Category Archives: Transparency

Videos: Welcomes, Millage, 5 minutes 30 seconds @ LCC 2016-08-23

3.5 minutes of actual meeting after a minute of invocation and pledge and a minute of welcomes.

First they welcomed Cub Scout Pack 400 and Troup 410, a member of the Lowndes County Explorer Program, for their interest in the gubmint. Also a Valdosta City Council member (Sandra Tooley, although Chairman Bill Slaughter didn’t name her), and Carl Smith. Plus Tax Commissioner Felicia Williams. He didn’t name any of the regulars in the room, yet the welcomes took more than a minute which, plus the minute for the invocation and prayer, that was two minutes of non-business in the entire 5 and a half minute meeting, so that was only 3 and a half minutes of actual meeting. Which was more than 2.5 minutes of the previous morning’s Work Session. It does make you wonder: where and when do they actually discuss the county’s business, and why isn’t it in the public meetings?

Below are links to each of the LAKE videos of the August 23nd 2016 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. See also Continue reading →

Millage Public Hearing @ LCC Millage 2016-08-23

People showed up and asked questions!

Finance Director Stephanie Black said they were having public hearings because they were required to when raising the millage. She said some of the reasons for the raise were a decline in the Local Option Sales Tax revenue, “because of the TATV” a decline in motor vehicle revenues, and a decline of 1.88% or $56 million in the property tax digest. TATV appears to be Ad Valorem Title Tax, which changed with HB 386 becoming law 1 March 2013, changing annual TATV to a one-time tax at vehicle purchase, and that new tax goes to the state, not the local government. As you can see in the Millage History slide pictured, they did Continue reading →

Videos: 2 minutes 39 seconds, plus new county agent @ LCC 2016-08-22

That’s 2:39 for all business in Monday’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, except for a report at the end about a new county agent. The whole thing took less than 5 and a half minutes, according to their own clock. Valdosta City Council Sandra Tooley showed up at 5:35, just before they adjourned, and wondered what happened. You ever get the feeling they discuss business somewhere other than in public m eetings?

Tonight there’s a third millage hearing at 5PM, followed by their voting Regular Session at 5:30 PM. See previous post for some background on the millage and the agenda.

Below are links to each of the LAKE videos of the August 22nd 2016 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. They vote tonight. Continue reading →

Videos: Jerry Wallace reitrement, ZBOA, Verizon, abandonment, landfill @ LCC 2016-08-09

The engineering department utlity player, Jerry Wallace, is retiring. Jerry Wallace

They approved everything they discussed at the previous morning’s Work Session. See also the LAKE video of the Zika and mosquito control report from that Work Session.

Below are links to the LAKE videos plus a few notes for the Regular Session, August 9th 2016, of the Lowndes County Commission. They vote again tonight.

Here’s a video playlist:


Videos: Jerry Wallace reitrement, ZBOA, Verizon, abandonment, landfill
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, August 9, 2016.

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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!

Millage, grants, computers, and land bank @ LCC 2016-08-22

This morning the county will discuss raising the millage rate, and they will vote on it Tuesday evening, with a third millage hearing half an hour before the voting session.

Michael Praats, Valdosta Daily Times

As County Manager Joe Pritchard reminded them July 25th, it’s time for the annual millage rate setting. As usual, their agenda doesn’t say what they’re setting it to. There’s a number in Continue reading →

Videos: Mosquitoes! ZBOA Reappointment, Verizon tower, Strong abandonment, closed landfill @ LCC 2016-08-08

Most controversial and not on the agenda: Zika and mosquito control in the County Manager’s report. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

The county wants to operate and maintain water treatment, wastewater, and three swimming pools at Moody AFB. Are they changing the speed limit on your road? And the county is re-evaluating its job descriptions.

Also on the agenda: Continue reading →

Videos: A development back again + a communications tower @ GLPC 2016-07-25

A development rezoning tabled previous GLPC meeting (and since approved the next evening by the Lowndes County Commission) and a communications tower to be voted on by the County Commission tonight, Those two Lowndes County cases were the only ones on the Planning Commission agenda for July 25th 2016. See also the Continue reading →

Videos: funded flood map, Behavioral Health Board still vacant, Rezoning also on GLPC Monday, road abandonment, land exchange @ LCC 2016-07-26

On July 26th 2016, they approved up to $40,000 for the Withlacoochee River Flood Inundation Map Project, and I thanked them for that and for considering my modest suggestion. The County Manager, unlike the previous morning, did not mention it’s time for scheduling meetings to set millage rates. Still no applicant for the Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Board, but Commissioner Joyce Evans thought she had a prospect for later.

They approved the event center rezoning which also sailed by the previous night’s Planning Commission.

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

ZBOA Reappointment, Verizon tower, Strong abandonment, closed landfill @ LCC 2016-08-08

Are they changing the speed limit on your road? The county wants to operate and maintain water treatment, wastewater, Option 1 Summary Maintain WWTP and three swimming pools at Moody AFB. And the county is re-evaluating its job descriptions.

Also on the agenda for this morning at 8:30 AM (they vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM): reappointing Mac McCall to ZBOA, the Verizon tower from the previous Planning Commission meeting, Abandonment of Strong Road (CR 250), and Execution of the Resolution for the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund for the closed landfill: yes the same one they signed an easement for the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline to go through. Continue reading →

Videos: Vacant seat Behavioral Health Board, Rezoning also on GLPC Monday, road abandonment, land exchange, and flood map project @ LCC 2016-07-25

They didn’t have an applicant for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities at Monday morning’s Work Session; Chairman Bill Slaughter invited anyone who wanted to apply to speak up. The Withlacoochee River Flood Inundation Map Project had the longest discussion, and the County Manager reminded everyone it’s time for scheduling meetings to set millage rates. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM; see Continue reading →