Category Archives: SPLOST

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

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

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

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 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

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?

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

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

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

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

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.

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

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

Opening Ceremonies

Call to Order

Invocation

Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag

Minutes Approval

The Minutes from the May 9, 2024 Regular Meeting and the May 15, 2024 Special Called Meeting are forthcoming.

Public Hearings

Public Hearing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. (Second Hearing)

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).

Ordinances and Resolutions

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.

Bids, Contracts, Agreements and Expenditures

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.

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.

Local Funding and Requests

Consideration of a request to authorize payment for an emergency bypass and sewer repairs on Pebblewood Drive.

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.

Citizens to be Heard

City Manager’s Report

Council Comments

Adjournment

-jsq

Packet: Proposed Annual Budget, City of Valdosta, FY 2025, for Budget Meeting 2024-05-22

In this Proposed Annual Budget for the City of Valdosta Budget Meeting Wednesday afternoon, 3-8 PM,
there are two bond series, one refinancing, the other new, both for water and sewer improvements.

Apparently the city has previously financed more than $32 million in loans
from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA),
and last year floated a bond at a lower interest rate
for about $22 million still to be paid.

Even more interesting, if I am reading it correctly, this budget proposes a new bond for
$67 million.

Maybe the Valdosta City government is getting more serious about fixing their sewer system problems.

This is all in addition to the water and sewer improvements paid for by
Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) line items,
by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds,
or from other revenue; see below.

Extracts, Proposed FY 2025 City of Valdosta Budget

W&S 2020 Bond Series

Purpose: Refinance GEFA notes at a lower interest rate

Maturity Date: 2033

Original Principal Amount: $32,134,000; July 1, 2023, Principal Outstanding $22,264,065

Interest Rate: 2.29%

Funding Source: Water and Sewer Revenue Fund

Pending for FY 25 – estimate

W&S 2024 Bond Series

Purpose: Upgrades Water and Sewer

Maturity Date: 2054

Original Principal Amount: $67,000,000; July 1, 2023, Principal Outstanding $67,000,000

Interest Rate: 4.5%

Funding Source: Water and Sewer Revenue Fund

See

page 49, Debt Service, FY 2025, City of Valdosta. Continue reading →

Videos: Day 1, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-19

The 2018 Lowndes County Commission Retreat was just about the exact opposite of a commission meeting, except that same group of people are present (almost). There was discussion, disagreement, laughing, sighing, interrupting, listening, inside jokes, outside jokes, and general exchange of views. Those things don’t happen in a commission meeting. This year’s retreat was particularly different because there was no time frame attached to any agenda item and they didn’t discuss topics in exact order, and some topics got covered repeatedly. Commissioner Evans said to me during a break that the previous format of having departments just give a report can “get boring” and she had suggested that they have a different format with more discussion about communications.

The agenda was available on-line but was hard to find and the link I followed to find it is gone now. I did manage to download it before it went away. Find it here: 2018 LCC Annual Planning Meeting Agenda (plus searchable text). There were paper copies available at the meeting after the first break.

I sometimes think that the commissioners may be getting used to me but then, no, don’t be silly.

At the lunch hour, the Commissioners stepped outside to take a group picture and as County Clerk Page Dukes suggested that they get closer and not have so much “space” between them, Commissioners Orenstein and Griner (I live in their districts) huddled together.

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes followed by a LAKE video playlist.
Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange