Welcome to Decatur County Decatur County, Georgia
 
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Sheriff's Office & Jail-DCCI  E-911 Emergency Management
Health Departments  Building Permits-Planning Board of Education
Fire & Rescue Department  Road Department Vehicle Registration
Property Assessments  Landfill and Recycling County Commissioners
Ambulance Service  Court Records/Clerk of Court Industrial Development
Hunting & Fishing  Airport Information Voter Registration
Department of Labor  Human Resources  Family & Children Services

The Decatur County Board of Commissioners, composed of six elected members representing the six districts in the county, welcomes you to its official web site.  

Located in Southwest Georgia, Decatur County is home to about 29,000 citizens. Its southern boundary is the state line between Georgia and Florida. Decatur County is uniquely situated at the crossroads of  two major thoroughfares- U.S. Highways 27 and 84 -and is located within easy driving distance of four major cities: Dothan, Alabama; Albany and Thomasville, Georgia; and the Capital of Florida, Tallahassee. Decatur County is one of the top 10 agricultural counties in the State of Georgia, and is ranked No. 1 in tomato, peanut and sweet corn production.Tom Patton is the County Administrator who works for the Board of Commissioners and handles the day-to-day business of the county. His office is located at 203 W. Broughton Street in Bainbridge, the county seat. The Administrative Office phone number is (229) 248-3030, fax is (229) 246-2062. For more county information, go to Georgia Department of Community Affairs' Decatur County demographics  or University of Georgia Decatur County facts, or Decatur County.georgia.gov.

Decatur County Commissioners, Bainbridge Public Safety officials, officers from Mitchell County, Decatur County, Seminole County, Donalsonville, Colquitt, Attapulgus and Climax government and law enforcement offices, representatives from the District Attorney’s office, people from City and County road departments and the county jail, and the Mayor of Attapulgus attended a Litter Enforcement workshop at the Decatur County Administrative office on Broughton Street last Thursday, June 25th.  County Administrator, Col. Tom Patton, opened the meeting with comments about his philosophies about littering and verbalized his commitment to the eradication of litter in Decatur County in the interest of promoting growth for our area.

The workshop was sponsored by Keep Decatur County Beautiful.  The Keep America Beautiful affiliate has been striving to bring this workshop to Decatur County for quite some time. To make it easier for people to attend the group was able to enlist the financial help of several local businesses and volunteer help from friends and board members of KDCB.  Wal-Mart, Southwest Georgia Oil Co., Ivey Funeral Home and Robinson Motors all made financial contributions.  Park Avenue Bank provided pads and pens for the attendees to use.  Volunteers from the City and County and Executive Director Suzanne Brandt made centerpieces for all tables from miscellaneous recyclable materials. 

Bringing the information to Decatur County were Randy Hartmann of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Lynn Cobb of Keep Georgia Beautiful, and Cpl. Scott Carroll of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.  The three brought information gathered by the State of Georgia regarding the status of litter and the results of research done at the request of Governor Purdue.  Some facts about litter presented are:

 

·         Litter often decreases property values by as much as 15 percent

·         There are 7 – 10 deaths on Georgia highways each year because of litter

·         Litter damages our precious water resources

·         Litter negatively impacts economic development, tourism and community pride

·         Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world

·         The #1 reason people litter is because they are careless.  2/3 of what is along Georgia roadsides comes from an unsecured load.  This is called negligent litter

·         People caught littering can face charges from a fine of $1,000 or up to 12 years in prison, to a fine of $25,000 and/or a term of five years in prison  

·         No one wants to visit, work or play in a trashy environment. 

 

Lunch was provided for the attendees and each was presented with a “toolkit” from DNR.  Each toolkit was a canvas bag containing a coffee mug, reflective vest, disposable gloves, clipboard and tongs to sort through trash.

The litter problem is one that needs the cooperation of all departments.  The workshop presented an opportunity for area enforcement professionals to form  alliances in order to present a united front  to combat the problem. 


 
 

Our County Seat, Bainbridge

Officially named the "Bass Capital Of Georgia," by the 2008 State Legislature, Bainbridge is also known as "Georgia's First Inland Port" because the Flint River, whose headwaters are located in Atlanta, flows through the city before emptying into Lake Seminole, one of the top 10 bass fishing lakes in the nation. Bainbridge Mayor Mark Harrell or City Manager Chris Hobby can be reached at (229) 248-2000. Contact the local Chamber of Commerce for information about upcoming city events, visit either the City of Bainbridge's site or its Bainbridge Mainstreet site.

 
OTHER MUNICIPALITIES IN DECATUR COUNTY INCLUDE

Attapulgus, Mayor Johnny Medley, (229) 465-3322
Brinson, Mayor James Earp, (229) 248-1752
Climax, Mayor Elizabeth Sheddy-Phillips, (229) 246-0467
 


 
 OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS REPRESENTING DECATUR COUNTY

U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R)
Washington D.C. office:  (202) 224-3521
Atlanta office:  (770) 763-9090, District Office (229) 985-2112
Macon office: 1-800-234-4208
E-mail at Web Site: www.chambliss.senate.gov

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R)
Washington D.C. office: (202) 224-3643, District Office (770) 661-0990
Atlanta office: (770) 661-0999
E-mail at Web Site: www.isakson.senate.gov

U.S. Representative 2nd District Sanford Bishop (D)
Washington D.C. office: (202) 225-3631
E-mail: bishop.email@mail.house.gov
Albany office: (229) 439-8067 (Field Representative Wallace Sholar)
Wallace Sholar Email: wallace.sholar@mail.house.gov

State Senator District 11 John Bulloch (R)
Atlanta Office: (404) 656-0040, District Office (229) 683-3420

E-mail: john.bulloch@senate.ga.gov

State Representative House District 172 Gene Maddox (R) 
Atlanta Office: (404) 656-0152, District Office (229) 377-1812
E-mail: gene.maddox@house.ga.gov
 
 

Governor's Office of Customer Service 1-800-Georgia

Georgia's Sunshine Laws (pdf version) Freedom of Information Act

SWGA Community Action Council link For Heating and Home Repair Assistance, or call 229-246-3119 for Decatur County Neighborhood Service Center

 

Scenes from the 8,430-acre Silver Lake Wildlife Management Area in Decatur County, acquired by Georgia Department of Natural Resources 2007-2008. For information on  Fall Quota Hunts, go to www.gohuntgeorgia.com or contact Hunter Services at 770-761-3045.


Notices
 

The next regular County Commission meeting takes place Tuesday, July 14, 2009, at 9 a.m. in the Administration Building at 203 W. Broughton St., in Bainbridge. A Public Hearing on the proposed 2009-2010 fiscal year budget will NOT take place Tuesday, July 7, 2009 as Commissioners first will meet again in a workshop with several department heads on Friday, July 10, at 8 a.m. in the conference room to further discuss the budget.

All county offices, except for emergency services, will be closed Friday and Saturday, July 3 and July 4, 2009. The Highway 27 South landfill will be open Friday, July 3, but both landfills will be closed on Saturday, July 4.

Hurricane Season has officially begun and information on preparing for disasters can be found by clicking here or by clicking on Emergency Management for more disaster preparedness links and weather information. For information about ongoing individual household FEMA support and funding click here.

Click on document title to view a copy of the Nonprofit Food Sales and Food Services Ordinance adopted by the County Commissioners June 9, 2009.

 A county-wide Nuisance Ordinance  was adopted at the special-called April 21, 2009 meeting of the Board. The county's Code Enforcement Officer is Sgt. David Ellis and the Animal Control Officer is Red Harrell (who enforces the Animal Ordinance adopted Oct. 14, 2008), both of whose positions have been transferred to Decatur County Sheriff's Office under the supervision of Lt. Rick Ashley. To report possible violations of either of these ordinances, call the Sheriff"s Office at 229-248-3044, or for emergencies, call 911.

Information on Swine (H1N1) Flu from Southwest Georgia Public Health, and April 30, 2009 release from SWGa Public Health. World Health Organization declares swine flu pandemic link.

New hours of operation at the old landfill on Fowlstown Road, Hwy. 309, are Wednesday and Saturday ONLY from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bagged household garbage is still accepted at $1 per bag up to five bags, and $24.50 per ton thereafter. White goods and tires may also still be brought to the site. Call 248-3030 for more information.

Bainbridge, Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau-or Southwest Georgia Visitors Center -link. For information on marriage licenses, guardianship or firearms licenses, call the Probate Court office at 229-248-3016. For information on divorces, notaries, deeds or state records, call the Clerk of Court office at 229-248-3025. For vital records (birth and death certificates) call the Health Department at at 229-248-3055. Fishing licenses can be purchased from a bait and tackle shop or go online to http://www.gohuntgeorgia.com/.

To view or download county-related documents, go to the County Commission or Planning Department page, scroll to bottom and click on desired documents.

Notice to cat, dog or ferret owners: Please remember to register your animals with the Planning Department on Airport Road. Forms for free registration can be obtained from this Website or at the Planning Department, or at the veterinarian clinics in Bainbridge. Proof of rabies vaccination must accompany the registration form. Click on animal registration form to obtain a copy of it.

Link to county surplus equipment sales at GovDeals.com

A big THANK-YOU to all who participated in the GREAT AMERICAN CLEAN-UP from KDCB Director Suzanne Brandt. Call her at 246-3611 for more information on how local groups or individuals can continue to participate in ongoing community beautification projects. Links to KDCB Award story and Backyard Burning story.

 


 

 

 

 

 

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