How Georgia's New Burn Law Impacts
Walker County Residents

Beginning October 1, Walker County residents will no longer need to contact Georgia Forestry to obtain a permit to burn small piles of natural vegetation and yard debris. A new law eliminates the notification requirement before burning things like twigs and small tree limbs, leaves, brush and grass clippings.

Changes to the law take effect in many parts of the state on July 1. However, implementation will be delayed locally because Walker County is one of 54 northern Georgia counties under the Environmental Protection Division summer burn ban from May 1 to September 30.

The law now puts the public in full charge of their actions and places the following requirements on those who burn:

• Space – 25 feet between fire and woodlands
• Space – 50 feet between fire and structures
• Time – sunrise to sunset
• Attendance – person responsible on site until fire is extinguished
• Reasonable precautions – tools or measures in place to prevent escaped fire

Georgia Forestry may charge a fee for suppression if these five safety requirements are not followed and wildfire results.

It remains illegal to burn household garbage and man-made materials such as tires, shingles, plastics and lumber year round.

Chief Appraiser Provides Report on 2021 Assessments 

The hot housing market is impacting property values nationwide, including Walker County. Recently mailed assessment notices show a substantial increase in value for many property owners.

“Numerous people are moving into the area from California, New Jersey and Texas,” according to Terry Gilreath, Chief Appraiser. “People are paying more than the asking price and what that does is it affects every other taxpayer.”

The Greater Chattanooga Realtors organization tracks sales in Walker, Catoosa and Dade counties in northwest Georgia, along with Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee. Their data shows the median sales price in this region increased 17.6% or $39,000 in May to $260,000.

Gilreath called the new assessments the product of an “inflationary increase evaluation.” Appraisers made adjustments to the residential property base value this year, going from $52 to $78 per square foot in order to comply with state law appraisal ratios. “All of these values are from the sales. That’s where we get our information from is the sales,” explained Gilreath. 

Even with the adjustments, the Walker County Assessors office is still seeing property sell for $30,000 to $50,000 above the appraised value. “Our office is built for 1,500 deeds to be processed each year,” said Gilreath. “This past year, (we had) 4,000. There’s that many transactions that are going on in Walker County. People want to be here.”

While property values may be higher, Gilreath added that doesn’t necessarily mean property owners will pay more in taxes. The millage rate set by governing authorities, such as the Walker County Board of Commissioners and Walker County Board of Education, will determine how much will be owed in taxes. Those rates will be set later this summer.

Gilreath advised, “If you have any questions about the notices, call the Assessor's office and we’ll be happy to explain it.” Their number is 706-638-4823.

National Weather Service Designates Walker County as StormReady County

The National Weather Service (NWS) has designated Walker County as a StormReady County. The four-year designation provides continued recognition of the county’s efforts to reach a high level of severe weather preparedness.

“Walker County is doing its part to minimize the vulnerability of our citizens to extreme weather events,” said Chief Blake Hodge, Walker County Emergency Management Director. “In order to be officially recognized as a StormReady County, we met a number of benchmarks established by the NWS, state and local emergency management officials.”

Criteria includes the development of a formal hazardous weather plan, establishing a 24-hour warning point and Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and utilizing multiple methods to alert the public to severe weather warnings and forecasts. “We also actively monitor weather conditions locally, promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars and utilize a corps of trained storm spotters who report storm information to the NWS,” added Chief Hodge.

Among the resources Walker County uses to alert the public about severe weather is SirenGPS. The community notification system sends smartphone notifications, text messages and calls landlines when the NWS issues severe weather warnings. Residents can sign up for the free service through the SirenGPS app, available on Apple and Android devices, or by calling Tina in the Walker County Commissioner’s Office at 706-638-1437.

In addition, Walker County has access to the Facebook Local Alert system, which shares weather alerts in the newsfeed of every Facebook user in Walker County.

This is the third time since 2015 that the NWS has recognized Walker County as a StormReady County.

CHI Memorial to Build New Hospital in North Georgia

CHI Memorial recently announced plans to build a new hospital in north Georgia.  “We are thrilled to see this endeavor move forward for our North Georgia community,” shared Janelle Reilly, market CEO, CHI Memorial.  “About one fourth of the people we care for live in North Georgia.  The new hospital will provide expanded access and more vital services closer to home for the residents of North Georgia.”

The hospital, which will be constructed on Battlefield Parkway in Catoosa County, will feature state-of-the-art inpatient beds including an intensive care unit (ICU), a full service emergency department, and operating rooms and procedural suites.  It will connect to the current CHI Memorial Parkway building creating a single campus geared on establishing a central location for inpatient and outpatient services.

“CHI Memorial has been committed to this community for nearly 25 years,” explains Andrew McGill, senior vice president, strategy and business development, CHI Memorial.  “Bringing more services to a convenient, patient-friendly campus that is close to a major interstate and in the epicenter of local commercial and residential growth will provide greater access to comprehensive healthcare.”

“When Hutcheson Medical Center declared bankruptcy, CHI Memorial stepped in and helped us maintain physician clinics that were closing in both Chickamauga and LaFayette,” said Chairman Shannon Whitfield, Walker County Board of Commissioners. “That’s what good partners do. In a time of need, they figure out what they can do to help. CHI Memorial has literally been working alongside the people of north Georgia for two and a half decades and we are thankful that partnership will soon result in a new hospital,” Whitfield added.

“Community hospitals are the lifeblood of the regions they serve, generating jobs and economic impact for local businesses, schools, local government, and residents,” said State Sen. Jeff Mullis, president and CEO, Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority.  “Companies looking to locate in a new region put healthcare at the top of their list of requirements for their employees.  This new hospital will be a significant boost to our regional economic development.”

A bond issue from Catoosa County will support the funding for the new hospital.  A local philanthropic campaign and capital funding from CommonSpirit Health will further fund project needs.  “Community hospitals are often built with support from the local community, and this project will be no exception.  Through the newly established CHI Memorial Georgia Foundation, we will work in partnership with the residents of North Georgia to build a new hospital they will be proud to care for neighbors, friends, and family,”  said Jennifer Nicely, president, CHI Memorial Foundation.

“The new CHI Memorial Hospital on Battlefield Parkway will accomplish a major goal of our community,” said Chairman Steven Henry, Catoosa County Board of Commissioners.  “Providing contemporary and comfortable inpatient rooms, ICU, emergency room, and operating rooms in the middle of Catoosa County will greatly benefit the residents of North Georgia.”

Work is underway to secure the appropriate local and state regulatory approvals needed to begin construction.  Groundbreaking for the new CHI Memorial Hospital Georgia is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2022, with a targeted completion date of mid-2024.