Author Archives: John S. Quarterman
More Companies are Looking to Power Up with Solar Energy
Jimmy Carter’s dream of a solar-powered world is coming true now
U.S. president Jimmy Carter had a dream,
thirty six years before Pope Francis spelled out why we all need to escape a dark hot nightmare,
and Jimmy Carter’s sunny dream is now coming true.
Continue readingToday, in directly harnessing the power of the Sun, we’re taking the energy that God gave us, the most renewable energy that we will ever see, and using it to replace our dwindling supplies of fossil fuels.
Budget Adoption Meeting, Lowndes County @ LCC Budget 2015-06-23
A Budget Adoption Meeting 5PM before the 5:30 PM Regular Session,
as alluded to at
yesterday morning’s Work Session.
Is this a second Budget Hearing?
Does it count if it’s not advertised as a Hearing?
And it turns out the proposed budget is on the county’s website,
just not where they previously said it would be.
[5:00-5:30PM] Tuesday, June 23 Continue reading
About to start: Lowndes County Commission.
Four board appointments, plus Justice, Water, and Alcohol @ LCC 2015-06-22
Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget to be considered Monday
morning and voted on Tuesday evening (see LAKE videos of Budget Hearing of two weeks ago), plus
a
GEFA Loan Modification
(thought they approved that 26 May 2015 for the Alapaha Water Treatment Plant),
a
Justice Assistance Grant,
a
SCADA lease-purchase agreement,
and the annual controversial
Mosquito Contract.
Two appointees each to KLVB and the Library Board. We don’t know who, because the county posted the agenda only in PDF, with no item sheets.
Public Hearing approved last month for the Abandonment of Buck Cato Road: what’s causing all of these in the last couple years? And they’ve found an excuse for their long-desired Continue reading
Videos: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC Budget 2015-06-09
For the budget they will vote on Tuesday June 23rd,
two weeks ago
Finance Director Stephanie Black said:
“This is the public hearing”
What happened to the requirement for two budget public hearings?
The County Chairman said they had $7 million in requests above the expected revenue, so they had had a difficult time coming up with a budget. For (some of) how they did that, see the LAKE videos of the 18 May 2015 Budget Work Session.
Half of this budget hearing consisted of the same presentation from that previous meeting. Then County Manager Joe Pritchard added Continue reading
Videos: Deep South Sanitation litigation resolution, Animals, MAZ, Water, School @ LCC 2015-06-09
Not on the agenda for the 9 June 2015 Regular Session:
settlement agreement for the county’s unnecessary
lawsuit against Deep South Sanitation.
Commissioners had no questions, but I have two:
- how much did the county spend on the lawsuit?
- how much did the county end up paying DSS?
Also unscheduled: Recognition of Leadership Lowndes Attendees.
Citizen Billy Rowland had some comments about road grading and wondered how Animal Control could come take his dog from his posted property yet not do anything when he reported barking dogs.
They approved a Scruggs Co. contract for Paving on Coppage Road, which includes curb and gutter to save some of the tree canopy. They approved a Bid for Bemiss Road Mowing even though it’s a state highway, plus a Bid for a Zero-Turn Mower for the Public Works Department from Nashville Tractor. They approved the Bid for a Fire Pumper for Lowndes County Fire Rescue and the LCSO Patrol Car Laptops Lease Purchase and tabled the Lowndes Middle School Utility Service from Valdosta utilities.
Via LAKE open records request, see the board packet item for the complicated Moody Activity Zones Text Amendments to the Unified Land Development Code that were tabled for more time at the Tuesday June 9th 2015 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. See the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission meeting that considered the MAZ and the rezonings on this agenda. The Shiver and Kinsey rezonings were were approved unanimously with no speakers from the public and no Commissioner comments. The Orchard at Stone Creek rezoning discussion about a retirement home lasted for 14 minutes, including updated maps that were only provided to LAKE on paper, despite a request for electronic copy. See also the agenda and the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.
Continue readingVideos: Regular Session GEFA, road abandonment, bids, and water @ LCC 2015-05-26
Attorney had to remind Commissioners that
a road abandonment such as for Buck Cato Road
requires a public hearing.
They declared the
solid waste equipment surplus to be leased to “prospective franchisees” such as DSS;
County Manager said
“we have the lease agreement here”, but did not put it on the county’s
website for the public to see.
County agent arrived just in time to hear the Langdale bid accepted for
a truck for the Extension Service.
They accepted
the Lee Office Supply bid for Emergency Operations Center tables and chairs.
And of course they approved the
Interconnection of North Lowndes and Kinderlou Water Systems
and the
GEFA Loan Modification
for the Alapaha Water Treatment Plant.
They started
a minute late. At the end, after
the County Manager
had no report
and no citizens wished to be heard,
as usual they adjourned without a vote.
This was all at the afternoon Lowndes County Regular Session. For background and more details, see Continue reading
Development Authority dials to see what they are doing.
Ahead of schedule.
