Category Archives: Transparency

Videos of votes: James Road fallout, airport, water, sewer, alcohol @ LCC 2014-05-13

In a Special Presentation to Thomas Smith on retiring from the 911 center, we saw a rare use of the county’s video camera to display the podium at the front of the room. Escalated from contingency fund to SPLOST payment (we still don’t know how much): fixing the James Road 10-inch drop in 48 hours in front of Westside Elementary School due to faulty road construction in 2008. Also due to that same hasty 2008 James Road widening and realignment for the James Road second mall and massive subdivision mega-project that never happened, they scheduled a Public Hearing for abandoning Excess Right of Way on James Rd & Riverside Dr. And they voted to fix three discrepencies MIDS, Inc. found in its contract of last year. They voted for the low bid on the lift station pump without ever saying what the other bids were.

They reappointed Airport Authority Chairman Steve Everett for another four-year term; he did not appear. They approved the 911 Center surplus item sale. They scheduled a Public Hearing to abandon part of Old Statenville Road SE because they say only seven cars a day, no, now it’s ten cars a day, use it and there are no houses on it. Nobody had any questions about the a beer license.

And the County Manager said a quarantine on the Animal Shelter was being lifted and the next Work Session would be Tuesday (27 May 2014) because of the holiday (Memorial Day).

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 12, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
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Hahira annexation again, two county, and four Valdosta w. Phi Sigma Kappa @ GLPC 2014-05-27

Return of the Hahira rezoning and annexation, down from 66.1 to as 58.09 acres, even after the Lowndes County Commission letter of objection of 22 April 2014, and on Tuesday next week, same time as the County Commission meeting. A ULDC amendment request for Special Events and such and an LDR amendment request for unspecified reasons. A county rezoning to agricultural and three Valdosta use changes: daycare, fraternity, and commercial office.

Here’s the agenda, which arrived as a PDF actually convertable to text!

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Tuesday, May 27, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

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Unnecessary lawsuit against local business in GA Supreme Court today

Why is the Lowndes County Commission spending our tax dollars to sue a local company for collecting trash, in appeal at the Georgia Supreme Court this morning? Why not just let Deep South Sanitation compete with Advanced Disposal Services? Perhaps we should “stop wasting taxpayer money”, as Gretchen said to the Commission a year ago.

From DSS’s facebook page 5 May 2014, LOWNDES CO & ADVANCED DISPOSAL VS DEEP SOUTH UPDATE:

Dear Friends of Deep South, we have been notified that a date for the “APPEAL” has been set for Monday, May 19, 2014 @ 10am to be held in Atlanta, Ga. before the Supreme Court. The Lowndes County Attorney along with Advanced Disposal’s Attorney’s will have the opportunity to argue their case. Our Attorney, Rob Plumb will speak on behalf of Deep South and for the people. There will not be a ruling on this day. We will post the results of the Court’s ruling on our FB page as soon as we receive word.—As always, we thank all of you for your prayers and support. God Bless America!

And from DSS’s facebook page yesterday: Appeals Court Tomorrow Morning @ 10am.

“Thank you” to every one for your thoughts and prayers. Cary and Trevor just left headed to Atlanta. The appeal will be heard by the Supreme Court and a ruling should come at a later date. Hopefully, this will be the end of the lawsuit filed by the County and Advanced Disposal. We will post any news on our FB page as soon as we get word from our Attorney. Thanks again, your support means the world to us.

As Gretchen said a year ago to the Commissioners who voted for that unnecessary lawsuit,

I wonder which one of you said “This will really attract people to start or relocate business in our county when we sue one of our local business owners.”

If I were considering a business move, I wouldn’t move to a county that eats its own.

I ask that you drop the lawsuit and stop wasting taxpayer money. Thank you.

We don’t have to be a county like that. Let’s change some Commissioners and stop this waste of taxpayer money.

LAKE supports Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes County Commission District 5. Please vote tomorrow, Tuesday May 20th. It’s not a primary: that’s Election Day for this Special Election for District 5. Your vote matters.

-jsq

Precincts changed yet again for May 2014 Special Election and Primary

Where can you vote on Tuesday May 20th, Election Day for the Special Election for Lowndes County Commission District 5, for the Lowndes County Board of Education, for the elections for judges, and for the primaries for the Georgia statehouse, statewide offices, and U.S. Congress? Yes, precincts have changed yet again, but you can find your polling place in My Voter Page by the Georgia Secretary of State. Or you can zoom and pan on the VALOR GIS Election Boundary Map.

Whichever way you find your polling place, it’s time to get out and vote. If we don’t, why should Atlanta pay any attention to us poor rural stepchildren?

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Hahira City Council Special Called Meeting @ Hahira 2014-05-15

Not clear what’s so special about this meeting, since the topics are the usual, or where the agenda is, or why Wayne Bullard is still listed as the Mayor on this announcement (and on Hahira’s own web page). Silly me, I believed the VDT 10 January 2014 when Stuart Taylor wrote “Newly elected Hahira Mayor Bruce Cain is sworn in Thursday by Judge Vernita Bender as his wife, Billie Cain, watches”.

Here’s the announcment, via Barbara Stratton. It lists “Web Site Recommendation”; maybe they’re going to update who’s mayor. Continue reading →

Primary candidate debate 6PM tonight at VSU

Hear from the people who want to represent you in the Lowndes County Commission, on the Lowndes County School Board, and in the Georgia State Senate. Here’s who’s running, and details of tonight’s event are below.

When: 6-8PM Tuesday May 13th 2014
Where: Room 1011
Bailey Science Center Auditorium,
1500 N. Patterson Street,
Valdosta State University
Moderator: Scott James of 92.1FM talk radio
Parking:Gravel lots off of Georgia Avenue

This debate is organized by the South Georgia Young Republicans, VSU College Republicans, Lowndes County Republican Party, and the Young Conservatives of America.

CONTACT: Ben Smith, SGYR President, 229-412-5610, sgyrrocks@gmail.com

-jsq

No to Brookhaven rezoning @ Lake Park 2014-05-06

After the Planning Commission meeting of 31 March 2014 and the Lake Park City Council meeting of 1 April 2014, and a special public hearing, the Lake Park City Council voted 3 to 1 to deny the Brookhaven apartment building rezoning.

Mayor Eric Schindler’s statement about how the hornet’s nest of the Brookhaven rezoning LP-2014-02-26, or any rezoning, is a process and not a snap decision is well worth watching.

The City of Lake Park does not appear to have posted an agenda, or at least where I expected to find it there are no details. Below are links to the videos in the order items appeared at the Lake Park City Council Regular Session of May 6th 2014, with a few notes.

Continue reading →

Videos: airport appointment, water, sewer, alcohol, and surplus right of way @ LCC 2014-05-12

They vote tomorrow evening on paying for an emergency road fix and several discrepencies. James Road dropped 10 inches in 48 hours in front of Westside Elementary School, due to faulty road construction in 2008. Also due to that same hasty 2008 James Road widening and realignment for the James Road second mall and massive subdivision mega-project that never happened, there is Excess Right of Way on James Rd & Riverside Dr. that the County Engineer wants to quit claim and give back to the neighboring landowners. In other discrepencies, MIDS, Inc. found three in its contract of last year and wants a Transportation Service Contract Addendum to fix the work the county didn’t check. A Commissioner wanted to know why the three bids for a lift station pump varied so much.

Airport Authority Chairman Steve Everett wants to be reappointed for another four-year term. The 911 center has surplus items out back it wants to sell off. County staff want to abandon Old Statenville Road SE because they say only seven cars a day use it and there are no houses on it. Nobody had any questions about the a beer license.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 12, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Airport Authority appointment, water, sewer, alcohol, and surplus right of way @ LCC 2014-05-12

If anybody knew about upcoming appointments, like this one to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority, they might want to apply, or suggest a likely applicant. Which surplus items? Which Transportation Service needs a Contract Addendum? Why is the Commission considering abandoning Old Statenville Road SE and Excess Right of Way on James Rd & Riverside Dr.? Does this mean the infamous 2007 James Road second mall and massive subdivision mega-project is finally really dead and gone? Or something else? Is it comforting to know the only thing that is clear on your Lowndes County Commission’s agenda for tomorrow morning is a beer license?

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
    PROPOSED AGENDA
    WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 12, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
    REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
    327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Valdosta City Council Work Session @ VCC 2014-05-06

Here’s the Call to Order. See separate post for details of the Army Corps of Engineers flooding study. The Work Session continued after that, but Gretchena and I both had to go to other events, so there’s no video of the rest.

If Valdosta videoed its own meetings, Continue reading →