Braselton updates pawn shop ordinance

The Braselton Town Council amended its pawn shop ordinance on Monday, marking the first revision to the document since at least 1996.

Town manager Jennifer Dees explained on Thursday that she asked Braselton’s attorney, Gregory Jay, to update the ordinance after a new state law was proposed last legislative session that would have affected pawn shops. The measure didn’t pass, but Dees said a pawn shop owner interested in opening in Braselton looked at the town’s ordinance and said it needed to be revised.

“The legitimate pawnshops are used to this and it’s probably what they see in other jurisdictions — they won’t mind this,” Jay said. “But I think this will help weed out the unscrupulous businesses that may try to locate here.”

The revised ordinance requires, in part, that pawn shops keep detailed records of items sold, pawned, exchanged or pledged through the businesses. It also requires identification information, photos and fingerprints of people who sell items in pawn stores in Braselton.

The pawn stores then have to submit those records to the Braselton Police Department in a daily report. The police department, in turn, will review the records to pinpoint if any items or sellers may have been involved in the theft of those items.

A number of other law enforcement agencies in the nation routinely track sales at pawn shops to monitor for any potential thefts. Braselton police may place a “hold” on certain items as part of an investigation.

Braselton will impose a one percent fee for each transaction in pawn shops to pay for the record-keeping system. The fee will be assessed to the person pledging, trading, pawning, exchanging or selling property.

Other Business
In other business on Monday, the Braselton Town Council:
•agreed to name a small section of Ga. Hwy. 124 to “Brassie Lane,” in memory of H.F. “Brassie” Braselton, former editor of the Braselton Four-County Booster newspaper. Downtown Braselton has been the center of two major road realignment projects that are creating the possibility of new names for the roadways. Brassie Lane only includes a small portion of the existing Ga. Hwy. 124 from the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 53 to the Braselton Library. It will affect only two town-owned buildings — the Braselton Library and an old barbershop. The Braselton family requested the road name, according to Dees.

•approved an annexation/expansion of the Braselton Community Improvement District (CID) to include Independence Bank’s property at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 211 and Grand Hickory Drive. The property was once owned by Habersham Bank. The Braselton CID now includes 25 non-residential properties along Ga. Hwy. 211. The self-taxing group is building the Braselton LifePath.

•approved an amendment to the Barrow County SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) to allow the county to refinance up to $58 million in general obligation bonds, which voters approved in a March 2011 referendum. Dees said Barrow County wants to use the savings in refinancing the bonds to buy federally-mandated emergency communications equipment. The amendment requires approval from all cities in Barrow County.

•approved special event alcohol permits for Monterrey’s and Cabo’s restaurants for their Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The council also approved a special event alcohol permit for the Jackson County Humane Society’s Fur Ball, which is set for Friday night, at the Braselton-Stover House.