The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted recently to approve an ordinance allowing for the creation of special tax districts to fund repairs of various dams throughout the county.

Private land owners or individual communities can now petition the county to create a self-taxing district with specific participants to set aside money for the costs associated with dams that affect their property directly. The measure affects Category 1 dams, which if damaged would affect “life and public safety” with a collapse being potentially catastrophic, according to officials.