminated..."   "Ought"??? Not "need"? Doesn't "Ought" mean "In our opinion"?  Is it written in this general way to try to mask the fact that they are targeting specific people?

    A lot of this is ok but aren't there already enough County and State ordnances for this stuff that have been given more thought and scrutiny than a local council has the ability to do? Isn't that what 38-5 (15) is... "Other conditions covered by state law." So are they adding to State Law for specific local targets?

Section 38-6
Here they swerve off into building codes. Why not just have one building code, why add it to this unless there is a target that they couldn't get with the building code... or is this just redundant?

38-8 Investigation and Determination of Nuisance:"The City Manager or her designee shall exercise such powers as may be necessary...(3) To enter upon premises for the purpose of making examinations, provided, however, that such entries shall be made in such a manner as to cause the least possible inconvenience to the persons in possession."

  Just when is it convenient to be harassed anyway? You need to read (4) and (5) also. Taken to the limit she can send in a police swat team without a warrant. Is Demorest part of the U.S.A. or not??? Kind of funny that this ordinance presumes that the City Manager will always be a woman, isn't it? ("The City Manager or her designee") It makes one wonder if this ordinance was ever reviewed by a competent lawyer, or is this just something they made up on their own?

The rest of it is about how they can hound you in court if you don't do as she wants.... or simply go for you as stated in:
Section 38-18 Immediate Abatement
  "... the condition may be abated or otherwise remedied summarily without following the procedures set forth herein."

Look, there are laws for this without giving the Demorest City Manager marshal law powers. Demorest is a quiet little town, there is no need for this authoritarian attitude. If there is a perceived problem just ask the people in a reasonable way to deal with it and offer help. If there is a real problem, there are already laws for it, or it's none of their business. This "There Ought to be a Law" stuff can go too far, especially when written in this slipshod fashion.