City Street Or Driveway?

At the June 28th meeting of the Upson County Commission, Yatesville resident Gary Campbell requested that the county make repairs to Chase Street.

He stated that the county had maintained the street in the past but had not done so in several years. County attorney Edward Trice told Upson Today that he could not confirm that the county had ever maintained the street.

The map on the county tax assessors web site indicates that Chase Street, as originally planned, would intersect a horseshoe shaped street off of Abercombie Street that is not named and was never constructed.

According to Trice, the fact that a street is shown on a plat does not necessarily mean that it had been deeded to or accepted by either the county or a city. It is the county’s position that this street lies entirely within the city limits of Yatesville and is not the property of Upson County, therefor the county has no responsibility or right to maintain it unless assistance is requested by the City of Yatesville.

Lithonia Bentley has owned the property and home on the left in the above picture since April of 1928.

Wanda Carter owns the property where the street actually ends since the horseshoe shaped street indicated on the map was never built. The map also indicates a street that begins in the curve on Pine Grove Road that was not constructed.

Campbell has had many discussions with Yatesville authorities over the years about the status of the street.

The street in question is located within the city limits of Yatesville and in the opinion of some residents is a driveway.

The as yet unanswered question is, is the map on the tax assessors site correct?

If Chase Street and the proposed horseshoe shaped street were deeded to the city or county, the property has been used by local residents for years and they may have done so without paying any property taxes. If that is the case, Campbell has a legitimate complaint, if the property was never conveyed to the city or county, he has a long driveway to keep up.