Category Archives: Trash

Water, Sewer, Video Arraignment, and Backups @ LCC 2013-07-08

A very light agenda for the Lowndes County Commission,
still avoiding topics of public interest, such as

that 100 foot wide pipeline barrelling through the county
and

the county suing a local business to the benefit of a monopoly
owned by investors in New York City.

Here’s

the agenda.



LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 8, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order

  2. Invocation

  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

  4. Minutes for Approval

    1. Work Session — June 24, 2013

    2. Regular Session — June 25, 2013
  5. Public Hearing — REZ-2013-07 Leatherwood, 2402 or 2406 James Rd. R-1 and R-21 to R-10, LC Water
    and Sewer, ~0.71 acres

  6. For Consideration

    1. Video Arraignment for Magistrate and Juvenile Court Contract

    2. Enterprise and Backup Storage Solution Scope of Work
  7. Reports-County Manager

  8. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

-jsq

Videos: a pipeline! 2 appointments, 3 hearings, 9 considerations, and 2 bids @ LCC 2013-06-25



Got a pipeline aimed at your house?
The county takes no responsibility.
And videos are good for juvenile court, but still not for the Commission.
Lots more; see below.

Here’s

the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes.
See also

the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

ADS buys three more waste companies, one in Valdosta

That’s five ADS purchases since Veolia.
So much for

Steve Edwards not being able to foresee any
further acquisitions back in April.
Somebody remind me, why was it a good idea for
the Lowndes County Commission granting
an

exclusive franchise to a monopoly that’s only getting bigger,
and already had

little reason to keep prices down?
County Commissioners certainly

have not been able to explain it.

Allan Gerlat wrote for Waste Age 2 July 2013,

Advanced Disposal Buys Three Waste Haulers,



Advanced Disposal Services Inc. continued its recent buying spree
with the acquisition of waste haulers in Pennsylvania, Georgia and
Illinois.

The Ponte Vedra, Fla.-based Advanced Disposal said in news releases
it purchased Winsor Disposal in Kane Pa.; Valdosta Waste Services in
Valdosta, Ga.; and Benson Disposal Services Inc. in Macon, Ill.

Here’s a list of just the ADS purchases I know of, not counting the rumor: Continue reading →

Tipping fees vs. host fees from Veolia

What is this contract involving tipping fees that

Lowndes County declined to produce a copy of?
How can it be “adequately maintained in the future”, as former Commissioner Lee
put it, if the county doesn’t know what it is?

The

minutes for the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Work Session 11 October 2010
say:


Resolution-Proposed Amendment-March 2007 Greater Lowndes Solid Waste
Management Plan,

County Planner, Jason Davenport, presented the resolution, adding that
the amendment was drafted due to a proposed expansion and reconfiguration
of the Evergreen landfill. Mr. Davenport added that the amendment had
been reviewed by staff, the Regional Commission and the Deep South Solid
Waste Authority. Mr. Davenport further stated that Mr. A.J. Rodgers, of


Veolia Environmental Services, was present to answer any questions the
Commission might have regarding the project. Commissioner Lee stated
that he was concerned that the contractual relationship that has been
in place for quite some time be accurately reflected and adequately
maintained in the future. Commissioner Lee then asked Mr. Rodgers if a
new cell had been created yet. Mr. Rodgers answered that construction
had begun in a cell that had already been approved.

Veolia spelled his name

[Andrew] AJ Rogers and identified him as
“area manager for Veolia ES Solid Waste Southeast, Inc.”

in a 22 March 2011 press release.

But what is this “contractual relationship”?
According to
a letter from Walter G. Elliott, Lowndes County Attorney, Continue reading →

Lowndes County says it doesn’t know who’s on a board to which it appoints members

If you were a county government appointing members to an Authority,
wouldn’t you know who the other members were, and what that Authority does?
Lowndes County doesn’t seem to know those things about
Deep South Solid Waste Authority (SWA).

Here’s the open records request from Brett Huntley of 7 June 2013:

Deep South Solid Waste Authority (SWA)

– List of members of the board, officers, and staff of SWA,
who appointed each, and their terms of office

– Charter, bylaws, resolutions, and any other SWA organizational documents

– Agendas and Minutes for the past five years for SWA, and future meeting schedule

Please provide as much in electronic form as possible.

And here’s the response from Paige Dukes 12 June 2013:



Regarding information related to the Deep South Solid Waste Authority,
you may contact Regional Commission Representative, Julia Shewchuk, at
229-333-5277. Lowndes County is not the custodian of the records you
have requested.

This is the same SWA for which the county’s adopted

GREATER LOWNDES 2030 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SHORT TERM WORK PROGRAM (STWP) FY 2012 -2016 says:

4.3.1 –Maintain involvement and membership on Deep South Solid
Waste Authority (SWA).

Our county government doesn’t know what this SWA is that it’s a member of?

-jsq

Budget Telling Tonight @ LCC 2013-06-25

Tonight you can go be told what the county’s budget will be,


5PM at the county palace.
If you want to see the proposed budget,
you’ll have to go their beforehand and view the one paper
copy they are

required by law to show you.
They say they’re short of money,
so why are they

wasting taxpayer funds suing a legitimate business?

On the county’s online calendar:

Budget Public Hearing (6/18/2013)



PUBLIC NOTICE

The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing for the purpose of considering

the Fiscal Year 2014 proposed budget on the following dates:

June 18, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.

June 25, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

Location:

Lowndes County Commission Chambers

327 N. Ashley St.

Valdosta, GA

A copy of the proposed budget is available for public review in the office of the County Clerk.

For questions please call 671-2400.

Kay Harris wrote for the VDT 19 June 2013,

Lowndes County facing budget woes,

Continue reading →

Videos: 2 appointments, 3 public hearings, 9 considerations, and 2 bids @ LCC 2013-06-24



Audio feed was still not available so what you hear, is what I hear at the back of the room… -gretchen

Here’s

the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes by Gretchen.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Mostly trash, plus 3 appointments, 1 rezoning, 2 wastewater @ LCC 2013-06-11

Once again the big topic was trash, and it wasn’t on the agenda.


The Chairman made up a rule to limit citizen speakers to

15 minutes total.
After five citizens managed to speak anyway, all to applause, and
the owner of Deep South Sanitation
got a standing ovation,
the Commissioners offered

nothing but excuses.

Here’s

the agenda, plus links to the videos and a few notes.
See also the
videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

2 appointments, 3 public hearings, 9 considerations, and 2 bids @ LCC 2013-06-24

Who’s applying to be appointed Tuesday evening?


The Commission doesn’t tell you.
Come to the Work Session Monday morning and maybe you’ll be able
to hear the County Manager mumble the names, if he names them.
Those

library board applicants from two weeks ago are finally

on the agenda.
Also

an appointment to Parks and Rec,
three liquor licenses, and many other items,
but nothing about solid waste or trash.

Here’s the agenda:



LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Adjourn into trash excuses @ LCC 2013-06-11

Citizens still wanted to talk about solid waste after the


Commission adjourned the Tuesday 11 June 2013

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.
Commissioners offered nothing but excuses.


Page asks for Wright to stay behind
Commissioner Page asked for

Mr. Wright
to stay behind so he could talk to him.
The Chairman adjourned; I didn’t hear or see any motion or second or vote.
Aren’t those required by state law?

Motion to adjourn? --Chairman Slaughter

The subsequent excuses included:

It’s not about right or wrong anymore.

Nevermind that most of the people in the room thought it was,
as well as many of the citizens and voters in the county.

We have to follow the process.

Nevermind they didn’t hold Continue reading →