Category Archives: SPLOST

Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Regular 2025-10-28

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At the Tuesday evening Work Session, the Lowndes County Commissioners approved everything unanimously.

They chatted quite a bit about 6.a. Demolition for Lowndes County Fire Rescue Station 3. Apparently the old Rascals did come with some equipment in the kitchen, although County Manager Paige Dukes declined to call it kitchen equipment.

On the 5.c. GEFA Loan for Lift Station Bypass Pumps Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted clarification that this was for sewage, not other kinds of water. Answer: yes.

In 7. Reports – County Manager she had EMA Director Ashley Tye talk about remaining federal funds promised but not yet received. The big batch will not qualify for the relaxed timeline for budgeting, due to how late it is.

She also had Fire Chief Billy Young talk about fire safety in this dry season, a topic the Commissioners continued to discuss for a bit.

[Collage @ LCC 28 October 2025]
Collage @ LCC 28 October 2025

In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, Steve Schreck apologized if the shirt he wore Monday morning offended anyone. The Chairman had told him after that Work Session never to come back wearing that shirt. Schreck talked about a display near him that children could see, which he said was at least equally offensive. He asked for an ordinance banning public obscenity.

Commissioner Joyce Evans remained absent due to Continue reading →

Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27

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Update 2025-10-29: Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Regular 2025-10-28.

Seven minutes for this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall was absent. Commissioner Joyce Evans remains absent due to health reasons.

They vote tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 5:30 PM.

[Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station 3, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27]
Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station 3, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27

There were no surprises, except maybe County Manager Paige Dukes lauding Public Works Director Robin Cumbus for organizing 6.b. Bid for Bemiss Road Right of Way Mowing.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, plus a few stills of some people, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC 2025-10-27

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Update 2025-10-27: Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27.

It’s a brief agenda with a long packet for the Lowndes County Commission this month.

It demonstrates planning ahead in the GEFA Loan for Lift Station Bypass Pumps, getting ready for the next hurricane season.

And they got multiple bids for both the old Rascals in Lake Park, Demolition for Lowndes County Fire Rescue Station 3 and for Bid for Bemiss Road Right of Way Mowing.

No emergency sole-source contracts in this agenda.

[Packet: Collage @ LCC 2025-10-27]
Packet: Collage @ LCC 2025-10-27

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Lowndes County and Cities SPLOST Agreement and Project Lists 2025-08-04

Update 2025-08-24: Agenda: Millages, Opioid Litigation, Hightower Road, SPLOST IX, TREES Act, PFAS Groundwater Claims @ LCC 2025-08-25.

Update 2025-08-12: Videos: Proclamations, 2 small rezonings, Comprehensive Plan, USGS Gauges, GDOT for Shiloh Road, Civic Center Hurricane Repair @ LCC Work 2025-08-11.

On August 7, Lowndes County told me in response to the LAKE August 4, 2025, open records request:

“Regarding your below open records request, we will have this information ready for you next Thursday, August 14, 2025.”

Meanwhile, a usually reliable source has sent what appears to be the SPLOST IX Agreement and the Project Lists for the county and each of its cities. They are on the LAKE website.

[Lowndes County SPLOST, Agreement and Project Lists, Valdosta, Hahira, Remerton, Dasher, Lake Park]
Lowndes County SPLOST, Agreement and Project Lists, Valdosta, Hahira, Remerton, Dasher, Lake Park

Text and images of the Project Lists are below.

We’ll see if they match what I get from the county on Thursday.

This is what I asked for: Continue reading →

Rome-Floyd SPLOST Committee 2024-12-31

The opaque SPLOST process the Lowndes County Commission is using, in which it just sent an Agreement and a Project List to its cities for approval without the taxpaying citizens ever seeing either, is not the only way.

[Rome-Floyd County, GA, Citizen SPLOST Committee, Less Population than Lowndes, More transparent process]
Rome-Floyd County, GA, Citizen SPLOST Committee, Less Population than Lowndes, More transparent process

Rome and Floyd County, Georgia, have a citizen committee that decides what is on their Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) list. That committee has open meetings and publishes its draft lists.
https://www.floydcountyga.gov/bc-splost

Floyd County, at 100,113 people, has less population than Lowndes County, at 120,712.

If Floyd County can be transparent, Lowndes County can also choose to be transparent. Continue reading →

Video: Special Called Meeting about SPLOST IX Agreement @ LCC 2025-08-04

Update 2025-08-05: Rome-Floyd SPLOST Committee 2024-12-31.

Here is the one LAKE video of the two-minute Special Called Meeting in which the Lowndes County Commissioners unanimously agreed to forward a SPLOST IX Agreement to the cities within the county.

[Collage @ LCC 4 August 2025]
Collage @ LCC 4 August 2025

The tax-paying citizens have not seen this Agreement nor the list of projects on which the county projects $17 million to be spent in Fiscal Year 2026.

According to County Manager Paige Dukes, the County Commission will have to vote again after the cities approve it.

Citizens get to vote on SPLOST IX in the General Election on November 4, 2025.

Today, they unanimously approved sending to the cities, on a motion by Commissioner Scottie Orenstien and a second by Commissioner Michael Smith. Continue reading →

Vote on SPLOST IX? @ LCC 2025-08-04

Update 2025-08-04: Agenda: Special Called Meeting about SPLOST IX Agreement @ LCC 2025-08-04.

There’s nothing about this on lowndescounty.com, not in the calendar, not in agendas, not in news.

Yet according to the slides for the June Budget Hearings, the Lowndes County Commission and staff expect to derive $17 million from SPLOST IX in FY 2026.

What projects will this penny sales tax fund? Where is the list for Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) IX? What is this Agreement mentioned in the VDT article?

[Vote on SPLOST IX?, Special Called Meeting 2025-08-04, Lowndes County Commission, Where is the Project List?]
Vote on SPLOST IX?, Special Called Meeting 2025-08-04, Lowndes County Commission, Where is the Project List?

By Staff reports, Valdosta Daily Times, Published 3:23 pm Friday, August 1, 2025, County to meet for SPLOST discussions,

VALDOSTA — The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will hold a called meeting at 4 p.m. Monday in the Commission Chambers, 327 N. Ashley St., second floor, for the purpose of considering the SPLOST IX Agreement.

-jsq

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Agenda: Special Called Meeting about SPLOST IX Agreement @ LCC 2025-08-04

Update 2025-08-04: Video: Special Called Meeting about SPLOST IX Agreement @ LCC 2025-08-04.

Since LAKE posted the VDT notice of the SPLOST IX Special Called Meeting for this afternoon, an agenda and agenda sheet have popped up on LowndesCounty.com.

They’ve been working on this SPLOST IX Agreement since April, yet they couldn’t discuss it during a regularly-scheduled meeting, nor tell the tax-paying public what’s on the project list?

[Agenda and Sheet @ LCC 2025-08-04, 4 PM, Special Called Meeting, SPLOST IX Agreement]
Agenda and Sheet @ LCC 2025-08-04, 4 PM, Special Called Meeting, SPLOST IX Agreement

Here is the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
SPECIAL CALLED MEETING
PROPOSED AGENDA
MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2025, 4:00 P.M.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC 2025-06-23

Update 2025-06-29: Notice: Special Called Meeting to adopt FY 2026 Budget @ LCC 2025-06-30.

The 2024 millage of 5.283 is little more than half the 8.974 it was in 2017. Not counting the 2.5 mils of fire tax on unincorporated Lowndes County since 2021, and of course the 1 mil to the Industrial Authority and the 1.25 mils to Parks and Rec, which have not changed since 2008.

About 85% of the county’s revenues come from taxes. About 57% of that comes from property taxes, and about 31% Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).

Of expenditures, about 41% goes to Public Safety (Sheriff Department, Jail, etc.), about 12% to Juducial (courts), and about 18% to General Government.

[Collage @ LCC Budget Hearing 23 June 2025]
Collage @ LCC Budget Hearing 23 June 2025

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked how the rising cost of gasoline was dealt with. Finance Director Stephanie Black said there was some leeway built into the budget, but if the price rise exceeds that, at the end of the year, additional funds would have to be allocated.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein wondered about the fire services budget. FD Black said it is going down 10%, because new fire trucks were moved into a SPLOST line item.

County Manager Paige Dukes said a few words about property assessments that were mailed out by Tax Assessors staff. I think this was about the recent opt-out of the county from the statewide homestead exemption (the county actually has better homestead exemptions).

Almost no citizens attended, and none asked any questions.

Below is the LAKE video of the session, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist of this Lowndes County Commission presentation at 9AM this morning.

See also Continue reading →

Agenda: Budget, Personal Care Home, streets and transit, 2 sewer repairs @ VCC 2024-06-06

Nobody attended the First Hearing of the proposed FY 2025 Valdosta Budget, so Thursday is your last chance, at the Second Hearing, at the Valdosta City Council meeting.

[Agenda: Budget, sewers, Personal Care Home, streets, and transit @ VCC 2024-06-06]
Agenda: Budget, sewers, Personal Care Home, streets, and transit @ VCC 2024-06-06

That budget includes a pending $67 million bond for water and sewer projects, with interest to be paid from the Water and Sewer Revenue Fund.

The agenda also includes a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Personal Care Home, two street resurfacing projects, an amendment to the contract for the on-call transport cars, and two sewer repair projects.

Here is the agenda.

See also the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, June 6, 2024
CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS

  1. Opening Ceremonies
    1. Call to Order
    2. Invocation
    3. Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag
  2. Minutes Approval
    1. The Minutes from the May 9, 2024 Regular Meeting and the May 15, 2024 Special Called Meeting are forthcoming.
  3. Public Hearings
    1. Public Hearing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. (Second Hearing)
    2. Consideration of an Ordinance for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Family Personal Care Home in a Single-Family Residential (R-6) Zoning District as requested by Roche Kempson (File No. CU-2024-04). The property is located at 1206 West Magnolia Street. The Planning Commission reviewed this at their May 20, 2024 Regular Meeting and recommended approval subject to four conditions (5-0 Vote).
  4. Ordinances and Resolutions
    1. Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the execution of a Contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation for the Patterson Street Resurfacing and Utility Adjustments Project.
  5. Bids, Contracts, Agreements and Expenditures
    1. Consideration of bids for the resurfacing of streets in the City of Valdosta through the SPLOST VIII Funding and GDOT Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant.
    2. Consideration of a request to amend the Contract with River North Transit, LLC and extend Via On-Demand Transportation Services for the City of Valdosta.
  6. Local Funding and Requests
    1. Consideration of a request to authorize payment for an emergency bypass and sewer repairs on Pebblewood Drive.
    2. Consideration of a request to authorize payment for Phase III final billing for emergency sewer repairs at Knights Creek near the intersection of U. S. Highway 84 and Blanchard Street.
  7. Citizens to be Heard
  8. City Manager’s Report
  9. Council Comments
  10. Adjournment

-jsq

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