The City of Cornelia will consider an amendment to their municipal code on Tuesday that would make it illegal for residents to place leaves or brush in city storm ditches, culverts and on top of catch basins— something that, according to the city, is causing stormwater mitigation infrastructure to flood.
“The issue we have is when they [citizens] put them [leaves and brush] at the street for the city to pick up, they are placing them in the drainage ditches or on top of drainage basins which causes flooding issues when it rains,” Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson tells Now Habersham.
It’s not just a flooding problem, either. The city says that the flooding has caused traffic issues and road hazards for drivers.
“Per city code, it is already illegal to place leaves in the street,” the city says in a newsletter update. “To address the issue with the storm drains, the Commissioners are considering an ordinance that will make it unlawful to place leaves in ditches and storm drains.”
The city asks citizens that have ditches in front of their homes to place leaves and brush on the edge of their property for pickup rather than in the ditch. They also say if leaf pickup is needed sooner than when the city uses their leaf vacuum, residents should bag their leaves and they will be picked up during garbage collection.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in Cornelia City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The meeting will also be livestreamed via the city’s Facebook page.
View: Cornelia City Commission Feb. 1 agenda
