Author Archives: John S. Quarterman

Packet: Two Lowndes County Cases, Commercial on Stewart Circle, Tower on Rocky Ford Road @ GLPC 2025-09-29

Update 2025-10-05: Videos: Two Lowndes County Cases, Commercial on Stewart Circle, Tower on Rocky Ford Road @ GLPC 2025-09-29.

It might be a brief meeting Monday, at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

There are only two cases, both for Lowndes County: one for a commercial operation on Stewart Circle, and the other for a communications tower on Rocky Ford Road.

You may need a time machine to see the Lowndes County Commission decide, since the meeting date listed for that is in 2024.

[Collage, GLPC Packet, 2025-09-29]
Collage, GLPC Packet, 2025-09-29

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

Images of each page are below.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, September 29, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Videos: Opioid Litigation Settlement and Budget and Equity Reserve Policy @ LCC Work 2025-09-22

Update 2025-09-29 Videos: Opioid Litigation Settlement and Budget and Equity Reserve Policy @ LCC Regular 2025-09-23.

There were only two main agenda items, but the Lowndes County Commissioners had questions on each of them.

That was in this morning’s Work Session. They vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.

[Collage @ LCC 22 September 2025]
Collage @ LCC 22 September 2025

Some previous opioid litigation settlement funds have been received, about $600,000. Those are escrowed in an intergovernmental grant fund since the funds are earmarked. They have to be used for treatment, prevention, and abatement of the opioid crisis.

The updates to the county’s Budget and Equity Reserve Policy are partly because of FEMA relief for Hurricane Helene and previous hurricanes, which arrived after the corresponding Fiscal Years ended, and after a 60-day grace period in the previous policy. So they’re extending that grace period for grant funds only.

Last year about $3.9 million came in before the end of November, but after the grace period for FY 2025.

The policy stays as changed, unless the Commission later votes to change it again.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: Opioid Litigation Settlement and Budget and Equity Reserve Policy @ LCC 2025-09-22

Update 2025-09-22: Videos: Opioid Litigation Settlement and Budget and Equity Reserve Policy @ LCC Work 2025-09-22.

This is the lightest agenda in a while for the Lowndes County Commission.

There are long documents attached, but there are only two agenda business items: for another opioid lititgation settlement, and for an update to the county’s Budget and Equity Reserve Policy. That Policy has a whole new section on Revenues and Expenditures/Expenses.

[Opioid Litigation Settlement, Budget and Equity Reserve Policy, Lowndes County Commission, Board Packet 2025-09-22]
Opioid Litigation Settlement, Budget and Equity Reserve Policy, Lowndes County Commission, Board Packet 2025-09-22

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

There are also images of each page below.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC Regular 2025-09-09

They unanimously denied the controversial rezoning, 5.a. REZ-2024-06 Budd Horace Ave, 1735 Madison Hwy, ~3.0ac, CON – C-H. The Lowndes County Commissioners approved the other rezoning, and everythig else, at their Regular Session, Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

In 8. Reports – County Manager, County Attorney Walter Elliott said the county is required by state law to initiate the Service Delivery Strategies (SDS) process. If I heard him correctly, they already did back in April. We already knew the county intends to stick with the current SDS.

[Collage @ LCC 9 September 2025]
Collage @ LCC 9 September 2025

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Community Preparedness Townhall 2025-08-26

Valdosta City Council Nick Harden organized an informative meeting that he called a Community Preparedness Townhall, also known as a Disaster Recovery Meeting. Hurricane Helene featured, and also the flash flood last November.

A cavalcade of Valdosta City, Lowndes County, and Georgia state officials spoke, as well as people from private nonprofits.

They attempted to answer all the citizen questions.

[Collage @ Community Preparedness Townhall, 26 August 2025]
Collage @ Community Preparedness Townhall, 26 August 2025

Below are links to LAKE videos of most of the speakers, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08

Update 2025-09-12: Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC Regular 2025-09-09.

The Lowndes County Commissioners were quite chatty at their Work Session yesterday morning, which took more than 35 minutes; very unusual for them. They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

Yesterday, they discussed the controversial rezoning for a suprisingly long time, almost 17 minutes: 5.a. REZ-2024-06 Budd Horace Ave, 1735 Madison Hwy, ~3.0ac, CON – C-H. Nobody seemed to be defending it. The Chairman did suggest maybe tabling it.

The other rezoning breezed by, 5.b. REZ-2025-14 Dinkins, 6533 Lake Alapaha Blvd, 1.0ac, C-C to R-21.

Also they spent more than 12 minutes on 6.a. Pet Shop Ordinance and more than 4 minutes on 7.a. Moody Water Storage Tank Rehab. It’s an underground concrete tank, and apparently those have to be lined these days.

[Collage @ LCC 8 September 2025]
Collage @ LCC 8 September 2025

Below are Continue reading →

Packet: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08

Update 2025-09-09: Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08.

The rezoning on Horace Avenue next to Mud Swamp Creek that the Planning Commission recommended to deny is on the agenda for the Lowndes County Commission this week.

As is the Lake Alapaha Boulevard rezoning that sailed through the Planning Commission.

Plus a Pet Shop Ordinance, and Moody Water Storage Tank Rehab, for which Moody is reimbursing the county.

[Packet: 1 controversial, 1 easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08]
Packet: 1 controversial, 1 easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website, with images of each page below.

For the rezonings, see also the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2025, 8:30 A.M.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025, 5:30 P.M.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: 1 Complicated Lowndes County case, 1 easy, 1 Lake Park, 6 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-08-25

Update 2025-10-11: Packet: Rezonings, Dogs, Roads, and Subdivisions @ LCC 2025-10-13.

Update 2025-10-09: Packet: LP-2025-01, Lake Park Church of Christ @ GLPC 2025-08-25.

Update 2025-09-07: Packet: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08.

The apparently complicated rezoning did take 21 minutes, 3. REZ-2024-06 – 1735 Madison Hwy – Horace Ave. CON – C-H to CON – C-H. Ed Hightower moved to recommend denial, seconded by Tommy Willis. Vicki Rountree voted against, and the motion passed 6:1.

But the two longest were Valdosta City Cases, almost 39 minutes on 8. VA-2025-08 Andrew Duren (417 Brookfield Road) C-C(c) to C-C and almost 44 minutes on 11. VA-2025-11 Stoker Development LLC (310 Eager Road) R-15 to R-6.

[Collage @ GLPC 25 August 2025]
Collage @ GLPC 25 August 2025

The Planning Commissioners recommended denial 4:3 on VA-2025-11 Stoker, and approval everything else.

Commissioner Chip Wildes has been reappointed by the Valdosta City Council.

The meeting had item 13. 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update but the item was never announced.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Community Service Board, Lake Alapaha Well, Jail Expansion, Bicentiennial, Millages, Opioid Litigation, Hightower Road, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, PFAS Groundwater Claims @ LCC Regular 2025-08-25

They actually increased the Industrial Authority’s millage to 1.1 mil, above its historic rate of 1 mil. This was not discussed in the preceding Budget Hearings, nor I think even in the previous morning’s Work Session. They unanimously approved that and everything else on the agenda.

Chairman Bill Slaughter added an item to the agenda, for 5.j. Appointment – Community Service Board – must be elected official. They appointed Commissioner Demarcus Marshall. You may recall that on May 27, 2025 they appointed Commissioner Joyce Evans to this board. She was absent at that meeting, and has been absent from every Lowndes County Commission meeting since then. Since she has not made public why, I will not say, other than that her absences are not because she does not want to be there.

County Manager Paige Dukes had three staff give reports at the end of this Regular Session:

[Collage @ LCC 26 August 2025]
Collage @ LCC 26 August 2025

Below are Continue reading →

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

The board packet includes the SPLOST IX Agreement and Project Lists, as well as the agreements for the Opioid and Groundwater Claims and the Hightower Road Quit Claim and a resolution for the TREES Act.

This is for yesterday’s Work Session and this evening’s Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

[Collage, Packet @ LCC 2025-08-25-26]
Collage, Packet @ LCC 2025-08-25-26

The SPLOST IX Agreement and Project Lists are the same as LAKE already published two weeks ago from a usually reliable source.

The entire board packet, obtained in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website, and images of each page are below.

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.

See also the Continue reading →