Author Archives: John S. Quarterman

Deannexation + 2 Valdosta cases, 2 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2021-07-26

A Valdosta deannexation and a Lowndes County rezoning case seem linked, although that is not obvious by the agenda for Monday’s Greater Lowndes County Planning Commission. See the next blog post for how.

[GLPC Agenda July 2021]
GLPC Agenda July 2021
PDF

Here is the agenda.

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

Monday, July 19, 2021 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, July 26, 2021 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Boards * 2, Rezonings * 4, Moody AFB wastewater @ LCC 2021-07-12

A third of a million dollars will be decided Tuesday by the Lowndes County Commission, after review at its Monday morning Work Session.

However, the items that will cause a chronic drain on county resources, including the school district, are not shown as having any “BUDGET IMPACT”: the four rezonings, especially the two 60+ acre subdivisions.

Cost What
$153,738.00Bid for a Fuel Truck for the Public Works Department
$165,427.00Acceptance of FY22 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant
$319,165.00Total

[Bethany Drive, Val Del Road, Wild Adventures]
Bethany Drive, Val Del Road, Wild Adventures

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-07-11–lcc-packet

See also the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 12, 2021, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021, 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 – June 21, 2021 & Regular Session – June 22, 2021
  5. Appointments
    1. Valdosta Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals

      Documents:Valdosta Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals -.pdf

    2. South Georgia Regional Library Board

      Documents:South Georgia Regional Library Board (2).pdf

  6. Public Hearing
    1. REZ-2021-08 O'Neal Properties, 2547 US HWY 84 W (0089 095/094), R-21 to C-H, Well & Septic, 4.53 Acres

      Documents:REZ-2021-08 ONeal Properties, 2547 US HWY 84 W.pdf

    2. REZ-2021-09 Building Valdosta Subdivision (0070 018), R-A to R-21, Community Well & Septic, ~64.84 acres

      Documents:REZ-2021-09 Building Valdosta Subdivision.pdf

    3. REZ-2021-10 Wombles, Lineberger Road (0091 037), E-A to R-A, Well & Septic, 6.0 acres

      Documents:REZ-2021-10 Wombles, Lineberger Road.pdf

    4. REZ-2021-11 The Landings (PD Amendment), Val Del Road (0071 056), County Water & Sewer, ~65 acres

      Documents:REZ-2021-11 The Landings (PD Amendment), Val Del Road.pdf

    5. Street Lighting Ordinance Amendment 7

      Documents:Street Lighting Ordinance Amendment 7.pdf

    6. Beer and Wine License – Jonathan Vigue with HFE Valdosta, LLC., DBA Wild Adventures Theme Park – 3766 Old Clyattville Rd., Valdosta, GA

      Documents:Beer and Wine License – Jonathan Vigue with HFE Valdosta, LLC., DBA Wild Adventures Theme Park – 3766 Old Clyattville Rd., Valdosta, GA.pdf

  7. For Consideration
    1. Acceptance of FY22 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant

      Documents:Acceptance of FY22 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant.pdf

    2. Moody Air Force Base Water & Wastewater Contract Renewal

      Documents:Moody Air Force Base Water and Wastewater Contract Renewal.pdf

  8. Bid
    1. Bid for a Fuel Truck for the Public Works Department

      Documents:Bid for a Fuel Truck for the Public Works Department.pdf

  9. Reports – County Manager
  10. Citizens Wishing to be Heard-Please State Your Name and Address
  11. Adjournment

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!

-jsq

Videos: Court * 4, Boards * 2, Sewer * 4, Beer, Computers, Pest, Fire, Grounds, Road truck @ LCC 2021-06-21

They spent the most time discussing the several court funding cash match requests, two weeks ago at the Lowndes County (GA) Commission Work Session. At the end, Project Manager Chad McLeod had updates on the Courthouse renovation and the Commission Chambers audio and video restoration.

Judge Golden, Accountability Court

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda. The board packet is on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request.
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-06-21–lcc-packet Continue reading →

Budget Meetings, LCC 2021-06-21

Lowndes County, GA, has a budget Public Hearing today at 5PM, and a Special Called Board of Commissioners Meeting on June 29th to approve the budget. It will include the new fire special tax collection district, the one that is causing tax assessment notices to go out again with corrections.

As usual, the draft budget is not on the Finance Department web page. Probably if you go down to the Commission office and wheedle, they will point you to one bound copy you can look at.

[Two budget meetings]
Two budget meetings

Here is the agenda for today’s budget meeting, which is just before the Continue reading →

Boards * 2, Sewer * 4, Court * 4, Beer, Computers, Pest, Fire, Grounds, Road truck @ LCC 2021-06-21

The biggest item on this week’s Lowndes County Commission agenda, for voting this eventing, is Grounds Maintenance. Planting some native shrubbery, flowers, and trees instead of all that lawn would reduce that cost.

Three sewage system items add up, for Whitewater Lift Station Control Panel Emergency Repair, Bemiss Low Pressure Sewer Main Replacement Change Order, and the $2,500,000.00 GEFA Loan for the Sewer System Rehabilitation Project. That last does not show up in the agenda sheet as BUDGET IMPACT, but county taxpayers will pay for it over time. However, proactive sewer system fixes are lot better than reactive sewage spill repairs.

Four courts in three agenda items require cash match. Plus a road work truck and pest control round out the dollar figures.

Cost What
$158,140.00Bid for Grounds Maintenance for County Buildings
$53,140.00Whitewater Lift Station Control Panel Emergency Repair
$48,307.21Compute and Storage for South Lowndes Data Center
$46,777.50Purchase of Fire Turnout Gear
$39,135.00Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Accountability Court Lowndes County DUI Court Grant Award – State Court
$33,989.00Bemiss Low Pressure Sewer Main Replacement Change Order
$28,074.84Purchase of a Truck for Public Works
$23,557.16Lowndes County Accountability Court Adult Drug Court Program – Grant (Cash Match)
$10,000.00Lowndes County Juvenile Accountability Court – Drug Court Program – Grant (Cash Match)
$6,734.40Bid for Pest Control Service
$447,855.11Total

There’s a reappointment to Children’s Services and a new appointment to the Library Board.

And there’s a beer license, which brings in fees of $250 Off Premises + $150 Administration = $400.

[Beer, Lawns]
Beer, Lawns

Here is the agenda. The board packet is on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request.
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-06-21–lcc-packet

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: air conditioning, Insolvent taxes, Fender Road Improvement Project, VLPRA @ LCC 2021-06-07

Air conditioning, a quit claim, and, by far the longest, those incorrect tax assessment notices were the big items at the most recent Lowndes County, Georgia, Commission Work Session, June 7, 2021.

[Manager and Chairman, Demarcus Marshall, Engineer]
Manager and Chairman, Demarcus Marshall, Engineer

See previous post for the agenda and the board packet.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Continue reading →

One case: Johnny Ball’s swimming pool cover @ ZBOA 2021-06-01

There was only one case at the Valdosta-Lowndes Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA). Johnny Ball wants a variance for a roof over his swimming pool at 12 Brentwood Place, Valdosta, GA. That’s off of Sherwood Drive, which comes north from Baytree Road, but Brentwood Place is between Gornto Road and the railroad and Sugar Creek, upstream from the Withlacoochee River. Also they have a new ZBOA member.


[Johnny Ball, ZBOA, maps]
Johnny Ball, ZBOA, maps

That has setback requirements, depending on whether it is an accessory structure or an addition to the house (attached to it), and whether it is enclosed. Whichever it was, it actually did not match the city code. Continue reading →

Former Harveys on Bemiss as Storage, Daycare not for teenagers, many Remerton cases @ GLPC 2021-05-24

Two items were contentious at the May 24, 2021 meeting of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC): repurposing the former Harvey’s supermarket on Bemiss Road as a storage facility, and a daycare facility that some people were mysteriously concerned would have teenagers hanging around.

12. VA-2021-11 Jonathan Irvin, 512 North Forrest Street, PD - Daycare

There was also rezoning of 32.06 acres on Ulmer Avenue for solar panels. Plus many Remerton cases.

Here are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE playlist. See also the agenda. Continue reading →

Videos: Insolvent tax list tabled, Lowndes Co. Dev. Auth. Reappointments, subdivision infrastructure, wine license, radios, bottled water, trucks, clothes washers, mowers, tractors, backup generator

Two weeks ago at their May 25, 2021, Regular Session, Lowndes County Commissioners unanimously approved everything except one agenda item. They tabled Tax Commissioner Rodney V. Cain’s request to write off $437,823.30 in insolvent taxes.

Insolvent list, Tax Commissioner

At the Monday, May 24, 2021, Work Session, Cain said the insolvent taxes were because the seven-year statute of limitations had been exceeded, or property had been moved out of the county. He said Gander Mountain accounted for half of the total. (I compute that at slightly less than 40%.) This item is back on the agenda for this morning’s Work Session and voting Tuesday evening, June 8, 2021.

At that previous Work Session, Cain seemed rather vague about details such as how much might need to be written off next year. He also did not say why he had not dealt with this earlier, even though he was first elected in November 2016. (His opponent in that election, Felicia Williams, is now an appointed Tax Assessor.)

In response to questions from more than one County Commissioner, Cain did say most Tax Commissioners deal with this annually, and he plans to do that from now on.

Cain previously made statewide news for Continue reading →

Insolvent taxes, Fender Road Improvement Project, air conditioning, VLPRA @ LCC 2021-06-07

The agenda for tomorrow morning’s Work Session and voting Tuesday evening doesn’t actually list the $437,823.30 insolvent tax writeoff as “BUDGET IMPACT” but it seems like it must affect the budget of Lowndes County, Georgia.

What would you guess would be the biggest insolvency for business closed, things moved somewhere else, etc.? Mobile homes? Paving? Real Estate?

Cost What
$618,767.14Fender Road Improvement Project
$437,823.30Insolvent List – Tax Commissioner
$28,842.00Agreement for HVAC Service for Additional Lowndes County Buildings
$1,085,432.44Total

Nope.

[Insolvent tax writeoffs, Fender Road Improvement]
Insolvent tax writeoffs, Fender Road Improvement

On page 21, Personal Property, GANDER MOUNTAIN COMPANIES has three lines of base + interest + Penalty + FIFA and in one case they actually paid the base tax. So the nets for each of the three lines add up as $16,917.55 + $82,256.20 + $74,203.57 = $173,377.32. That’s just shy of 40% of the $437,823.30 total. Maybe big box stores are more of a risk than the county and cities have been taking into account. Continue reading →