I called this one… The City of Snellville has paid big to make the ill-fated crematory lawsuit go away. It is unfortunate that the people of Snellville cannot so easily make the Council members who got them into this mess also go away.

Crematory Society of the South owner Chris Nuzum did nothing wrong when he opened his business on busy Hwy. 78. Three members of the City Council—including two lawyers—bowed to the ignorance of the nearby homeowners and embarked on a plan to use the power of government to close a lawful business.

After closing Nuzum’s doors, Council members Kelly Kautz and Warren Auld (the two lawyers) and Council contrarian Robert Jenkins led a bumbling charge to ensure that Nuzum remained out of business. With Auld and Jenkins’ support, Kautz cobbled together an ordinance from Internet sites regulating the emissions from crematories even though the City Attorney told them that they didn’t have the authority to do so. The state Attorney General was called in to halt her overreaching.

Now, many months and thousands of dollars in legal bills later, the city will be required to pay Nuzum $120,000 as compensation for lost business. Nuzum has agreed to pull up stakes and move elsewhere, and I don’t blame him. If he leaves the city completely, his will be added to the growing list of businesses that have left or opted not to locate in Snellville because of the Council’s `Trio of Stupidity.`

Moore would not offer details on the settlement and City Council members would not comment. Under the settlement, Nuzum agreed to remove crematorial equipment from the house within six months and then sell the property. The city also is expected to rezone the property to prevent any other crematory from moving in.

Crematory fight finally comes to end | ajc.com

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