Category Archives: Valdosta City Council

Taking water for granted? –Matthew Richard

This LTE appeared in the VDT today. -jsq
In the aftermath of Valdosta’s recent water calamity, it might be a good time to ask whether residents of Lowndes County are taking things like plentiful water for granted? Apparently, the Valdosta City Council is already thinking ahead, for on the agenda of their January 20, 2011 meeting, was a “Consideration of an Ordinance to establish standards for outdoor watering for the City of Valdosta.” One wonders if they’re worried about people watering their lawns in the summer? If that’s the case, it’s good that they acknowledge that the South is in the midst of a long-term drought.

Or perhaps I’m giving Council credit where it’s not due?

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Municipal elections this year

City elections are this year in Lowndes County, Georgia. According to Deb Cox, Lowndes County Board of Elections, in the Sunday Valdosta Daily Times (30 Jan 2010), the following positions are up for election in 2011 (incumbent in parentheses):

City of Valdosta

Mayor (John Fretti)
City Council At Large (Ben Norton)
City Council Dist 1 (James Wright)
City Council Dist 3 (“Sonny” Vickers)
City Council Dist 5 (Tim Carroll)

City of Hahira

City Council District 2 (Allen Cain)
City Council District 3 (Ralph Clendenin)

City of Dasher

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Industrial Authority and the general welfare –Dr. William Fuller

First time speaker Dr. William Fuller refers to a paper copy he got from the City of Valdosta of the charter of the Industrial Authority. He says it allows them to make contracts, and he asks for someone to check to see the unelected members of the Industrial Authority don’t contract with relatives. He notes that the charter says their main purpose is to promote the general welfare of the people of Lowndes County, and the proposed biomass plant won’t do that.


Video by John S. Quarterman
of the regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 25 Jan 2011
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

“our local gov’t officials are making decisions about things of which they have little knowledge” –Dr. Matthew Richard

Here is Dr. Richard speaking before the Valdosta City Council. He summarized in a comment on this blog:
as i endeavored to point out at the last city council meeting, our local gov’t officials are making decisions about things of which they have little knowledge. my example: the brain has two types of cells: neurons and glial cells. there are NO white blood cells; thus, the brain has no immune system, relying on the the tiny diameter of the capillaries themselves to keep infectious agents out. this is called the blood-brain barrier. BUT, as dr. sammons pointed out, PARTICULATE MATTER is small enough to make it through the body and into the brain. as dr. bob gannon (dept. head of biology at VSU) told me again the other night, this constitutes a major threat to health in the form of brain cancer.

Video by John S. Quarterman
of the regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 20 January 2011
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange

-jsq

Meeting video “increasingly popular” –AJC

Patrick Fox writes in the AJC, 18 Jan 2011, Meeting access video grows among city councils:
Metro Atlanta cities want to air their business in living rooms. Alpharetta agreed to spend $68,000 for a video recording system in its council chambers. Dunwoody will shell out $93,000 for a digital video recording system, enabling residents to view city council and planning commission meetings live from home.

While not every city electronically records its council meetings, the practice has become increasingly popular.

“It’s an overall trend of cities, going where people are to share information, to keep people in touch,” said Amy Henderson, Georgia Municipal Association spokeswoman.

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Videos and transparency –John S. Quarterman

Here I discuss with the mayor about the Valdosta City Council videoing their entire meetings and putting them on the web for everybody to see. The mayor indicated costs of streaming was an issue; I recommended putting it on YouTube or Vimeo and letting them handle that part. I think the AJC article he mentioned is this one: Meeting access video grows among city councils, by Patrick Fox, 18 Jan 2011.

This comment by the mayor was amusing:

The worst thing you could do would be to have one camera in the back that has room audio.
Touche, Mr. Mayor! :-) What do you think, is a noisy video from the back of the room more useful than no video at all? Can you see him waving his arms around? Continue reading →

“An error was made” –Luana Goodwin

This LTE appeared in the VTD 23 Jan 2011. -jsq
I wonder if there is any way for the Industrial Authority, County Commission and City Council to now do the right thing for Lowndes County. How can they save face?

Reading the scientific data makes it clear that an error was made, and clearly this data wasn’t made available to those who have been charged with finding appropriate industry for us, industry that will raise the quality of life for the citizens of Lowndes County by providing good jobs. They can be excused for an industry that provides only a few jobs. Jobs are jobs, after all. But how can we help them apologize to all of us and thank those citizens who have spent so many hours of their own time gathering information and providing a forum to educate us? I wish it were possible.

Luana Goodwin
Valdosta

Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority Act

The Act of the Georgia Legislature that created VLCIA in 1960.

Note III.4.F:

F. To encourage and promote the expansion of industry, agriculture, trade, commerce and recreation in the City of Valdosta, County of Lowndes, and to make long-range plans therefor.
Hm, so its board appears to have understated the range of VLCIA’s state-chartered scope when it stated:
“We’re industrial development.”
See also Section 9. – Liberal construction.

This Act was found via search.municode.com, which notes:

Editor’s note—Printed in this article is 1960 Ga. Laws, page 2786, as adopted by the Georgia General Assembly. Amendments to this act are indicated by parenthetical history notes following amended provisions. The absence of a history note indicates that the provision remains unchanged from the original act. An act (1960 Ga. Laws, page 1359), substantially identical to the act set forth in this article, was also passed as a constitutional amendment. Such constitutional amendment was continued in force and effect by 1985 Ga. Laws, page 3653, as a part of the state constitution.
The text of the Act is appended below.

-jsq Continue reading →

Biomass Rising echoes from Macon

Patrick Davis sums up the Valdosta biomass situation from Macon:
It appears to be the mainly conservative power structure of Lowndes trying to force this business venture into Valdosta’s community and not considering the environmental dangers.
He has some interesting points, such as who just got appointed to the EPD. I think he overestimates the power of the Valdosta mayor, however.

-jsq

Farmers grow renewable energy? –James Wright

Grow crops to burn for fuel, or for food? Valdosta City Council member James Wright brings up an article about farmers growing plants for biomass fuel. These things get passed around by council members, and I’m pretty sure this one that came to me indirectly is it: November 12, 2010 – Incentivizing Renewable Biomass Production, by New Energy Farms, Leamington, Ontario. What they’re mainly recommending is Miscanthus, which is a genus of clump grass.


The above video was already posted as part of
After all the citizens left –Valdosta City Council, 20 Jan 2011.

Now call me old-fashioned, but I prefer local farmers growing food Continue reading →