Video playlist @ LCC 2012-11-13

The County Commission continues to do the peoples’ business in secret. The solid waste exclusive franchise agreement was tabled for a month, due to some mysterious new information, and two citizens pleaded with the Commission to reconsider the whole thing. The developer who got to speak at Monday’s Work Session asked for his development to be tabled for a month, and the Commission did so. After the meeting, three people from Moody AFB trooped into a side room with the Chairman.

Also, if it’s a privilege to serve and an honor to be appointed, why does the Lowndes County Commission not tell us who they are appointing? In the Work Session they muttered some proposed names unintelligbly, and in the Regular Session they didn’t say anything about who some of the new appointees are, and none of the appointees spoke. As near as I could tell, only one bothered to show up: VLCIA reappointee Mary Gooding.

Update 2012-11-20: Jody Hall reminds me he was there as an appointee. He says he was ready to speak, but nobody asked him to.

Here’s a video playlist:

Video playlist
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 November 2012.

Here’s the agenda again, this time with links to the videos plus a few notes.

-jsq

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

    Items not on the Agenda

    • A VSU class
    • Animal Health Fair, by Mr. Joe ? of the Humane Society. Also included microchipping and animal adoptions.
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — October 22, 2012
    2. Regular Session — October 23, 2012
  5. Resolution appointing the Lowndes County Legislative Coordinator

    ACCG asked for a designated legislative contact. Last year it was the County Clerk. County Manager Joe Pritchard recommended reappointing County Clerk Paige Dukes. They did that, unanimously.

  6. Appointments
    1. Valdosta/Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

      David Kirk is moving; need a replacement. No recommendations received. Architectural or construction background preferred by ZBOA. They tabled it until the next meeting, so as to get responses back from people they had asked about being willing to serve.

    2. Valdosta/Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority

      They reappointed David Motley and appointed Bob Montgomery to serve the rest of relocated Greg Charbeneau’s term. They only just appointed Charbeneau this January. Work Session for more.

    3. Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

      They appointed Jody Hall to replace John Page and Franklin Bailey to replace Bill Slaughter. No mention of Gary Moser. See Work Session for more.

    4. Lowndes County Industrial Authority

      They reappointed Mary Gooding to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA), even though they didn’t get that authority’s name right. The Chairman congratulated her, so apparently she was present. Gooding is Director of Marketing & Community Relations at Valdosta State University.

    5. Lowndes County Development Authority

      Four terms expire November or December: Buzz Akins, Jerome Tucker, Jeff Reames, and Gary Cannon. They reappointed Jeff Reames, Gary Cannon, and Jerome Tucker, and appointed Brooks Akins in place of Buzz Akins. Brooks Akins is presumably John Brooks Akins of Akins, LLC, 908 South Patterson Street, Valdosta. Why we the taxpayers should have to ferret out information on who our elected officials are appointing to a board is mysterious. The new LCDA board appears to be: Jerome Tucker, Jerome Waters, Carolyn Eager, Crawford Powell, Jeff Reames, Gary Cannon, Brooks Akins. See Work Session for more.

  7. Public Hearings
    1. REZ-2012-16 Cook Co Land Ventures, 5998 Hwy 122 E. E-A to C-C, Community Well & Septic, 085 acres

      Approved with a condition eliminating a package store use. They didn’t address the biggest problem, which is that at some future date, especially if Dr. Acree sells that site, somebody could put a strip mall there.

    2. REZ-2012-17 Lowndes Development, LLC, Davidson Rd MAZ II and MAZ III to R-10, County Water & Sewer, ~23.49 acres

      This is the one for which the Chairman asked the developer to speak in the Work Session, while no opponents of the development were asked to speak. At this meeting, County Planner Jason Davenport announced that the developer had asked for the Commission to table the item until their meeting in December, which they did, unanimously. After the Regular Session, three people from Moody AFB trooped into a side room with the Chairman.

  8. For Consideration
    1. Solid Waste Ordinance & Exclusive Franchise Agreement

      Some unspecified new information became available since the previous morning’s Work Session and the Chairman said he understood that meant Commissioners needed more time to consider. A rare event: Commissioner Joyce Evans made a motion. The motion was to table until the next meeting; unanimously approved. Rumor has it that the concern is whether the exclusive franchise agreement is even legal. I would wonder about an elected body granting a monopoly. I also wonder why the solid waste decision process continues to be done in secret, with no public hearings.

    2. Section 125 Plan Document Renewal for 2013

      Adopted pre-tax deductions for qualified health plans, group-term life insurance, etc.

    3. IRS Required Retirement Plan Amendment

      Adopted amendments to comply with federal law.

    4. Paging System for Lowndes County Fire Rescue

      Approved new system for $115,417 due to FCC-ordered narrowbanding of all systems in use. Work Session for more details.

  9. Reports-County Manager

    There were none.

  10. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address