Category Archives: Water

Videos: Millage Rate, 3 Alcohol, Animals @ LCC Work 2023-08-21

Update 2023-08-23: Videos: Danny Weeks, Millage Rate, 3 Alcohol, Animals, Paper Ballots @ LCC Regular 2023-08-22.

The millage rate settings (general and fire district) got the most discussion yesterday morning, as well they should, in the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. Finance Director Stephanie Black was absent because of COVID, so the main millage rate slide show was given by someone else.

Collage @ LCC 21 August 2023

Commissioners Clay Griner and Mark Wisenbaker had some questions, which elicited information about what lower millage rate would meet the county’s budget. Also a mill this year is worth about $4.2 million, while last year it was about $3.2 million. This is because increases in tax assessments as the Tax Assessors catch up.

The County Attorney said something inaudible in there, because he was facing away from his microphone.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker asked whether the fire department could get its millage adjusted down. Chairman Bill Slaughter said they were still building. Commissioner Wisenbaker asked when they’re all built, then could we adjust that down? The Chairman that would be something to consider. County Manager Paige Dukes said that staff and other expenses were running higher than expected, but maybe some new items could go into the next SPLOST.

Commissioner Wisenbaker wanted to know what kind of balance the fire department had. Nobody knew, but the Chairman said they could get that that day.

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

Before then, you may want to ask your County Commissioner: Continue reading →

Millage, Alcohol, and Animals @ LCC 2023-08-21

Update 2023-08-20: Millage Notice: 2023 Property Tax Digest & 5 Year History of Levy 2023-08-14.

The big item is setting the millage rate for 2023, which in conjunction with the assessments and various exemptions, recovery exceptions, etc., determines how much property tax you pay.

Collage @ LCC Packet 2023-08-21

They will probably set it to a rollback rate of 8.896 mills, which is a reduction of 1.315 mills from 2022. That includes Industrial Authority 1.00 mill and VLPRA 1.25 mills.

The Lowndes County Commission will also separately set the Fire District Millage Rate for 2023. They propose 2.50 mills, which is the same as for last year.

Only one of the three beer and wine licenses gets a public hearing. Why only that one is not clear, since the other two are also because of change of ownership.

And there’s a bid for an Animal Services Chassis Box.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. Continue reading →

Videos: Boat Ramps, Okefenokee Swamp, LMIG, Taxes @ Clinch County Commission 2023-08-07

Update 2023-09-12: Videos: Grant match for Dark Sky and resolution against mine too near Okefenokee Swamp @ Clinch County Commission 2023-09-11

Update 2023-08-10: Chainsaw cleanup, Outings, Boat Ramps, Okefenokee Swamp –Suwannee Riverkeeper @ Clinch County Commission 2023-08-07.

It was a brief agenda at the Clinch County Commission, with roads and taxes, plus boat ramps and a proposed resolution against the strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp.

Collage @ Clinch County Commission 2023-08-07

Below are pictures, LAKE videos of each agenda item, and links to documents, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Continue reading →

Videos: Four Citizens, Permitting and Inspections Ordinances and fees, Water main extension, Service contracts, court grants, and a fire truck @ LCC Regular

The July 25, 2023, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session took half an hour, only because four citizens spoke: one about tax assessments, one about youth advisory council, and two about voting machines.

Collage @ LCC 25 July 2023

Commissioners approved every item unanimously, spending more than $10 million, mostly on 7.a. Exit 13 Touchton Road Water Main Extension.

The only discussion was when Commissioner Scottie Orenstein asked if it was the original Engine 10 and Commissioner Wisenbaker asked how the exhaust could fail.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall was absent.

County Manager Paige Dukes 8. Reports – County Manager praised staff for the new Permitting and Inspections Ordinances, but did not say where they might be found on lowndescounty.com. She also extolled the rollout of the new county website at the same URL. Maybe permitting is on there under Services, which leads to Technical Standards under Engineering.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: Probate, Permitting and Inspections Ordinances and fees, Water main extension, Service contracts, court grants, and a fire truck

Update 2023-08-07: Videos: Four Citizens, Permitting and Inspections Ordinances and fees, Water main extension, Service contracts, court grants, and a fire truck @ LCC Regular 2023-07-25.

By far the longest item at yesterday morning’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission was 4. Recognition of Pretrial, Probation, – Parole Supervision. That item accounted for about five minutes of the sixteen-minute meeting.

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

Collage @ LCC 24 July 2023

They didn’t say where the Permitting and Inspections Ordinances might be found on lowndescounty.com.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Permitting and Inspections Ordinances and fees, Water main extension, Service contracts, court grants, and a fire truck @ LCC Packet 2023-07-24

Update 2023-07-25: Videos: Probate, Permitting and Inspections Ordinances and fees, Water main extension, Service contracts, court grants, and a fire truck 2023-07-24.

No rezonings, but something much more pervasive at this week’s Lowndes County Commission meetings: Permitting and Inspections Ordinances and a Building Permit Fee Schedule.

Collage, LCC Packet, 2023-07-24

And $10 million in expenditures, mostly on a water main extension.

Cost	What
$9,754,718.88	Exit 13 Touchton Road Water Main Extension
$489,310.00	Motorola SUAII (Evergreen)
$346,372.00	Acceptance of FY24 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Funding
$64,205.17	Fire Rescue Engine 10 Emergency Repair
$50,000.00	Approval of FY24 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant Application
$28,892.56	Vertiv Service Contract for the Liebert UPS at the 911 Center & the Four Tower Sites
$10,733,498.61	Total

Here is the agenda.www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2023-07-24–lcc-packet”>on the LAKE website.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request is on the LAKE website.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked for clarifications on chickens being excluded from conservation in 6.a. TXT-2023-01 ULDC Text Amendments, County Manager Bill Slaughter said there were two kinds of conservation: land use and taxes, and the exclusion only applied to one of them; not clear which one.

Collage @ LCC 11 July 2023

Gretchen Quarterman spoke against the amendments being voted on without more time for the general public to review and comment, as she did at the preceding Planning Commission meeting. She pointed out she still could not find the amendments on the county’s website, there had been only one county announcement of these changes, and no listing of the changes. Nobody spoke for. The Chairman asked for rebuttal, but there was none.

Commissioners had no discussion, and voted unanimously to approve the ULDC text amendments.

They unanimously approved everything else, except Continue reading →

Videos: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Work 2023-07-10

Update 2023-10-16: Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11.

This time the ULDC text amendments are on the agenda as a Public Hearing.

Collage @ LCC 10 July 2023

However, Lowndes County still has not put the proposed amendments on its website. You can see them in the board packet on the LAKE website (they are different from the draft that was in the Planning Commission packet).

But that’s only because LAKE sent an open records request for that packet and posted it. Why should the general public have to do that, when the county already showed draft amendments to the Homebuilders Association more than a month ago? We know this because the the County Manager said so in the June 12th County Commission meeting: “In addition to the Planning Commission, the amendments have also been shared with the Homebuilders Association, as our largest group of stakeholders, we’d like for them to be able to give us some feedback.” Continue reading →

Videos: Adoption of Budget, Appointments to DFACS, VLPRA, Construction Board, Courts, Prison Details @ LCC Regular 2023-06-27

They approved everything unanimously, the Lowndes County Commission two weeks ago, with another surprise presentation in County Manager Reports.

Collage @ LCC 27 June 2023

They approved the Hotel-Motel Budget Plan and the FY 2024 Operating Budget.

They reappointed Elsie Napier to DFACS, Suzan Garnett to VLPRA, and Tripp Howell to the Construction Board.

They passed a stopgap resolution to delay approving changes to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). So there’s no need to approve any changes at the July 11th County Commission meeting.

Remember, the public has hardly seen any of the proposed ULDC changes, while the County Manager announced two weeks ago that “tomorrow we have the stakeholder meetings at 12:30 and 2 PM that I mentioned to you yesterday, with permits and inspections, and that is all going fantastically well, and I’m interesting in getting the feedback from our development community so we can make any changes that they may need prior to going live July 1.” Curious how the county government is not so solicitous of feedback from the general public as it is of feedback from “our development community”.

In response to a question by Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, Public Works Director Robin Cumbus clarified that the county since COVID has only been paying for one prisoon detail even though the contract says they can use up to three.

About Reports: County Manager, Gretchen Quarterman remarks: Continue reading →

Packet: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchases houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC 2023-07-10

Update 2023-07-11: Videos: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Work 2023-07-10.

Four terms expire on the South Georgia Regional Library Board (SGRLB) and all four people want to be reappointed. Plus another term will be vacant and two people want to be appointed to that: Catherine Ammons and Sarah Fitzgerald.

The Lowndes County Commission will hear these items this morning at 8:30 AM, and will vote on them at 5:30 PM tomorrow evening.

The text amendments to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) are on the agenda, even though the Planning Commission recommended tabling it for 30 days for the public to review. The version in this board packet is different from the version shown to the Planning Commission. Even county staff are asking for more time for the solar amendment.

Collage, LCC Packet 2023-07-10

The County Commissioners will vote on more than two and a half million dollars, mostly in road paving and insurance.

Plus they’re buying the houses next to where they want to make Griner Park near the county palace, and only a few blocks from where the City of Valdosta has already made Unity Park with an amphitheater.

And yet more of your tax dollars go to fix the private water system at Alapaha Plantation.

On the bright side, the land formerly rezoned for a biomass plant is now requested to be rezoned for boat and RV storage. Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange