Susan Pritchett, a resident who gave her address, told the Meriwether County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 23 that Flat Shoals Road is deteriorating from large trucks and that vehicle weight limits are not enforced.

Pritchett said some trucks using the route weigh “anywhere from 25 to 80,000 pounds” and described near-miss incidents involving horses and ranch traffic. “There’s gotta be a consequence,” she said, adding that she has called the sheriff’s office but enforcement has been inconsistent.

Commissioner (district representative) responded in public comment that the county is “working on it big time” and advised the resident to contact County Administrator John for details. The commissioner explained the challenge: tickets written by deputies have been “thrown out” by the district attorney when the county road designations and related paperwork are not in order. He said staff are preparing an ordinance to certify certain county roads as “no through roads” unless business is on that road, so enforcement actions will withstand review by the DA.

The board did not take formal action during the meeting but instructed staff to continue compiling the documentation needed to finalize the road certifications and ordinance language. A commissioner offered to follow up by phone and to coordinate with the sheriff’s office and county attorney to make enforcement viable.

No timeline for completion or a vote on an ordinance was provided during the meeting. The resident was given a contact for follow-up and was told staff and commissioners would continue working toward an enforceable solution.