More than four minutes yesterday morning on Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal: maybe it’s still contentious because they still don’t have a good model. Maybe not everybody wants to have their trash picked up at the end of their driveway like they lived in town. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, and they agreed add an agenda item amending the ordinance to change insurance requirement from $5 million to $1 million. As of this writing at 8AM, they have not yet changed their online agenda. We’ll see how it eventually changes from the agenda already blogged.

They spent more than three minutes on Regional T-SPLOST; follow the link for details. Another Lift Station Pump lift station pump needs replacing And Dasher wants the county to maintain a couple of dirt streets.

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also the agenda.

• 1. Call to Order 4. Minutes for Approval

  Video.

• 5a. Accept infrastructure for Gramercy Subdivision Phase III

  Video.

• 5 b. Consideration of Regional T-SPLOST

  Video. For background see Regional T-SPLOST agenda 2017-02-28. I’ve marked with * below the five counties that voted for T-SPLOST in 2012: Clinch, Atkinson, Coffee, Bacon, and Irwin.

  Eight voted for already: Atkinson*, Ben Hill, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch*, Echols, Irwin*, and Lanier.

  Two opposed: Berrien and Brantley.

  Eight not voted yet: Bacon*, Pierce, Lowndes, Cook, Ware, Tift, Turner, and Coffee*. None of those eight (other than Lowndes) have a meeting prior to April 1st, yet the all plan to “visit this issue” some time in April.

  If ten counties vote for, a regional T-SPLOST referendum can be put on the November ballot. If fewer vote for, individual counties can put their own county T-SPLOST on that ballot. Under current state law, a county can choose to authorize both. However, there is a bill in the legislature right now to make it not possible to authorize a county-only T-SPLOST until after a regional T-SPLOST fails to get ten county commissions for it.

• 5 c. FY 2016 Performance Partnership Agreement and EMPG Application

  Video.

• 5 d. Bevel Creek Lift Station Pump

  Video. This pump feeds 60% of the flow to the county’s Land Application Site (the county does not have a wastewater treatment plant). Three bids, and staff recommends the one for $34,908.11.

• 5 e/f. Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal

  Video. Also Commissioner Demarcus Marshall said there is an uptick in recycling, and he wondered if either franchisee had expressed interest in starting that. Answer: no, although they can. And people can take recycling to the centers. Hm, so what if we re-open the more local collection centers….

• 5 g. Agreement to Provide Street Maintenance to Dasher

  Video. It’s for Triple Eight Circle and Triple Eight Drive, both dirt roads, for five years, termination by either party with 30-day notice, $1350 per calendar quarter. Dasher has not yet responded to agreement drawn up by county attorney.

• 6 a. Bid for Tractor with Boom Mower

  Video. Two bids “that were deemed responsive”, said Finance Director Stephanie Black, and she said the one from Ag-Pro fit their local criteria.

  • Somebody from Austell, GA $116,800
  • Ag-Pro Valdosta $118,175

• 7. Reports – County Manager (none)

  Video.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist:

Videos: Trash disposal renewals, regional T-SPLOST, another lift station pump, Dasher Streets
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, March 27, 2017.

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