Agenda: Millages, Opioid Litigation, Hightower Road, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, PFAS Groundwater Claims @ LCC 2025-08-25

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Millages and taxes are the top topics for the Lowndes County Commission this week, plus lawsuit settlements for opioids and PFAS, and a road abandonment quit-claim to the Air Force.

  • The property tax millage will be set at the rollback rate of 5.051 mills. That is a reduction of 0.232 mills or about 4.4% from the 5.283 rate of 2024. Your property taxes are a product of valuation and millage, minus various exemptions such as for homestead or conservation easements. Since many valuations went up, your taxes may go up.
  • VLCIA got its rate reduced to 0.823 mills last year, but this year it will be back to 1.00 mill like it always was before for the Valdosta Lowndes County Industrial Authority, aka the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority (VLDA).
  • Same 1.25 mills as always for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLCIA).
  • Same as last year: 2.50 mills for the Special District Millage for Fire Services. That’s right, twice VLPRA’s millage, and 2.5 times VLCIA’s millage.

In November you get to vote on the SPLOST IX projects the County Commission is approving this week for the penny Special Local Option Sales Tax. The county has not published that project list, but LAKE already published it more than a week ago:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25175

And those of us who are tree farmers may get some tax relief after Hurricane Helene, from the TREES Act Resolution. This is presumably the same ACCG Summary of the TREES ACT as Lowndes County put in its board packet.

Lowndes County may get some money from settlements for lawsuits about opioids and PFAS.

[Agenda: Millages, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, Opioid Litigation, Hightower Road, PFAS Groundwater Claims @ LCC 2025-08-25]
Agenda: Millages, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, Opioid Litigation, Hightower Road, PFAS Groundwater Claims @ LCC 2025-08-25

The Air Force wants the county to quit-claim the right of way for Hightower Road, which the county already abandoned in 2023. Moody Air Force Base is directly south of it, and the Air Force now owns the field north of it. Included in this post are the maps from the May, 2023, board packet from when the county abandoned that stretch of Hightower Road.
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=23550

Here is the agenda.

We don’t have the board packet, because I forgot to send in the open records request until today.

It is still mysterious why Lowndes County does not publish its board packets on its own website, like many counties larger and smaller have done for years in Georgia and Florida.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session – August 11, 2025 & Regular Session – August 12, 2025
  5. For Consideration
    1. Adoption of the 2025 Millage Rate

      Documents:Adoption of the 2025 Millage Rate.pdf

    2. Adoption of Special District Millage for the Industrial Authority for 2025

      Documents:Adoption of Special District Millage for the Industrial Authority for 2025.pdf

    3. Adoption of Special District Millage for the Parks and Recreation Authority for 2025

      Documents:Adoption of Special District Millage for the Parks and Recreation Authority for 2025.pdf

    4. Adoption of Special District Millage for Fire Services for 2025

      Documents:Adoption of Special District Millage for Fire Services for 2025.pdf

    5. Opioid Litigation – Purdue Pharma

      Documents:Opioid Litigation – Purdue Pharma.pdf

    6. Quit-Claim Deed of Abandoned Section of Hightower Road

      Documents:Quit-Claim Deed of Abandoned Section of Hightower Road.pdf

    7. SPLOST IX

      Documents:SPLOST IX.pdf

    8. TREES Act Resolution

      Documents:TREES Act Resolution.pdf

    9. AFFF/PFAS Groundwater Claims

      Documents:AFFF – PFAS Groundwater Claims.pdf

  6. Reports – County Manager
  7. Citizens Wishing to be Heard-Please State Your Name and Address
  8. Adjournment

[Millages and Opioid Litigation]
Millages and Opioid Litigation
PDF

[Hightower Road, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, AFFF/PFAS Groundwater Claims]
Hightower Road, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, AFFF/PFAS Groundwater Claims
PDF

Adoption of the 2025 Millage Rate

[The county-wide millage rate for 2025 should be set at the rollback rate of 5.051 mills. This represents a reduction of 0.232 mills from 2024.]
The county-wide millage rate for 2025 should be set at the rollback rate of 5.051 mills. This represents a reduction of 0.232 mills from 2024.
PDF

Adoption of Special District Millage for the Industrial Authority for 2025

[The Industrial Authority rate was set at 1.00 mill since it was first implemented, but was reduced to 0.823 mills in 2024. The proposed millage for 2025 for the Industrial Authority is 1.00 mill.]
The Industrial Authority rate was set at 1.00 mill since it was first implemented, but was reduced to 0.823 mills in 2024. The proposed millage for 2025 for the Industrial Authority is 1.00 mill.
PDF

Adoption of Special District Millage for the Parks and Recreation Authority for 2025

[The Parks and Recreation Authority rate was set at 1.25 mills since it was first implemented. The proposed millage for 2025 for the Parks and Recreation Authority is 1.25 mills.]
The Parks and Recreation Authority rate was set at 1.25 mills since it was first implemented. The proposed millage for 2025 for the Parks and Recreation Authority is 1.25 mills.
PDF

Adoption of Special District Millage for Fire Services for

[The 2025 rate should be set at 2.50 mills which is no change from the prior year millage.]
The 2025 rate should be set at 2.50 mills which is no change from the prior year millage.
PDF

Opioid Litigation – Purdue Pharma

[Special counsel for Lowndes County, Cale Conley, recommends Lowndes County participate in this settlement and accept the Purdue Bankruptcy Plan to receive funds from Purdue to abate the opioid crisis.]
Special counsel for Lowndes County, Cale Conley, recommends Lowndes County participate in this settlement and accept the Purdue Bankruptcy Plan to receive funds from Purdue to abate the opioid crisis.
PDF

Quit-Claim Deed of Abandoned Section of Hightower Road

[The Air Force has now asked the County for a quit-claim deed of the abandoned section of right-of-way.]
The Air Force has now asked the County for a quit-claim deed of the abandoned section of right-of-way.
PDF

Abandonment of a Section of Hightower Road 2023-08-09

[BUDGET IMPACT: N/A; abandoning the highlighted 1693.52 foot section of the road located proximate to Moody AFB.]
BUDGET IMPACT: N/A; abandoning the highlighted 1693.52 foot section of the road located proximate to Moody AFB.
PDF

SPLOST IX

[Further to the SPLOST IX Agreement approved by the Board on August 4, 2025, and also thereafter by each of the cities, the Resolution of the Board of Commissioners calling for the tax to be reimposed is attached.]
Further to the SPLOST IX Agreement approved by the Board on August 4, 2025, and also thereafter by each of the cities, the Resolution of the Board of Commissioners calling for the tax to be reimposed is attached.
PDF

TREES Act Resolution

[Subsection (b) of this Act provides that the Board may grant temporary property tax relief from taxes levied for certain eligible standing timber pursuant to OCGA § 48-5-7.5 during the final quarter of 2024 and each quarter of 2025. Subsection (c) provides that to grant such temporary tax relief the Board shall adopt a resolution or ordinance including certain specified provisions.]
Subsection (b) of this Act provides that the Board may grant temporary property tax relief from taxes levied for certain eligible standing timber pursuant to OCGA § 48-5-7.5 during the final quarter of 2024 and each quarter of 2025. Subsection (c) provides that to grant such temporary tax relief the Board shall adopt a resolution or ordinance including certain specified provisions.
PDF

TREES Act Summary ACCG 6.9.25 Final 0001

[What is the Disaster Area?]
What is the Disaster Area?
PDF

AFFF/PFAS Groundwater Claims

[Stag Liuzza, a law firm in New Orleans that specializes in representing local governments in the AFFF/PFAA litigation, and Carothers & Mitchell, a law firm in Buford, Georgia, have offered their services to counties in Georgia related to making a claim for a portion of the settlement funds paid by 3M and DuPont. These firms would be paid on a contingency basis, i.e., attorneys’ fees and expenses would be taken out of any settlement recovery. If the County recovers nothing, it would pay nothing in fees and expenses to these firms.]
Stag Liuzza, a law firm in New Orleans that specializes in representing local governments in the AFFF/PFAA litigation, and Carothers & Mitchell, a law firm in Buford, Georgia, have offered their services to counties in Georgia related to making a claim for a portion of the settlement funds paid by 3M and DuPont. These firms would be paid on a contingency basis, i.e., attorneys’ fees and expenses would be taken out of any settlement recovery. If the County recovers nothing, it would pay nothing in fees and expenses to these firms.
PDF

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Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

2 thoughts on “Agenda: Millages, Opioid Litigation, Hightower Road, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, PFAS Groundwater Claims @ LCC 2025-08-25”

  1. Pingback: Lowndes County and Cities SPLOST Agreement and Project Lists 2025-08-04 | On the LAKE front

  2. Pingback: Videos: 2 small rezonings, Comprehensive Plan, USGS Gauges, GDOT for Shiloh Road, Civic Center Hurricane Repair @ LCC Regular 2025-08-12 | On the LAKE front

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