Decatur Aldermen are taking a second look at the town’s heavy haulers ordinance after an 18-wheeler damaged Country Club Road hauling dirt to a residence.
In a Board of Aldermen meeting last Tuesday, Mayor David Marshall told the board Country Club Road does have a “No Trucks” sign and the truck driver was repeatedly asked to take a different route but refused to comply.
“We caught the same driver multiple times over the past week violating the weight limit,” he said.
Both town officials and law enforcement had spoken to the driver, Marshall said, however the driver had a “total disregard” for the weight restriction.
Although the board intended to introduce a heavy haulers ordinance several years ago, Marshall said it did not go into effect. That has left Decatur Police in an awkward situation, where there is an ordinance but no way to enforce it, he said.
“We didn’t follow through on some paperwork when we did it,” he said.
Public Works director David Anderson said he had patched the road temporarily but would need to go back and permanently repair it once the board was sure the truck was gone. While a cost estimate was not ready, he said the road would most likely need to be closed for several weeks.
Moving forward Board Attorney Mitch Thomas said the board could consider adopting an ordinance similar to the City of Newton’s, which creates approved truck routes for large vehicles.
“They banned trucks from city streets,” he said.
Of course, Thomas added, the Newton ordinance lays out exceptions for residents who own 18-wheelers. They would be allowed to drive them if they were going home.
Additionally, Thomas said, the board could send a letter to the trucking company asking them to pay for the damage to Country Club Road. The company could refuse, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, he said.
“I think we could still make a demand for the damage and see what they do,” he said. “Going forward, if we have a law in place, we can pull them over and give them a ticket.”
The board tasked Thomas with writing a letter to the trucking company seeking damages and with preparing a sample ordinance to be reviewed at next month’s meeting.
Additionally, the board asked Anderson to prepare a cost estimate to repair the damaged road, including materials and labor, to be included with Thomas’ letter.
In other business, the Board of Aldermen:
• Approved sponsoring the Turkey Creek Fireworks Show $75; and
• Approved an interlocal agreement with Newton County for fire protection.
