Category Archives: Transparency

The missing Lowndes County public hearing for Comprehensive Plan Updates

Four local governments followed the rules, one appears to have left citizens out of the process.

According to their letters of transmission to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Valdosta, Hahira, Remerton, and Lake Park all held public hearings on the Short Term Work Programs and Report of Accomplishment documents.

Here is video of the Valdosta Public Hearing.

The Lowndes County resolution does not say that a public hearing was held. That’s because no public hearing was held, as you can see in the video below.

A public hearing was listed in the agenda of the 11 October 2011 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

7. Public Hearing
a. REZ-2011-13, Fred’s Dept. Store, 4401 Bemiss Rd., 145c-90a, 2.0 ac., water/sewer, C-H(c) & C- G(c) to C-G
b. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates – Lowndes County Report of Accomplishments (ROA) and Short Term Work Program (STWP)

However, citizens were not invited to speak for or against the document. In fact, the document was not provided to the citizens for comment and an open records request for the document has not been satisfied by the county. Here is video of items 7a and 7b.

The County’s Resolution to Transmit says in part: Continue reading →

The Comprehensive Plan updates Lowndes County refused to provide

LAKE has obtained the planning revision documents Lowndes County refused, in violation of the law, to return in response to an open records request. Here they are for all to see.

The Standards and Procedures for Local Comprehensive Planning, established by the Georgia Planning Act of 1989, require updates to the Short Term Work Projects (STWP) list and the Report of Accomplishments (ROA) every 5 years. Lowndes County and the cities in Lowndes County have submitted the documents to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA)

An open records request to Lowndes County for the documents was not satisfied. However other government agencies were willing to abide by the Georgia Open Records Law ocga 50-18-70.

The documents are available for review on the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange website for Valdosta, Lake Park, Remerton, Hahira and Lowndes County.

I encourage you to read carefully what our elected officials see as the future of our community.

-gretchen

Which side are they on? The deleted CUEE Referendum Supporters

The people who were on that list of referendum supporters that CUEE deleted from its website:

Referendum Supporters

Mrs. Julia Ariall
John and Helen Bennett
Mr. James Bridges
The Honorable Tim [Golden? Carroll?]
Mr. Kevin Conrad
Mr. & Mrs. Joe Cordova
Mr. Ed Crane
Mr. Curtis Fowler
Mr. Jeff Hanson
Mr. Lee Henderson
Mr. Ryan Holmes
Mr. Jerry Jennett
Mr. Joe Johnson
Greg and Nancy Justice
Mr. Matthew Lawrence
Mr. Richard Lee
Mr. James McGahee
Mr. Dutton Miller
Mr. John Peeples
Mrs. Jennifer Powell
Mr. Donald (Butch) Williams
  • Were they put there without their permission?
  • Or did they change their minds?
Here’s the list. Let’s hear from them. Do they still support CUEE’s completely disproven bad case for a bad “unification” referendum exercise in disaster capitalism that would greatly damage the public schools, and that has already cost the community huge amounts of time and effort? Did they ever? But more importantly, do they now?

Time to stand up and be counted. There are two sides to this issue. There’s the truth, and there’s a lie.

Which side are you on?

They say they have to guard us to educate their child.
Their children live in luxury, our children almost wild.
Which side are you on, which side are you on?
— Florence Reese
And what about the Chamber board, which apparently is no longer unanimous?

How about Chamber members? Those signs out front of the Chamber: do they represent you?

Which side are you on?

-jsq

The local “unification” attack on public schools is part of a nationwide assault

The “unification” attack on the public schools in Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia is part of a nationwide assault on public schools, which has nothing to do with improving public education, and everything to do with private profit and private schools: disaster capitalism right here at home. And it’s not government causing our local disaster: it’s local business interests. What should we do about that?

Jeff Bryant wrote for Campaign for America’s Future 13 October 2011, Starving America’s Public Schools: How Budget Cuts and Policy Mandates Are Hurting Our Nation’s Students

Critics of America’s public schools always seem to start from the premise that the pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade public education system in this country is failing or in crisis.

This crisis mentality is in stark contrast to years of survey research showing that Americans generally give high marks to their local schools. Phi Delta Kappa International and Gallup surveys have found that the populace holds their neighborhood schools in high regard; in fact, this year’s survey found that “Americans, and parents in particular, evaluate their community schools more positively than in any year since” the survey started.

The first factor: New austerity budgets passed by state legislatures are starting to have a huge influence on direct services to children, youth, and families.
Well, we don’t have that problem in Valdosta City and Lowndes Schools. For example, graduation rates in Valdosta schools have been improving year over year, and both school systems are solvent.

So what happened instead? Why, they made up a crisis instead!

A local business group convinced enough registered voters to sign a petition to get a referendum on the November 8th ballot to decide whether to abolish the Valdosta City School System, which would force the Lowndes County School System to take it over, and also would result in massively raised taxes, which still wouldn’t be enough, so services would have to be cut. Voila! Forced budget crisis! Fortunately, the two school systems have seen through it, and Continue reading →

The Real Truth About School Consolidation by Supt. Smith to Lowndes County Schools

Received today. -jsq
Sent: Tue, October 25, 2011 7:55:07 AM
Subject: Letter to the Staff
Friends,
Attached is a copy a document that was sent to all Lowndes County teachers and staff from Dr. Steve Smith.
Thanks,
Sam Allen
Samuel Allen, Superintendent Emeritus [Valdosta City Schools]
The letter is on the LAKE website. Here are a few excerpts:
REAL TRUTH: Continuing all of the current programs the Valdosta City School System and the Lowndes County School System have would require a millage rate of approximately 24 mills. Considering state law limits us to 21 mills, some programs will be eliminated. The decision to eliminate such programs will be recommended by the Lowndes County Superintendent, subject to final approval by the Lowndes County Board of Education. There will be winners and losers in consolidation and several current successful programs will likely have to go.
Continue reading →

SGMC asks Lowndes County Commission to guarantee $100 M in bonds 10 October 2011

Commissioners asked some perceptive questions two weeks ago at their work session, as well they should, when South Georgia Medical Center was asking the county to guarantee a hundred million dollars in bonds. Some questions may remain.

Representatives from SGMC gave a two part presentation about expansion of SGMC facilities, to include 96 new private rooms in the Dasher Heart Center, the 5 story parking deck, now under construction and due to be completed in early 2012, and Life Safety and Generator Equipment updates.

Additionally, they spoke briefly on the acquisition of Smith Northview Hospital on September 1, 2011. Smith Northview operates as a campus of SGMC and all Smith Northview employees are now SGMC employees.

The second part of the presentation was about the financial Continue reading →

Hazard mitigation and some licenses at County Commission 24-25 October 2011

Last Monday there was a hearing about hazard mitigation plan updates which I, uh, showed up late for. Ten minutes late, which, given that nobody else showed up at all, meant that the county staff went home, so as to avoid wasting taxpayer dollars presenting to an empty room. That was the second and last public hearing So if you want to see that presentation, your last chance is Monday morning at the County Commission Work Session:
4. Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Presentation (work session only)
That is not a public hearing, so you can’t speak. They did hold two public hearings at which you could have spoken.

Other items include a beer and wine license (these are often controversial), an employee health care plan renewal (I think that’s what Section 125 is), and a telephone company site lease agreement. Plus:

7.c. Travel policy

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

SGMC, Comprehensive Plan, and 4-H at County Commission, 10-11 October 2011

The previous Lowndes County Commission meetings of two weeks ago featured in the work session:
6. Resolution – SGMC Revenue Certificates
Here’s a playlist for the work session of 10 October 2011.

And in the regular session:

7.b. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates – Lowndes County Report of Accomplishments (ROA) and Short Term Work Program (STWP)
Oh, yes, and this seemingly innocuous PR item:
4. 4-H Presentation
Here’s a playlist for the regular session of 11 October 2011. More posts to follow on these items.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. 4-H Presentation
  5. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — September 26, 2011
    2. Regular Session — September 27, 2011
  6. Resolution – SGMC Revenue Certificates
  7. Public Hearing
    1. REZ-2011-13, Fred’s Dept. Store, 4401 Bemiss Rd., 145c-90a, 2.0 ac., water/sewer, C-H(c) & C- G(c) to C-G
    2. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates — Lowndes County Report of Accomplishments (ROA) and Short Term Work Program (STWP)
  8. For Consideration
    1. Lowndes County Jail Administration HVAC — Change Order
    2. Section 5311 Rural Transportation Program Capital Contract
    3. Fluke Network OptiView XG
  9. Reports-County Manager
  10. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

At the door of the most educational meeting —Karen Noll

Received today on A most educational meeting. -jsq
Thank you, John for that accurate description of the most bizarre meeting that I have ever attended.


Karen Noll and Dean Poling at the door
As I was not invited I remained at the door. Dean Polling came to the door 10 minutes late because he’d been roaming around Rainwater conference center with a few other folks before he found out the meeting was located here. This meeting was held on the date that the CUEE had given when it would unveil its education plan. So many assumed it would be at the conference center and open to the public.(LOL)

The plan put together by the unnamed education task force a sub committee of cuee pushed Levy into having it at VSU, when VSU has clearly stated they are taking NO side!! So CUEE’s educational plan was presented before the vote has been taken to an invited group at a public institution that is staying out of the whole stinking affair. This is all to strange to not ask why and who is behind this mess?

At the end when I told Myrna Ballard about the location

Continue reading →

The Chamber hasn’t spent any money on a consolidation campaign? What’s this, then?

Etta Mims reports that Myrna Ballard told her on the telephone Thursday a week ago that the Chamber hasn’t invested any money in the school consolidation campaign. Myrna did admit that she spent some of her time and some time of one staff member. Etta asked Myrna was not time money? At that point Myrna stated Etta had hurt her feelings, and she was going to get off the phone.

Etta wonders why, then, do we find the glossy advertisement you see on the right here at http:// www. chamberorganizer .com/ valdostachamber /docs/ October 2 News Ad Get the FACTS.pdf, when www. chamberorganizer .com/ valdostachamber looks like one usual place the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce puts web materials it funds?

We already knew Myrna Ballard advised Rusty Griffin about that notorious fake-Morgan-Freeman radio ad.

I wonder, if the Chamber didn’t pay for that new ad, who did? Ditto for the radio ad. And who did Rusty Griffin have to get to sign off on it?

Also, I’m still looking forward to hearing any “FACTS” from the Chamber. So far every alleged “FACT” from CUEE or the Chamber about “unification” or consolidation has been readily disproved, and David Mullis has compiled the real facts.

-jsq