MACON, Ga. — For more than a year, Macon-Bibb County's Code Enforcement hasn't been doing in-person residential interior inspections.
13WMAZ has received dozens of phone calls about unsanitary and even dangerous conditions at Bibb County apartment complexes. We called code enforcement and found out they're not doing interior inspections and haven't been for the last 18 months.
Charmaine Hammonds of Macon used to live at AL Miller Village Apartments with her kids.
"It wasn't a safe environment at all. My kids could have breathing problems five years down the line and not know it was directly connected to this," Hammonds said.
She says she moved out of her moldy, leaky, bug-infested apartment in December after making no progress with code enforcement.
"I called code enforcement twice. I'm like, 'You need a hazmat suit to go in there. It's absolutely ridiculous! It's like a feeding ground for these animals,'" Hammonds said.
She also reached out by e-mail, but says code enforcement never helped.
"He said, 'We can't come into the building right now because of COVID-19,' but he was like, 'Send me the pictures and I will contact who I need to contact. We'll come in and do an inspection,' but that never happened," Hammonds said.
For more than a year, Macon-Bibb County's Code Enforcement halted in-person residential interior inspections. That policy started In March of 2020, under Mayor Robert Reichert as a COVID-19 safety procedure. 18 months later under Mayor Lester Miller, those inspections haven't resumed. Keith Moffett, Bibb County Manager, said he doesn't view this as a "lack of service."
"It's just a change. The suspension, I think, is a good thing, just for the safety of our inspectors going into residents' homes," Moffett said.
Hammonds also said, "I understand the pandemic and what's going on, but you have numerous individuals coming in through this building. Mask up and protect yourself, because all you got to do is walk through and you'll see the problem! It raises crime in some aspects because it gives fragrance of a place to lay, to do drugs, to kill, or snatch someone's child. We are the tenants and we have rights as well."
Moffett acknowledged times have changed and vaccines and other safety measures are now in place, but said Bibb isn't planning on changing this policy soon. Instead, he says they will continue to use video, FaceTime, and pictures to conduct "interior" inspections.
After we told him about Hammond's complaints, he said the county plans to take A.L. Miller's owners to court.
13WMAZ also called the A.L. Miller leasing office and visited, but nobody was there and management did not respond.
Hammonds never failed to pay her rent or pay it on time.