Greg Gullberg has
updated his WCTV story about T-SPLOST with
a new video,
this time interviewing private citizen John Gayle (for T-SPLOST) sitting at the Valdosta Mayor’s desk, Gretchen Quarterman (against T-SPLOST) at the Lowndes County Extension Office, and some other people.
The major issue driving people to the polls and dividing them is the TSPLOST Transportation tax. The TSPLOST Transportation Tax is a hot issue here in Georgia.. because it effects everybody. Organizers say with an extra penny of sales tax—when you add all those pennies up over the next ten years— that could be almost 20-billion dollars for the state. One side says it will ease your troubled commute. The other says the measure is so flawed it won’t really help at all.
In his Tuesday T-SPLOST story WCTV reporter Greg Gullberg noted that current Lowndes County Chairman Ashley Paulk said "the Commission is not taking a stance." Indeed, but Ashley Paulk himself took a stance against T-SPLOST as far back as April 2011, when he said:
I think what disturbs me, is when you've got to put something in the law that's a stick, carrot and stick, you don't do what I've said you're going to get punished….
Right now if I had to vote for it I could not find the interest to get out there.
“Sales tax falls unfairly on the poor and middle class,” said Gretchen Quarterman, who is running for Chair of the Lowndes County Commission. “So as a percentage of their income, poor people and middle class people will pay more. And that’s just not fair.”
The current chair says the Commission is not taking a stance. But we did talk to Valdosta Mayor John Gayle by phone.
“Valdosta is a growing city. And TSPLOST gives us the means to keep it on track. The entire region can benefit from improved transportation,” said Mayor Gayle.
Each region will hold its own independent election, so there is no need to worry how a different region will vote. Residents will vote on this tax next Tuesday, July 31st.
As Gullberg promised on-air, the WCTV online story contains a list of T-SPLOST projects and more information. Here’s the WCTV video.
Back to their old tricks! The Lowndes County Commission was already approving minutes a minute before the announced start time of their Work Session this morning. After that, it was another brief session. They vote Tuesday 5:30 PM 24 July 2012.
Here's the agenda. Below are some notes on some items.
5.a. Adoption of Millage County Manager Joe Pritchard reiterated that there would be a Public Hearing 5PM 24 July 2012. See other post for more details.
5.b. Acceptance of Proposal for Repair of Cat Creek Road County Engineer Mike Fletcher said what the project was for! See previous post for details.
5.c. Cameron Lane widening for industrial park @ LCC 2012-07-23 The Langdale Industrial Park rezoning REZ-2010-15 of 14 December 2010 was back this morning as a request to turn Cameron Lane into a boulevard entrance. See other post for details.
5.d. SPLOST VII Resolution and Agreement They somehow got an agreement between the cities and the county in time to announce a referendum for SPLOST VII. See other post for details.
Videos: Two taxes, Library bid, and two road repairs Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
She didn't provide the links; I googled them up with what are maybe the correct spellings. What was in the presentations remains a mystery. She said the Library Board unanimously selected CRA.
Chairman Ashley Paulk noted Kay Harris and Tom Gooding were present, and asked if Commissioners had any questions for them. None did.
Kay Harris is Chairman of the Library Board. What is Tom Gooding's role? Who are the rest of the Library Board, for that matter?
Videos: Two taxes, Library bid, and two road repairs @ LCC 2012-07-23 Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
County Manager Joe Pritchard announced at this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session that the county and the cities had reached an agreement and resolution in time to announce a ballot referendum for SPLOST VII. He said the city of Valdosta already acted upon the agreement Thursday, and he expected the other cities would follow suit. He said Commissioners had a breakdown in front of them of projects to be paid for by the Special Projects Local Option Sales Tax. No Commissioners had any questions.
5.d. SPLOST VII Agreement Part 1 of 2: Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
County Chairman Ashley Paulk volunteered a laconic explanation of how an agreement was reached:
While the Industrial Authority has been busily spiffing up its various Industrial Parks, everyone may have forgotten they have some competition west of town. Back in December 2010 Attorney Jack Langdale convinced the Commission in case REZ-2010-15 to rezone about 542 acres from R-1 to I-S, M-2, M-1, and P-D, which they did with fifteen conditions, which you can see in their minutes from 14 December 2010. As I recall it, one of the most convincing arguments was that the Langdales' own Kinderlou Subdivision is next door, so they wouldn't be doing anything to damage that, thus other neighbors could rest assured. Anyway, the next step was before the Commission at their Work Session this morning, for a vote tomorrow evening at their 5:30 PM Regular Session.
County Engineer Mike Fletcher presented agenda item 5.c., about Cameron Lane.
In December of 2010 the Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning case for the industrial park located off of highway 84, state route 38 west, near Wetherington Lane. The developers are beginning their master plan for the industrial park and will be utilitizng Cameron Lane as an entrance off of State Route 38 into the park. The developers are requesting to demolish Cameron Lane and rebuild a boulevard type entrance to serve the industrial park.
Attached are plats in front of you that show the existing and the proposed layout. The developer will be responsible for the acquisition of the the additional right of way that is required, as well as all engineering and construction costs for Cameron Lane. The new infrastructure will be built to county standards amd then will be brought back before the Commissioners for executive acceptance of infrastructure.
Commisioner Raines wanted to know if the county needed to deed the road over to the developer while all this was being done. Fletcher assured him the contractor would be responsible for everything.
5.c. Cameron Lane widening for industrial park on US 84 W @ LCC 2012-07-23 Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
Apparently Cat Creek Road is sinking, and the county has to fix it fast. At least for this latest engineering emergency they didn’t no-bid it: they actually took bids. They vote tomorrow night.
There’s an existing triple line of 36 inch storm drain that goes under Cat Creek Road between Radar Site and Vienna Church. These storm pipes are failing under the road, causing the pavement to sag over the pipes. The project will be to remove the existing pipes, headwalls, realign the new cross drains, skewed to be more in line with the natural run of the creek, install new cross drains and concrete headwalls, and then repave that section of Cat Creek Road.
If the repairs do not take place immediately, Cat Creek Roiad is toing to have to be closed. This repair is considred to be an emergency. Quotes were obtained in lieu of bidding the work. We had four people we had requested proposals from. Two proposals were turned in: one from Reames for $59,640 and one from Scruggs for $66,257. The other two bidders were nonresponsive.
Commissioners had no questions. At least for this latest emergency, the county didn’t just award a no-bid contract; it did at least request bids.
5.b. Emergency repairs on Cat Creek Road Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
At the Monday morning Work Session, County Manager Joe Pritchard reiterated that there would be a Public Hearing on Millage 5PM 24 July 2012. He added that the millage is “less than calculated rollback”, Two weeks before, at the previous Work Sessioni and Regular Session, he already said staff did not anticipate any increases in millage.
This time he added these details:
Millage
Recipient
7.31
Lowndes County
1.00
Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
1.25
Parks and Recreation (VLPRA)
9.56
Total
Commissioner Richard Raines wanted to know whether the school board was only the unincorporated area. He got two answers: “yes”, and “it’s not the city of Valdosta.” Those are not the same answer, since people from some of the cities, such as Hahira, Lake Park, and I think Dasher, go to county schools and are taxed for that. I don’t know about Remerton. Valdosta has its own school system and its own school tax. All the school taxes are separate (and greater than) the county taxes in the table above.
Announcement of Millage Hearing 5PM 24 July 2012 Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
board as the firm that will lead the design team for the new main library branch that will be moving next to the new municipal auditorium at Five Points.
Lowndes County Commissioners will vote Tuesday on the selection.
“The selection committee felt that the firm that was selected was the most qualified for the project as well as had the lowest estimate,” said Chad McLeod, Lowndes County project manager.
Though the selection process for agencies was directed by Lowndes County, the library board had input in the selection.
“The process to build the library began nearly three years ago at the county’s urging,” said Kay Harris, Library Board chairman.
Requests For Proposals (RFP’s) were advertised for 30 days, with 35 RFP’s requested by various agencies and architectural firms. Ten completed RFP’s were submitted to the county.
And when do we the taxpayers get to see these ten completed RFPs? Not unless somebody files an open records request and somebody else makes them available: it’s the county way!
The major issue driving people to the polls and dividing them is the TSPLOST Transportation tax. The TSPLOST Transportation Tax is a hot issue here in Georgia.. because it effects everybody. Organizers say with an extra penny of sales tax—when you add all those pennies up over the next ten years— that could be almost 20-billion dollars for the state. One side says it will ease your troubled commute. The other says the measure is so flawed it won’t really help at all.
