Here are LAKE videos of
the candidates forum at the Rainwater Conference Center
organized by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce.
In the one remaining County Commission race, for District 3,
Tom Hochschild made opposition to the Sabal Trail pipeline
a platform plank,
while
Mark Wisenbaker mentioned his opposition to
the county’s lawsuit against local business Deep South Sanitation (DSS).
We know Hochschild is opposed to that lawsuit and Wisenbaker is
opposed to that pipeline, so we may get some change on the County Commission
in January.
Cary Scarborough of DSS was at this forum, as were many pipeline opponents.
Bikram Mohanty wins special mention for best use of the
VSU students Hochschild brought.
Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission
Lowndes County officials at Open Government Symposium @ OGS 2014-10-17
Gretchen reports from Macon that Lowndes County Commissioner Clay Griner (District 5), Paige Dukes (County Clerk), Joyce Evans (District 1), Scott Orenstein (District 2-elect), and Valdosta City Clerk Theresa Bolden (not pictured)
are all at the
VDT Open Government Symposium in Macon.
Congratulations, Jim Zachary and the VDT, on getting them to show up! Continue reading
VDT Open Government Symposium: in Macon?
Yay open government symposium!
But why in Macon, why not in Valdosta,
if it’s organized by the new VDT editor?
Sure, Macon is the geographic center of the state, but it’s only
about an hour from Atlanta, and one thing most people in Atlanta don’t
understand is how big Georgia is, so asking them to drive four hours
to Valdosta would be educational for them.
And if the VDT is so interested in government transparency,
why doesn’t it investigate the county’s lawsuit against local business Deep South Sanitation
at the expense of the local taxpayers that benefits nobody but
“exclusive franchise” ADS and its investors in New York City?
Why is the VDT’s front page story that gave a platform for
Spectra’s Andrea Grover no longer online, especially now that
the Sabal Trail deadline she announced has been busted?
Let’s see the VDT lead the way.
Here’s a first test:
Gretchen is going to Macon with the LAKE video camera.
Will the VDT let her video?
Unsigned article, VDT, 11 October 2014, VDT leading way in open government, Continue reading
Board Packet @ LCC 2014-10-13
The address is correct for the road abandonment public hearing
agenda item
The
board packet,
unlike on
the agenda,
so if citizens had ready access to this board packet they’d know whether
they should show up tonight
at
yesterday morning’s Work Session
and tonight’s Regular Session
for
6.a. Abandonment of Unopened Right of Way off Water Oak Drive.
There’s one quote, from xylem, for the Continue reading
Videos: GLPC appointment, abandonment, septic, pump, and VOCA @ LCC 2014-10-13 @ LCC 2014-10-13
It’s
Water Oak Trail, not Water Oak Drive, for the
road abandonment: how are people supposed to know to show up
for a public hearing when the address isn’t even on the right street?
Update 2014-10-14: The board packet has the correct address, so if the county put that packet on its website the citizens wouldn’t be confused. And the lift pump replacement got a single quote for $30,040.20, so this is yet another single-sourced non-competitive deal. Why do Commissioners have no questions about that?
Plus an unscheduled recognition of Leadership Lowndes attendees, a Planning Commission reappointment with no previous advertisement, yet another water pump replacement, a well and septic rezoning on Madison Highway, and a legal grant, on the agenda.
Continue readingLOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Videos: Transportation, Water, Safety, and Alcohol @ LCC 2014-09-23
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall recused himself
in the Regular Session of 23 September 2014,
for the
Public Safety Radio System System Upgrade,
in case anybody thought a Motorola VP with the same last name was related. (Update 11:10 AM: added transcription of the three-part motion.)
Rental leases for the
Leila Ellis Social Services Building
got more discussion.
They added
VOCA-funded VWMAP
and
GDOT at Clay and Hollywood (from the previous morning’s Executive Session), that the Tax Assessor’s database says is owned by the School Board,
to the
amended agenda.
Everything else,
including
the USGS water level gauge on the Little River,
was breezed through with no discussion,
so fast the Chairman almost forgot to ask for speakers
in
an alcohol license public hearing,
and he didn’t bother to mention
before they adjourned that
nobody had signed up for Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.
Here’s the amended agenda with links to the videos and a few notes, followed by a playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session and Board Packet.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDAContinue reading
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Another Planning Commission appointment, plus abandonment, septic, pump, and VOCA @ LCC 2014-10-13
This morning: another
Planning Commission appointment with no previous
advertisement that there was an opening,
yet another
road abandonment,
yet another
water pump replacement,
a
well and septic rezoning on Madison Highway,
and a
legal grant,
on the agenda.
Continue readingLOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Meet the Candidates @ VLCoC 2014-10-07
Update 2014-10-21: Fixed year in title, and LAKE videos are posted.
Tuesday is the annual Chamber Meet the Candidates event. Usually there’s not much chance to ask them questions and see them answer in front of everybody, but at least you get to hear them speak.
Oddly the Chamber did not list which candidates will be there, but Valdosta CEO did:
U.S. Representative – District 1
E.L. Buddy Carter (R)
Brian Corwin Reese (D)State Senate – District 8
C. Ellis Black (R)
Bikram Mohanty (D)State House – District 174
John Corbett (R)
Jessie Smith (D)Lowndes County Commission – District 3
Tally Mark Wisenbaker, Jr. (R)
Tom Hochschild (D)
Board Packet @ LCC 2014-09-22
Here is the board packet for yesterday morning’s Work Session.
Notice it does not have anything about
reporting on services provided or number of citizens serviced
for the Leila Ellis leases,
and no contracts at all for
the Public Safety Radio System Upgrade.
And nothing at all about the non-even-on-the-agenda
Victim Witness Program renewal.
Maybe those items will be added to the board packet Commissioners get
before they vote tonight at 5:30 PM.
Here are
videos of their Work Session from yesterday morning, at which Commissioners Marshall and Powell made it clear they would like to see some additional items.
At least this packet cost a lot less ($7.80) than the last one.
-jsq
GA Supreme Court rules against Deep South Sanitation: DSS vows to keep going
Lowndes County suing a local business with our tax dollars
has produced a preliminary Georgia Supreme
Court ruling overturning the appeals court and favoring
the county’s “exclusive franchise” with ADS, a company owned
by New York City investors.
Local company Deep South Sanitation vows to keep going.
Do you think this lawsuit is a good use of your tax dollars? What will you think if ADS’ rates go up from Veolia’s bid of $13.05/month ($156.60/year) just before ADS bought Veolia, to ADS’s bid of $13.39/month ($220.68/year)? Continue reading