Category Archives: Transparency

WordPress blog on animal protection problems

Susan Leavens has branched out from her facebook page, Georgia’s Regulatory Animal Protection Division the truth behind them, and has now created a WordPress blog, Georgia Department of Agriculture Animal Protection Problems

Among other things, she’s reposted a bunch of LAKE posts about animal shelter issues. That’s kosher, as long as there’s attribution, which she has included. I applaud Susan for starting her own blog!

-jsq

Notice regarding videoing or photographing

Through a chain of emails yesterday we received this item originating at the County Clerk’s office.

This may or may not be what the Commission voted on Tuesday. It’s not signed by any of the voting Commissioners or the County Clerk.

It says it’s a NOTICE. Is a Notice an ordinance?

It’s still not on the County’s website list of ordinances.

So many questions!

Cynics might have still other questions.

-jsq

T-SPLOST Southern Region Cost Changes

Update 6:30 PM 26 September 2011: Please see the corrected version received from Corey Hull today. -jsq

Received yesterday from Corey Hull, with this cover sheet message, responding to my request in the T-SPLOST public meeting Monday.

John,

In the attached spreadsheet you will find the each project associated with four columns: the original estimate, the updated estimate, the TIA funding (any difference from the TIA and updated cost estimate is a secondary funding source i.e. federal, state, or local), and whether that project is currently included in the constrained list.

GDOT provided the updated costs estimates (based on current GDOT bids) and in some cases those estimates were further revised by GDOT and the local governments where appropriate. All project scopes remained the same with the exception of RC11-000049 and RC11-000042 (highlighted in yellow), these project termini were changed significantly.

I hope this answers your questions, let me know if you have any more.

Corey

Corey Hull, AICP
MPO Coordinator
Valdosta-Lowndes MPO
327 W. Savannah Ave.
Valdosta, GA 31601
Visit our Facebook Site!
229.333.5277
229.300.0922 (c)
229.333.5312 (f)
chull@sgrc.us
www.sgrc.us/transportation

The spreadsheet he sent is on the LAKE website in Excel spreadsheet and HTML versions. If you want to know what the projects are, you need to look at the unconstrained and constrained project lists. More later.

-jsq

News so good, there’s a law against it!

I’d like to thank the Commission for the award!

Louis XIV handing down an award
at Versailles
I and LAKE will wear it proudly. The VDT doesn’t have one of these. WCTV doesn’t have one; WALB doesn’t have one. Only LAKE posts news so good, there’s a law against it!

It’s now been a week since the Lowndes County Commission passed an ordinance for no stated reason, not on the agenda, and not read to the public. It’s still not on the county’s online list of ordinances. Gretchen was covering an event Friday at which she saw Commissioner Crawford Powell; she asked him to send her a copy of the ordinance. Five days later, nothing has arrived.

So, our only clues are Commissioner Raines’ remarks that it had something to do with videoing and photographing. And his remarks that he believed that the Chairman could do it on his own, but he’d like to make a motion for the Commission to approve it.

So we have to guess it had something to do with Ashley Paulk’s outburst of the previous morning, in which he flattered me by addressing me and only me by name, even though there were at least two video cameras recording the meeting. This is what he was going on about:

The County Commission wishes from this day forward that any filming be done from the media area in the back corner of the room.
He didn’t say anything about still photography, or for that matter about digital videoing, so I don’t know whether what he said had anything to do with whatever it was that Commissioner Raines moved Tuesday and the Commission approved. Nor does anybody else know.

Now a cynic might say, Continue reading

Gov. Deal: the bad, prison slave labor competing with free labor

Gov. Nathan Deal said he was for free-enterprise chickens, but he wants the government to supply prison slave labor to grow them.

Continuing Gov. Deal: the good, the ugly, and the bad on prisons, quoting again from David Rodock’s interview with Gov. Nathan Deal in today’s VDT.

The Bad

Remember Gov. Deal mentioned poultry operators as an illustration of his bogus point that government intervention is always bad? Well, I guess he forgot that when he answered this question:
THE TIMES: Your proposal to have probationers replace illegal immigrants for farm labor. Did that idea work? If it didn’t or it did, what’s going to happen next year during the picking season?

DEAL: “Well, it worked with some success. I think there was a great deal of skepticism about it on whether these people will work and there is a threat associated with their presence. We have to remember that probationers are not under arrest. They are free in our society.

Really? Except for little things like not being able to vote if they are felons, and having to pay their probation officers. But back to the Gov.: Continue reading

T-SPLOST public meeting in Valdosta Monday morning 19 September 2011

The next T-SPLOST public meeting is tomorrow morning:
Monday, September 19, 2011; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; at the Valdosta City Hall Annex; 300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia; presentation will begin at 10:30 a.m.
These meetings are intended to gather public input:
After the public meetings the Roundtable will reconvene to review the public comments and adopt a final Constrained List that will be presented on the ballot to voters in 2012.
If you can’t go to the meeting, you can send in the public comment form or email Corey Hull at the SGRC.

I don’t know what you might want to comment on, but a couple of things that come to my mind are:

-jsq

The extraordinary negative side of coal mining —Jane Osborn @ LCC 13 September 2011

Jane Osborn talked about two health issues: the downside of coal mining, and no institutions for mental health.
…also related to the solar discussion that was begun yesterday, I think a piece we don’t talk about very often is the extraordinary negative side of coal mining. We are taking the tops off of mountains in Appalachia, leaving pristine streams clogged with the debris and the toxic waste of that. So coal is not just the price you see that we pay for it. Coal is seen in the price of people still dying of black lung, every time a mine collapses, and every time another mountain is taken down. I would guess if they were taking mountains down in North Georgia, we’d be fussing about it.
She said she has been a social worker for 33 years. She said starting June the DBHDD there would be a new service she recommended the county advertise on its website.
As of June 1st no person in the state of Georgia with a developmental disability may be placed in an institution.
The new service is a 24/7 toll free number to call for help.

Here’s the video:


The extraordinary negative side of coal mining —Jane Osborn @ LCC 13 September 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 September 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Gov. Deal in Valdosta right now tomorrow

A little birdie tells me this is his schedule for today tomorrow. -jsq
7:30 Breakfast at the Quitman-Brooks Co. Museum & Cultural Center (202 North Culpepper Street, Quitman)
8:00 Walk across the street to Brooks Co. Courthouse to have a skillet contest and media opportunity (Brooks Co. Skillet Festival is the next day – Saturday, September 17 <96> a kickoff for the festival)
8:30 Depart Brooks Co., travel to Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (4089 Val-Tech Road, Valdosta)
9:00 Arrive WGTC, tour for one hour
10:00 Depart WGTC, travel to South Georgia Medical Center (2501 North Patterson Street, Valdosta)
10:15 Arrive SGMC, tour for 45 minutes
11:00 Depart SGMC, travel to Valdosta State University Nursing Building (1500 North Patterson Street, Valdosta)
11:15 Tour VSU Nursing Building
11:35 Walk across street to VSU University Center for lunch/presentation
11:45 — 1:15 Luncheon, VSU University Center
Continue reading

Georgia open records law revision

There seems to be disagreement about access to open records in civil suits, regarding changes Attorney General Sam Olens proposes to Georgia’s Open Records Act. There are other issues, as well.

Jim Galloway wrote for the AJC on 1 Sep 2011, Sam Olens, Mike Bowers at odds over change to Open Records Act,

At issue is House Bill 397, which was drafted by Olens and received its first public hearing at the state Capitol this week. One provision in the bill would prohibit those who file lawsuits against state or local governments from using the Open Records Act to obtain records for use in court.
Bowers has successfully used open records to win a lawsuit on behalf of fired librarians. The proposed law would prevent such uses. Olens said:
“What we’re trying to do is incorporate past judicial decisions so we’re all on the same page,” Olens said. “When you’re suing the government, you should have no other advantage that you would when you’re suing a private party.”

The current Georgia sunshine law has two parts: open records and open meetings. Continue reading

Ordinance for no reason, not on the agenda, and not read to the public @ LCC 13 September 2011

This is what the Lowndes County Commission wasted tax dollars on yesterday evening: an ordinance not on the agenda, not read to the public, still not on the county’s online list of ordinances, and for no stated purpose. We can guess from Commissioner Raines’ remarks that it has something to do with videoing and photographing. Maybe it has something to do with the previous day’s outburst by Ashley Paulk aimed at a specific individual. Who knows? None of the public who came to that meeting know. That’s what passes for transparent government in Lowndes County, Georgia.

Here’s the video:


Ordinance for no reason, not on the agenda, and not read to the public @ LCC 13 September 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 September 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq