ENGINEERING
Todd Powell, PE
City Engineer
411 W Jackson St
P.O. Box 1540
Thomasville, GA 31799
(229) 227-7009
The City of Thomasville Engineering Department provides the following services:
Street Paving
The Council of the City of Thomasville is granted the authority by the City Charter to order the paving, repaving, or improvement of any streets, public alleys, or public places in the city as it deems necessary. Property owners whose property abuts a dirt street will have their street paved through the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax program adopted in 2000, 2006, and 2012. A nominal assessment will be placed on each property according to street frontage.
For more information on the street paving program, contact the City of Thomasville Engineering Department at (229) 227-7009.
Drainage
The City of Thomasville Engineering Department is responsible for reviewing existing drainage infrastructure and preparing plans for necessary improvements. The Public Works Department performs routine maintenance work on drainage infrastructure and reports drainage problems to the City Engineer. The Public Works Department and Engineering Department coordinate their efforts and resources in order to gather enough information to solve the problem. The Engineering Department identifies funding sources and prioritizes drainage work according to funding limits and safety concerns.
The City of Thomasville Storm Water Management Ordinance requires the City Engineer to determine if a developer can pay a storm water impact fee or construct a stormwater management facility to control runoff. The impact fee is based on $0.10 per square foot of new impervious area created (building and paving). Revenues collected from the storm water impact fee are used to defer costs of other area drainage improvements.
Traffic Engineering
Traffic safety is an important responsibility of the Engineering Department, and citizens may report dangerous locations that need to be addressed because of sight visibility limitations. Any object or obstruction in the right-of-way is a potential accident.
Traffic signals are adjusted either by the City of Thomasville or the Georgia Department of Transportation, depending upon which government controls the road. New traffic signals are installed only after a study has been completed by the appropriate government entity. The City Council approves the cost of traffic improvements. On State routes, the City of Thomasville Engineering Department works closely with the Georgia Department of Transportation regarding matters affecting Thomasville’s citizens. Anyone with questions or suggestions about the existing traffic network in Thomasville may contact the City Engineer’s office.
New Development
The development process in Thomasville should begin with the City of Thomasville Planning Department. Once the site is cleared by the Planning Department, the Engineering Department reviews the development plan as it relates to the location of new driveways, parking layout, and storm water management requirements. The Georgia Department of Transportation controls driveways on state routes. The Planning Department determines landscaping and the number of parking spaces required. Information regarding utilities can be obtained through the City Engineer’s office at (229) 227-7009.
Subdivision of Property
The Land Subdivision Ordinance describes the rules related to the division of property into buildable lots. The first contact in this process is the City of Thomasville Planning Department. If a new street is required, the Planning Department will ask the Engineering Department to review the plans.
Persons interested in subdividing property should submit a preliminary plat to the Planning Department for approval by the Planning and Zoning Board. The Thomasville City Council must accept the final plat after the Planning and Zoning Board gives its approval.
Rights-of-Way Information
The City of Thomasville Engineering Department has some information available regarding City rights-of-way. A registered Georgia Land Surveyor must determine specific information about a piece of property. Thomasville’s Geographical Information System can be used to obtain general right-of-way information. Upon request, the Engineering Department will use other resources to help citizens identify approximate rights-of-way locations.