The
Sabal Trail pipeline
and
probation payments were
major issues at the Thomas County Commission 9AM Tuesday 9 December 2014.
Sheriff R. Carlton Powell noted that private probation company
Sentinel, which he said serves Lowndes County, was involved in
several lawsuits.
Here’s the agenda, and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist.
Continue reading
Five
citizens spoke, on topics including
the “horrible wretched smell” from ADS,
the
Sabal Trail pipeline,
the proposed local charter school,
and
the board packet and the Alapaha River Water Trail.
Chairman Bill Slaughter asserted there had been nineteen applicants
for the
Planning Commission appointment and seemed to think the public
should be happy about that, having learned it presumably by telepathy.
He didn’t divulge who those applicants were, and the only one
in the board packet (charming young white guy Brad Folsom)
was appointed after somebody reminded
the Chairman to at least get a motion first.
They also appointed Commissioner Joyce Evans to the
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
On the
GP Investments water rezoning,
County Planner Jason Davenport didn’t know whether there had been
a dump site there or where the well would go, but they approved it anyway.
They also approved the bookkeeping
ULDC updates for Special Events, Zoning Map, Fees
and they have since put the new zoning map online!
They approved unanimously the annual prisoner work detail contract without even mentioning the cost. And unanimously with no discussion they approved the Hahira extratorial request.
Here’s the agenda with links to the videos and some notes. See also the board packet, obtained for you by LAKE through an open records request, and the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session, which have quite a bit more information, including applicants for appointment speaking.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSContinue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Here is
the board packet for this morning’s Work Session
and Tuesday evening’s Regular Session.
First time I’ve ever seen one before they vote on it.
I thank the county for that, and you can all see what they are considering.
Hoever, it cost me $33.50, because staff included all 385 pages of the ULDC, even though that (unlike the rest of it) is online on the county website.
They also delivered it only on paper, and only in black and white, even though the Planning Department produces all the land use maps electronically and in color. And they didn’t deliver before the Work Session as I asked, even though obviously the board packet was assembled Continue reading
Update 2014-09-09: Board packet via LAKE open records request.
Twelve minutes. When do they actually talk about things? They vote Tuesday at 5:30 PM. “Hahira’s Extraterritorial Request” is for water and sewer for John Bailey. “Rezoning case REZ-2014-15” is also about water and sewer. The other obscure public hearing is to fix something county staff didn’t do correctly back in June.
Yes, it’s the old white guy to replace the young black woman on the Planning Commission, and it’s Commissioner Joyce Evans for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. And yes, it’s the annual renewal of hiring prisoners from Valdosta State Prison.
Here’s the agenda with links to the videos and some notes.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSContinue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Public hearings with no details: how is the public to know to show up?
Why no description at all for
“Rezoning case REZ-2014-15”?
And no identifying number for
the next case?
And why the extra obscurity about
“Hahira’s Extraterritorial Request”?
This agenda goes beyond brief into opaque.
LAKE can answer two of these questions because Gretchen went to the
Planning Commission meeting and photographed that agenda that
Lowndes County refuses to even publish.
But why should the taxpayers be left guessing about what their
only elected county-wide government is doing?
Also two appointments: the Planning Commission’s recommendation to replace its departing young black woman member with an old white man and somebody unnamed to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Plus the annual renewal of hiring prisoners from Valdosta State Prison.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSContinue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Looks like Horry County, SC stuck to its
initial three-year offer, both for Lofton, and for millage
to fund his development authority there.
There are things the
newly-renamed Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority
could do to let sunshine turn Lofton’s local land legacy green.
Jason M. Rodriguez and Amanda Kelley wrote for Myrtle Beach Online yesterday, Brad Lofton leaving Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation,
Membership to the EDC increased earlier this year, but revenue from the membership decreased by nearly $60,000, impacting the organization’s marketing services and more.
Loton has had many projects succeed, and met some challenges during his time in Horry County.
Earlier this month Continue reading
Yet another reason to end the failed War on Drugs: by far most U.S. wiretaps are for that one reason. Sure, a wiretap helped catch a Mexican drug lord. But without the War on Drugs, there would be no drug lords, just like alcohol bootleggers vanished after Prohibition ended.
Brian Anderson wrote for Motherboard 15 July 2014, Almost 90 Percent of All US Wiretaps Listen for Suspected Drug Deals,
Earlier this year, Continue reading
They wouldn’t say
what they would do to secure their own building after July 1st
when the Georgia guns-everywhere law goes into effect.
A split vote for not opposing the
Hahira annexation
recommended against by the Planning Commission
plus unanimous approval of everything else under
For Consideration, including
declaring some Finance computers surplus.
They voted to approve their
opaque selection of auditing services
and to buy
an unnamed firewall replacement
among other things for unknown amounts.
Maybe somebody should bring that up at the county Budget Hearings.
They reappointed Lonnie Denton to a sixth five-year term on the Lowndes Division of Family and Children Services (he spoke) and Willie Houseal and Gretchen Quarterman each to a third three-year term on the ZBOA (they spoke yesterday morning). Also Public Hearings for well and septic and a special events change to the ULDC. in their Luke Bryan balancing act.
Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes. See also the videos of the Work Session of the previous morning and the videos of the 27 May 2014 Planning Commission meeting.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSContinue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
They vote tonight on their
opaque selection of auditing services
and to buy
an unnamed firewall replacement
among other things for unknown amounts not revealed in yesterday morning’s Work Session.
Maybe somebody should bring that up at the not-yet-scheduled
county Budget Hearings.
They will also vote on
their Luke Bryan musical neighbor balancing act
and on
reappointing Lonnie Denton for a sixth five-year term to the
Lowndes
Division of Family and Children Services (he will speak tonight)
and reappointing Willie Houseal and Gretchen Quarterman each
to a third three-year term to the
ZBOA (they spoke yesterday morning as you can see in these videos).
Also Public Hearings for
well and septic
and
a special events change to the ULDC.
The
Hahira annexation
recommended against by the Planning Commission
is still waiting for signatures from the applicants under
For Consideration,
along with a request from Finance to declare items surplus and several purchase requests
from Finance and IT.
Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes. See also the videos of the 27 May 2014 Planning Commission meeting.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSContinue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
To the VDT the county government always smells like azaleas
and the city of Valdosta government always smells like sewage.
The local newspaper of record doesn’t seem to smell sewage
or landfill problems from Lowndes County.
Today’s VDT editorial complains about
environmental groups paying attention to “theoretical disasters”
(presumably referring to the Sabal Trail pipeline),
yet the VDT has never covered the group that has
most consistently followed the watershed-wide
flooding issues that cause Valdosta’s flooding problems:
WWALS Watershed Coalition.
The VDT recommends citizens get more involved
in sniffing out Valdosta’s sewage problems, yet it doesn’t seem
to cover Citizens Wishing To Be Heard anymore, nor has the VDT called
for the citizen participation sessions promised by
the local governments for the Army Corps of Engineers flooding studies.
Maybe the VDT could encourage citizen participation, rather than ignore it.
VDT editorial today, It just plain stinks, Continue reading