MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County is cracking down on crime using the court system. They're taking "nuisance" properties to court in an effort to fight crime.
A viewer asked us if Macon-Bibb County receives any money from businesses they declare a "nuisance." Our sources are Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller, the Macon-Bibb Code of Ordinances and the lawsuits the county has filed.
"Recently, the county has filed several nuisance actions against some C-stores as well as some hotels," Miller explained.
Our viewer heard about them and wanted to know if there's anything in it for the county. Mayor Miller says people have asked him the same question.
"The ultimate goal is not to collect any money on this. As a matter of fact, we don't charge any money for this. This is a situation where we're asking for injunctive relief," Miller said.
Injunctive relief is, "A remedy which restrains a party from doing certain acts or requires a party to act in a certain way." That's according to Cornell Law School.
"We're asking for them to maybe add security," Miller said. "Maybe close at a reasonable hour."
According to the Macon-Bibb Code of Ordinances, that's allowed. In these cases, they took it to court for a judge to decide. A recent court order requiring changes at Friends Food Mart on Houston Avenue shows the county asked for injunctive relief. There's no mention of money in any part of Judge Bryant Culpepper's order.
So we can verify that no, Macon-Bibb County does not receive any money from those businesses that they've declared "nuisances." If they do pay any fines, they'll pay them directly to the court through a court order.
Mayor Miller says these cases are different from code enforcement violations. If a business has a violation, any fines would go to the county's general fund. That goes toward paying salaries and funding departments like code enforcement.