Category Archives: Tax

Lowndes County budget and transparency –WTXL TV 2026-07-13

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WTXL reporter Malia Thomas told me Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes had said that LAKE’s concerns were valid.

Well, LAKE’s main concern with the Lowndes County budget is the same as with most things the Lowndes County Commission does: lack of transparency.

The county can easily do something about that if it wants to.

[Lowndes County budget and transparency and LAKE, 2026-07-13 --WTXL TV, Malia Thomas]
Lowndes County budget and transparency and LAKE, 2026-07-13 –WTXL TV, Malia Thomas

Malia Thomas, WTXL, July 13, 2026, Lowndes County’s fiscal budget approved — here’s what it means for your tax dollars:
Lowndes County approved a $193 million FY2027 budget — up 16.5% over last year — while holding its general operating budget flat since 2018. Continue reading →

Packet: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30

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Update 2026-07-14: Lowndes County budget and transparency –WTXL TV 2026-07-13.

On July 9, I sent an open records request to Lowndes County asking for “the documents called out by Finance Director Stephanie Black:

  1. The Valdosta-Lowndes County Convention Center and Tourism Authority (VLCCCTA) plan for use of the proceeds provided for tourism, conventions, and trade shows.
  2. The budget plan for Hotel-Motel Proceeds for Fiscal Year 2027.
  3. the proposed county budget plan for 2027 for adoption.”

Less than two hours later, the county provided four documents. Apparently there were two resolutions that matched my third request.

[Packet: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30]
Packet: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30

Those documents are on the LAKE website. Images of each page are below.

I’m told they are also on the county’s website, but I cannot find them there under Finance, County Clerk, or County Manager.

It is a mystery to me why the county does not publish such documents on its own website, before it holds Budget Public Hearings.

And it’s a mystery why the county does not video its own Budget Public Hearings, which are held in the same room with the same audiovisual equipment they use to video the County Commission Regular Sessions.

See also the LAKE video of the Special Called Meeting to adopt the budget. That post includes the agenda and the relevant parts of the VDT story on the meeting. Continue reading →

Videos: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30

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Update 2026-07-13: Packet: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30.

Turns out there was another agenda item for the Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget, 8:30 AM, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, Lowndes County Commission. They did post the agenda on the county’s website, on June 26, 2026, the Friday before the Tuesday meeting.

On that Tuesday, first they adopted a budget plan for Hotel-Motel Proceeds for Fiscal Year 2027. That required first getting a plan from the Valdosta-Lowndes County Convention Center and Tourism Authority (VLCCCTA) their plan for use of the proceeds provided for tourism, conventions, and trade shows.

Finance Director Stephanie Black said, “You have a copy of the Authority’s budget plan and a proposed county budget plan for 2027 for adoption.”

I can’t find either of those documents on the county’s website nor on the VLCCCTA website. Naturally, LAKE has filed an open records request for those documents. Meanwhile, fortunately Malia Thomas was there to report for the Valdosta Daily Times and apparently got a copy of those documents; see below

[Videos: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget & Hotel-Motel Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30]
Videos: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget & Hotel-Motel Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30

They unanimously adopted the hotel-motel plan and then the county budget.

Why a special called meeting when they could have done these things in a Regular Session? If I’m not mistaken, the state requires counties to adopt a budget by the end of June. So they had an additional meeting on the last possible day to adopt these documents.

The entire meeting took 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Gretchen Quarterman drove an hour round trip to take this LAKE video for you.

The county could have videoed this meeting and put it on its YouTube channel the same way it handles its Regular Sessions. But it did not.

https://www.youtube.com/@lowndescountyboardofcommis7341

So here is the LAKE video of the June 30, 2026, Special Called Meeting to Approve 2027 Budget:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYr6CvpzLv2c&si=0LIfN6vq-MpzgZ8I Continue reading →

Video: Budget Public Hearings @ LCC 2026-06-23

There was actually only one Budget Public Hearing last week. It was at 5 PM, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, before the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

This morning at 8:30 AM there is a Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30.

See that post also for the actual presentation slides for this year, which the county posted on its website the day after that Public Hearing last week.

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25830

[Video: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC 2026-06-23, One citizen spoke, No Commissioners spoke]
Video: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC 2026-06-23, One citizen spoke, No Commissioners spoke

Meanwhile, here is the LAKE video of the June 23 Public Hearing, in which you can see Finance Director Stephanie Black presenting them.

https://youtu.be/QDp8cB2eh0c?si=5qPxAX9OWWEZiDg9 Continue reading →

Notice: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30

Update 2026-07-09: Videos: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30.

There’s a Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget at 8:30 AM, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in the Lowndes County Commission Chambers, second floor, 327 N. Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31601.

The FY 2027 Budget Public Hearing Presentation is linked from the Finance Department page on lowndescounty.com, and there is a link under Lowndes County News saying it was posted June 24, 2026. Images of each page are below.

[Notice: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30]
Notice: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30

This notice is on the calendar on lowndescounty.com: Continue reading →

Notice: Two Budget Public Hearings @ LCC 2026-06-22

Update 2026-06-30: Video: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC 2026-06-23.

Update 2026-06-28: Actually, that Monday meeting and those slides were from last year. The last Budget Public Hearing and the this year’s slides: Notice: Special Called Meeting to Adopt the Proposed FY 2027 Budget @ LCC 2026-06-30.

Did you know Lowndes County is going to hold two Budget Public Hearings this coming week?

One will be 9 AM Monday morning, after the Work Session. I found that one on lowndescounty.com by googling for it. Monday is actually June 22 according to every other calendar; nevermind what that notice says.

The other Budget Public Hearing will be 5 PM Tuesday evening, before the Regular Session. Gretchen found that one in the Valdosta Daily Times via a google alert.

They will both be in the Commission Chambers on the second floor of 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.

[Notice: Two Budget Public Hearings @ LCC, 9 AM Monday 2026-06-22, 5 PM Tuesday 2026-06-23]
Notice: Two Budget Public Hearings @ LCC, 9 AM Monday 2026-06-22, 5 PM Tuesday 2026-06-23

Neither of them are in the main calendar on lowndescounty.com.

I also found what appear to be the slides for these budget public hearings. They are on lowndescounty.com, but they are not linked from the web pages for the Finance Department nor the County Clerk nor the County Manager.

They are not in PDF or PowerPoint and they are not downloadable. So I took screenshots of each slide, which you can see below. You’re welcome.

Maybe at some of these Budget Public Hearings or at the Work Session or the Regular Session why these Public Hearings are not more prominently announced. Continue reading →

Videos: Homestead Tax, Datacenter, Appointments to 3 Boards, 1 small subdivision, Old US 41 N widening, Alcohol, Sewage, insurance, bonds, and roads @ LCC Regular 2026-06-09

Update 2026-06-15: Proposed Local Act for Local Homestead Option Sales Tax (LHOST) @ LCC 2026-06-09.

The bulk of this long meeting was not on the agenda: another one cent sales tax, a report about services at Leila Ellis, and eight citizens wishing to be heard. Well, those citizens were collectively on the agenda of the Tuesday evening Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, but the other two items were not.

By far the longest item at 21 minutes was added to the agenda at the beginning of
7.f. LHOST Consideration, SB 33 Special Local Homestead Option Sales Tax The title is my guess; I think Chairman Bill Slaughter just said LHOST.

The thirteen slides County Manager Paige Dukes presented are on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request. Images of each slide are below.

We do not yet have the draft legislation the Commissioners unanimously approved sending to the Georgia legislature to enact this additional one cent sales tax, because I didn’t think to request it until this afternoon. Why the slides and the legislation are not on the county’s own website is mysterious.

[Videos: Homestead Tax, Datacenter, Appointments to 3 Boards, 1 small subdivision, Old US 41 N, Alcohol, Sewage, insurance, bonds, and roads @ LCC Regular 2026-06-09]
Videos: Homestead Tax, Datacenter, Appointments to 3 Boards, 1 small subdivision, Old US 41 N, Alcohol, Sewage, insurance, bonds, and roads @ LCC Regular 2026-06-09

They approved everything else unanimously, including reappointing James Ramsey and appointing Gary Wisenbaker to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals: his brother Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker recused himself.

They appointed James Warren to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority.

They reappointed Andy Griffin and Scott Purvis to the Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority.

The longest regular item discussion at almost seven minutes was of the Industrial Authority Series 2026 Bonds.

Another long item (almost six minutes) not on the agenda occured when as part of the County Manager Report Paige Dukes asked Probation Director Ferlisha Rountree to talk about about services at Leila Ellis.

Six citizens spoke about the potential datacenter on Coleman Road: George Fisher, Jimmy LeFiles, John Smith, Amy Wiegenstein, Sarah Riggle, and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

Also, Skyler Ramen(sp?) said his paycheck increases less than rent does and Robert Willis would like speed bumps on Danieli Drive in Lake Park.

Here is a LAKE video playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLshUv86fYkiG2JQe4jgsEi9L0R2O6z_GM Continue reading →

Videos: Datacenter, paving, grants, breeding, health, 4 Board Appointments, 1 Alcohol, 1 Easement Exchange, 2 Solid Waste Franchises @ LCC Regular 2026-03-24

There was a somewhat startling citizen report about the possible future datacenter site at the Tuesday evening Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. See other post for Tetiana Babcock.

The Commissioners breezed through all the voting items with unanimous approval. Except Commissioner Joyce Evans did ask if any applicants for the board appointments were present. Travis Cox was present. He had just been appointed to ZBOA in place of John Hogan. Also, John McCall was reappointed to ZBOA.

[Collage @ LCC 24 March 2026]
Collage @ LCC 24 March 2026

County Manager Paige Dukes asked for Ashley Tye to talk about Water Stewardship in the current drought, and Fire Chief Billy Young to talk about not burning while it is so dry.

Six citizens spoke: Mary Roe about Paving of Green Road, Kelly Saxon about Baldwin Place grants and shelters, Amanda Hall about pet Breeding limits, Kristina Cheek McBride about Maternal Health Issues, Michael Noll about Data Center collaboration and transparency, and Tetiana Babcock about Data Center Encroachment. See other post for Tetiana Babcock.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: 4 Board Appointments, 1 Alcohol, 1 Easement Exchange, 2 Solid Waste Franchises @ LCC Work 2026-03-23

Update 2026-03-26: Videos: Datacenter, paving, grants, breeding, health, 4 Board Appointments, 1 Alcohol, 1 Easement Exchange, 2 Solid Waste Franchises @ LCC Regular 2026-03-24.

At their Monday morning Work Session, the Lowndes County Commissioners had the most to say about the 6.c. Advanced Disposal Services Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal, about prices, trash escaping, and recycling.

[Collage @ LCC 23 March 2026]
Collage @ LCC 23 March 2026

In 7. Reports, County Manager Paige Dukes called on Utilities Manager Steve Stalvey to talk about the Water Notifications that were recently mailed to all water customers, even though only some are affected.

They vote this evening, Tuesday, at 5:30 PM.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: 4 Board Appointments, 1 Alcohol, 1 Easement Exchange, 2 Solid Waste Franchises @ LCC 2026-03-23

Update 2026-03-24: Videos: 4 Board Appointments, 1 Alcohol, 1 Easement Exchange, 2 Solid Waste Franchises @ LCC Work 2026-03-23.

This week, the Lowndes County Commission does not plan to approve spending any tax funds.

It does plan to appoint members to four boards.

And to approve a beer and wine license for a newly built establishment, plus a related easement exchange.

And to approve the usual two solid waste collection franchises.

[Packet: 4 Board Appointments, 1 Alcohol, 1 Easement Exchange, 2 Solid Waste Franchises, @ LCC 2026-03-23-24]
Packet: 4 Board Appointments, 1 Alcohol, 1 Easement Exchange, 2 Solid Waste Franchises, @ LCC 2026-03-23-24

Here is the agenda.

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

Images of each page are below.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →