The Telegraph: Homeowners left picking up bankrupt developer’s tab

By Jim Gaines

March 16, 2014

 The handful of streets that make up the Beaumont Heights subdivision look like streets in many other places in Macon-Bibb County: asphalt bordered by rounded concrete curbs, punctuated by stormwater intakes and manhole covers. But appearance is not enough in this subdivision just off Williamson Road, southwest of downtown. Though the development is about 11 years old, its streets and drainage network have never been accepted into the public system. Until they meet the official standard, the Macon-Bibb County government won’t promise to maintain them. “We were not even on the city map,” said Tony Head, president of the homeowners’ association.Beaumont Heights isn’t the only neighborhood in this situation. Others will face it soon. But for the government to cover all the potential costs of bringing streets and drains up to the common standard would open a “can of worms” that Macon-Bibb County ultimately couldn’t afford, assistant County Manager Steve Layson told commissioners at a Facilities & Engineering Committee meeting last week.  Read more: