Author Archives: John S. Quarterman

Duke Energy solar: NC, SC, and now Florida

Duke’s new solar farms in Florida echo what Duke was already doing three and a half years ago when an independent study concluded more solar power in North Carolina would save utility ratepayers tens of millions of dollars annually.


Duke solar power farm in Perry, Florida, courtesy Duke Energy

John Downey, Charlotte Business Journal, 23 October 2013, Study: Solar benefits outweigh costs in NC, Continue reading

Inner Perimeter Overlay Zone, Personal Care, and Estate Agriculture @ GLPC 2017-04-24

Two of the three Valdosta cases for tonight involve the Inner Perimeter Road Corridor Overlay District of Valdosta’s Land Development Regulations. The other Valdosta case is about a Personal Care Home on Hollywood Street. The two Lowndes County cases on ‘ the Planning Commission agenda are opposite: REZ-2017-05 Cody Califf wants the usual rezoning of agricultural to residential development, but REZ-2017-04 Jeffrey Taibl wants to return to Estate Agricultural.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA

Monday, April 24, 2017 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

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Agenda, Deep South Regional Municipal Solid Waste Management Authority 2017-04-19

Grants to participating local governments are mostly what’s on the agenda for next Wednesday for the Deep South Solid Waste Management Authority, sent today by Julia Shewchuck of SGRC (PDF).

DSSWA-Agenda--04192017-0001 On the telephone yesterday she clarified that the grants from this Authority mentioned in the Lowndes County Commission Goals meetinng are exclusively available to the seven local governments participating in this Authority. They are: Berrien County, Lanier County, Lowndes County, City of Nashville, City of Lakeland, City of Valdosta, and Echols County CG. She also noted that Echols County was one of the original participants in the authority, even though it had dropped off for a while, and had been added back in a recent year (2014).

DEEP SOUTH
REGIONAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

Meeting of the Board of Directors
Deep South Regional Municipal Solid Waste Management Authority
April 19, 2017
6:00 PM
Southern Georgia Regional Commission
Valdosta, Georgia
AGENDA Continue reading

Videos: T-SPLOST report, delinguent subdivision, Juvenile Justice Incentive, GDOT Exits & Mowing @ LCC 2017-04-10

They vote 5:30 PM Tuesday about what they discussed this morning. The longest item at five minutes was 6a. FY2018 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program REquest. Third longest was a subvision asking to be forgiven paving money the county gave it that never was used. And second longest, although not on the agenda, was a T-SPLOST report by the County Manager.

Below are Continue reading

No T-SPLOST, Juvenile Youth Action and Justice Incentive, GDOT Exits & Mowing, late subdivision @ LCC 2017-04-10

No T-SPLOST on the agenda for Monday morning, despite tabling it two weeks ago until their next meeting. That may be because while Lowndes County dithered, ten other of the 18 counties in the region agreed to put it on the ballot, so now it doesn’t matter what the Lowndes County Commission decides about that. Remember, even with it on the ballot, it can still be voted down, like in 2012. Meanwhile, according to the VDT,

In the coming weeks, a regional roundtable of government representatives will determine when the public vote will take place, the projected revenue from the tax and what projects the tax would fund if passed.

You, the taxpayers, are not invited to those roundtables, which will be held on unknown dates at unknown locations.

On the agenda for Monday morning and Tuesday evening is the ironic justaxposition of Special Proclamation Presentation to the Teen Explosion Youth Action Group and FY2018 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program Request for Proposals (RFP). There are two GDOT items and a late payment by a subdivision, with its name spelled wrong by the county, or by Trulia, or somebody.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Videos: regional T-SPLOST tabled, Trash disposal renewals, another lift station pump, Dasher Streets @ LCC 2017-03-28

They tabled T-SPLOST until their next meeting because they got a complaint from the Chamber about process, and also from others. Remember, even if it gets on the ballot, it can still be voted down again, like in 2012.

Meanwhile, John Stephen, VDT, 7 April 2017, T-SPLOST headed for referendum,

Even though the Lowndes County Commission delayed a vote on the regional T-SPLOST at its last meeting due to local confusion on the one-penny sales tax, enough counties in the area now support the tax (10 out of 18 were needed) to move it forward to a public vote even without the commission’s approval.

In the coming weeks, a regional roundtable of government representatives will determine Continue reading