The Macon-Bibb County Health Department suspended food service permits Monday for 20 businesses with overdue permit fees, including some whose bills date back to 2020.

The Dairy Queen at 4700 Hartley Bridge Road owed $1,307 from unpaid fees from 2020, 2021 and 2023. The Macon Youth Development Campus culinary operation’s unpaid bills from 2020, 2023 and 2024, total $1,272, while the Macon Regional Youth Detention Center did not pay $507 from 2023, according to figures presented to the board. 

The health department also suspended the following eateries until food service fees are paid:

• 587 Southern Style Cuisine, 344 Second St. —$436
• Apt. 77, 401 Cherry St. — $872
• Church’s Chicken, 5395 Thomaston Road — $507
• Club Xavier, 4740 Pio Nono Ave. — $872
• Country Inn & Suites, 3915 Arkwright Road — $436
• Crooklyn New York Caribbean Cuisine, 3924 Pio Nono Ave. — $436
• Dream XJG Entertainment, 840 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. — $192
• Georgia Dept. of Juvenile Justice, 4160 Riggins Mill Road — $436
• Jayden Shaved Ice & Treats, 5394 Bloomfield Road — $400
• Mercer Village Pizza, 1635 Montpelier Ave. — $436
• Middle Georgia State University Camelot Court, 100 University Pkwy. — $400
• Mi Margarita’s Bar & Grill, 4328 Hartley Bridge Road, $872
• Shark’s Fish and Chicken Chicago Style, 1413 Rocky Creek Road — $436
• Smoothie King, 600 New St. — $400
• Subway, 5602 Thomaston Road —$400
• Sunset Suite & Lounge, 1410 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. — $1,014
• The Shiver Shack Shaved Ice mobile operation, 1865 Tucker Road — $400

The health department mailed and hand-delivered notices to all 20 businesses whose owners were advised of the pending suspensions at Monday’s meeting and the opportunity to attend and speak to the board about their overdue bills. 

Only Billy Ray Daniels, the owner of the Shiver Shack, came to say that he did not feel he should pay the $400 fee from 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. He was not inspected that year, he said. 

While the board discussed Daniels’ plight, attorney Julia Magda noted it “reeks of unfairness” to waive fees for one business when all restaurants were affected, had to make adjustments in seating to stay open, or arrange for pickup meals, and still paid the bill for 2020.

Board Chair Chris Tsavatewa agreed. 

“All of the work of the environmental health staff continued, and this (Shiver Shack) operation was under the same liability to pay, and we were still under the same liabilities to offer those services,” Tsavatewa said. “I would not support that.” 

This is the second batch of delinquent accounts that environmental health staff put forward after reviewing the more than 700 establishments with food permits in the county.

In June, the board suspended a half-dozen food service operations for non-payment — four restaurants, a nursing home and church. Notices warned that food permits would be revoked if establishments didn’t pay up by the October billing cycle. All but one of those past-due accounts have been paid up and could continue operating, some within hours of having suspension notices posted to the front door. 

Abundant Word of Grace church on Napier Avenue was the lone hold out with bills totalling over $1,800 at last count. 

“We have been unable to determine if they continue to operate. We have not observed them operating,” Environmental Health County Manager Felicia Pearson-Powell said of the church. “All other bills were paid after staff visited and provided notices of the suspension. And then moving forward, people have stated that they will be a little bit more cognizant of the time frame for their payments.”

Policy noted in new billing

Bills going out this month are due Dec. 31. The notices include a warning that a late fee of $128 would be assessed in January and that the board could suspend or revoke their permit in February or March if the fees are not paid. 

Since the summer suspensions, the health department drafted a potential payment plan that would allow overdue business owners a chance to pay up over six months if they sign a legal affidavit attesting to their financial hardships. 

“The caveat to that is that if we do not receive payments as indicated, that the food service permit will be revoked at that time based on the requirements that are in the municode, which give us permission to do this,” Pearson-Powell explained.

Board Chair Chris Tsavatewa tabled consideration of the payment plan and mentioned that businesses should be aware of the annual fees and plan accordingly.  

“This is really about budgeting an appropriate fee over a calendar year, and we’ve been very attentive as a board to maintain a fee schedule that’s reviewed here and by the county commission that has to approve that fee schedule,” Tsavatewa said. “We have reasonable fees for operating in the county.” 

The board still could implement a payment schedule but wanted to evaluate how this year’s collections play out now that businesses realize they might have to shut down their kitchens for non-payment.

— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.

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