MACON, Ga. — A west Macon apartment complex is fighting back against a court order that essentially puts it under temporary new management.
Macon-Bibb County took Green Meadows Townhomes to court last month, citing high crime rates, and management's inability to manage the property.
An independent judge reviewed their filing, and another judge approved it within 90 minutes, according to court documents.
The complex argues they had no time to defend themselves when the original order came down. Mayor Lester Miller says the county was within their rights to declare the property a nuisance, and he believes the plan is working.
"Number of calls coming in, shots being fired, violence," Miller said. "It's no secret that Green Meadows has been a tough spot for Macon-Bibb County for a while."
It's an apartment complex county officials call a 'Haven for criminals.' After nearly 2,000 emergency calls since 2020 and almost 150 shootings between March 2022 and June 2023, the county took Green Meadows to court.
They filed a nuisance action against the complex, similar to what they've done with other places like M&M Food Mart. The major difference here is they're not going for a closure.
"One of the reasons we filed this particular action was to make sure that the people who are living there wouldn't become the victims and be displaced. So, our primary goal is to do that and take care of the owners there. We feel like the owners are putting profits above people," Miller said.
Instead, the county asked a judge to appoint a receiver. That's someone who would help the management manage the property.
"We're going to hold them accountable, and hopefully they can get their act together and be restored back in six months to a year," Miller said.
The complex doesn't see it that way. They're fighting back in court. In a Sept. 1 filing, they argued the county's action violated their due process rights.
They also argue they've done plenty of work to rehabilitate the property and remove tenants who cause problems.
Miller says despite the argument from Green Meadows, he believes the statistics are on his side.
"The overall crime there since the receivership has decreased more than 60%. So, it's quite obvious that the receiver is working, and they're doing their job. We think that's the most important thing," Miller said.
Green Meadows' appeal took things to a hearing Sept. 18. There's no updated ruling on the Clerk of Court's website yet, and Miller says he hasn't heard any update yet. He expects a ruling in the next week.
According to a presentation the county showed in court, they're also seeing fewer emergency calls, less gunfire and fewer rounds fired. Many of those statistics come from the county's Shotspotter program.
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