Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Draft Resolution on Citizens Wishing to be Heard

Here’s the draft resolution on Citizens Wishing to be Heard.
Previously we posted that

on Tuesday’s Lowndes County Commission agenda is an item about:

5. Resolution Establishing Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to Be Heard and Consideration of Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to Be Heard

Today I went by the county palace (hey, they call it that, too!)
and asked Paige Dukes, the County Clerk, what was in the old resolution
and what’s in the new draft resolution.
She said there was no old resolution,
and a bit later she sent me the new draft resolution,
which is in the PDF below.



From: “Paige Dukes” <paiged@lowndescounty.com>

Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:32:35 -0500

To: “John S. Quarterman” <jsq@quarterman.org>

Subject: Resolution Draft 1.24.2011.pdf – Adobe Acrobat Professional


Resolution Draft 1.24.2011.pdf

It’s a PDF of a scan of a paper page, so I don’t have the plain text.
If somebody wants to type it in and send it to me, have at it.

See you 5:30 PM tomorrow evening (Tuesday 25 Jan 2011) at 327 N. Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31601.
They start on the dot or slightly early, and it’s a light agenda,
so be on time and don’t blink or you’ll miss it.

-jsq

No Work Session Today; County Commission still meets Tuesday

No work session today; regular session still on for 5:30 PM Tuesday 25 Jan 2011.
The
county website has under Special Events this notice:



Work Session Meeting Cancelled (1/24/2011)



PUBLIC NOTICE
COMMISSION MEETING
WORK SESSION CANCELLED

Due to the lack of agenda items requiring additional information or discussion, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Work Session on Monday, January 24, 2011, has been cancelled.

The regular session meeting is still scheduled for
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street
Valdosta, GA

For questions please call Paige Dukes at 229-671-2400.

This has happened several times before.
Paige Dukes is the

County Clerk.

See the previous post
for the one unusual item on the agenda, about policies and procedures
for Citizens Wishing to be Heard.

-jsq

County Commission Meetings Monday and Tuesday





left to right: Ashley Paulk (Chairman),
Joyce E. Evans (District 1),
Crawford Powell (District 3),
Richard Raines (District 2).

The next scheduled meetings of the Lowndes County Commission are:

  • 8:30 AM Monday January 24, 2011: work session
  • 5:30 PM Tuesday January 25, 2011: regular session

The agenda is

posted on the county website.
This meeting will probably be very brief,
since it has no rezoning cases; those come every other meeting.
This one is mostly contracts for consideration.
However, there is this interesting item:

5. Resolution Establishing Policies and Procedures
for Citizens Wishing to Be Heard and Consideration of
Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Policies
and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to Be Heard

It also has the regular item:

7. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

This item is for the regular session, not the work session,
although in the work session the Chairman sometimes notes
somebody is there wanting to talk and asks them to say what they want to say.
Conversely, in the regular session we don’t usually hear much from this one:

8. Reports-County Manager

The county manager often gives a longer report in the work session.

By “very brief” I mean work sessions typically run about 15 minutes,
with the record being something like 8 minutes.
And they start on time, or a minute early.
Be there or miss what you want to hear or say.

-jsq

“I don’t feel my interests were adequately represented” –Matt Flumerfelt



First-time speaker Matt Flumerfelt notes the Valdosta City Council
and the Lowndes County Commission both disclaim responsibility for the
Industrial Authority even though both appoint its members,
and he thinks that may make VLCIA’s contract for the biomass plant
challengeable on constitutional grounds.
He also sent LAKE the appended article on 20 Jan 2011.

Video by John S. Quarterman of the regular meeting
of the Valdosta City Council, 20 January 2011,
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Faith In Technology Is What Got Us Into This Mess

by Matt Flumerfelt

Many people in the Valdosta-Lowndes County community have faith that the
proposed Biomass incinerator won’t harm anyone or anything, but faith in
technology is what got us into our current environmental mess in the first
place. Those old enough to remember the nuclear power debate will remember
how many people gave assurances that nuclear power was safe, yet we see
today how difficult nuclear waste is to dispose of and how much damage it
has caused when things go wrong, which, human nature being what it is, they
inevitably do. The recent gulf oil spill would not have happened if

Continue reading →

Text of letter from Russell Anderson to officials

Can you find a

“veiled threat” in the appended letter?
LAKE couldn’t.

Some people

seem to be forming opinions
of that letter without ever having read it.
LAKE has published links to a PDF of it from four previous posts:

“Far from Over”,

“What is Fiery Roots”,

Russell Anderson Responds,
and

“We got off on the wrong foot”.
Formerly LAKE only had

a PDF of a scan of a paper copy of the email of 3 Jan 2011.
Per request, Russell Anderson has sent plain text, which appears below.
-jsq



All,

My name is Russell Anderson. I am the Co-Director of
Collectiveprogression.org and graduate of Valdosta State. I am writing to
inform you of my intent to publish the below piece on our website and to our
readership as well as produce a full length documentary about the community
struggle against the proposed Wiregrass LLC biomass incinerator.
I have you all on this email {Sterling Assets, Langdale’s, Council, Commissioners,
Authority, Attorneys} and

ALL of you have continued to pass the blame and
buck on the building of this plant.
Rather than doing the more responsible
thing (pending EIS),

Continue reading →

Democracy in action v. unelected officials –Matthew Richard

This LTE appeared in the VDT 18 Jan 2011. -jsq



The

recent biomass meeting
was a great example of democracy in
action. Concerned citizens gave up an evening to educate themselves
and it was heartening to see many in the audience participate. I’m
no political scientist, but this must be what the founders of the
constitution had in mind in conceiving that document.

The evening was not without controversy. Several speakers spoke
passionately, even vehemently, prompting someone to question the tone
of some on the anti-biomass side. One wonders how closely he follows
events in the area?

Valdostans are frustrated at the blatantly anti-democratic tactics
employed by local government that result in our getting things rammed
down our throats. Biomass is just the latest example.

Continue reading →

“we got off on the wrong foot.” –Russell Anderson

See also his letter to LAKE. -jsq



From: Russ Anderson

Date: Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 10:11 AM

Subject: Mr. Paulk. My apologies and clarifications

To: apaulk@lowndescounty.com

Dear Commissioner Paulk,

It seems that we got off on the wrong foot. I have recently been
notified that some of the content within the email I sent to you and
other commissioners January 3rd 2011 regarding the biomass Plant were
taken as a personal attack towards you and perceived as having “veiled
threats”. I’m sorry about that and I apologize for the perceived
hostility.



I was also told that in a private conversation, after the {1/11/11}
commission meeting, you referred to me by name as a threat similar to
the “Virginia Tech Shooter.” That is a very personal (and misinformed)
attack and I would appreciate/request a retraction of that statement.
Like everyone, I was absolutely appalled when that tragedy occurred as
I am anytime I see senseless violence committed against anyone.

My motives are to simply attempt to help support the health of Lowndes
County residents and our environment. To compare me to the person that
committed this atrocious crime is slanderous and a defamation of my
character. Such words and perceptions

Continue reading →

Russell Anderson Responds

Received this morning; see
What is Fiery Roots? and
Paulk interrogates Noll
for backstory. -jsq



From: Russ Anderson

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:18:02 -0500

Subject: Russell Anderson responses to article about Fiery Roots and
Commissioner Paulk Accusations

Dear L.A.K.E.,

My name is Russell Anderson. Thank you for taking an interest in the
Wiregrass LLC Biomass incinerator issue and my affiliated organization

Collectiveprogression.org.
I am writing today with hopes of clarifying a few things.

First, I’m glad to see there is such an effort as L.A.K.E. in the Lowndes
area. L.A.K.E appears to use strategies that could be modeled by other
communities seeking a more informed population. Information sharing is
critical to achieving a more just and equitable world. The objective of our
organization is simply to share the narratives of community struggles,
solutions, and efforts in hopes of creating better channels of communication
and resource sharing between communities dealing with justice issues. Any
similarities to LAKE’s efforts to

“Cover the planners to connect the dots”
are nothing more than pleasant coincidence.

Hopefully, as our website develops from its infancy, our mission will become
more apparent in the content. We have interviewed people across the country
to uncover ways that people working for justice can be more connected and,

Continue reading →

“it wouldn’t matter” –John Fretti, Mayor of Valdosta



News Talk 105.9 FM posted this:

Exclusive Audio: Mayor Fretti on Biomass

“Kay Harris is absolutely wrong, writing emotionally again.”

He’s apparently referring to
the VDT editorial I interpreted here.

He goes on to say it wouldn’t matter if the city refused to
supply water to the biomass plant.
Yet another variant on the popular local favorite:
“there’s nothing you can do.”

Technically, no doubt he’s right: they could just sink a well instead.
Politically, it would make a world of difference if the plant’s
host city said it wouldn’t supply water.
Not to mention I suspect the county would have to approve
such a well.

At the least, the City of Valdosta could do what

Gadsden County, Florida did:

Continue reading →

VDT Civics Lesson on How to Stop a Biomass Plant



The VDT explains how to effect change, if anyone is listening.
Editorial, 13 Jan 2010,

Powerless to stop the power plant:

This week as the rhetoric around the proposed biomass facility has
continued heating up, leading up to

last night’s forum,
one of the main themes has been that “government should do something.”



While the Times does not condone or condemn

Chairman Paulk’s actions in the commission meeting Tuesday night,
understanding the situation may
help shed light on the issue. The county is powerless to do anything to
stop this power plant. The only governmental entity with any power over
the project is the city, and that’s only in the form of the services
being extended and the water being sold to the company, as well as the
sewage sludge that’s being burned. They too are powerless at this
point to stop it.



The editorial continues with the tired old excuse “they can be sued”.
Don’t they have insurance for that?
If the whole thing goes as bad as some opponents predict,
they could be sued for the kind of financial disaster

that faces Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

There is one governmental entity that does have the power.
Ah, here it is:

Continue reading →