Videos: Insolvent tax list tabled, Lowndes Co. Dev. Auth. Reappointments, subdivision infrastructure, wine license, radios, bottled water, trucks, clothes washers, mowers, tractors, backup generator


Two weeks ago at their May 25, 2021, Regular Session, Lowndes County Commissioners unanimously approved everything
except one agenda item.
They tabled Tax Commissioner Rodney V. Cain’s request to write off $437,823.30 in insolvent taxes.


Insolvent list, Tax Commissioner

At the Monday, May 24, 2021, Work Session, Cain said the insolvent taxes were
because the seven-year statute of limitations had been exceeded,
or property had been moved out of the county.
He said Gander Mountain accounted for half of the total.
(I compute that at

slightly less than 40%.)
This item is back on

the agenda
for this morning’s Work Session and voting Tuesday evening, June 8, 2021.

At that previous Work Session,
Cain seemed rather vague about details such as how much might need to be written off next year.
He also did not say why he had not dealt with this earlier,
even though he was first elected in November 2016.
(His opponent in that election, Felicia Williams, is now an
appointed Tax Assessor.)

In response to questions from more than one County Commissioner,
Cain did say most Tax Commissioners deal with this annually,
and he plans to do that from now on.

Cain previously made statewide news for Continue reading →

Insolvent taxes, Fender Road Improvement Project, air conditioning, VLPRA @ LCC 2021-06-07

The agenda for tomorrow morning’s Work Session and voting Tuesday evening doesn’t actually list the $437,823.30 insolvent tax writeoff as “BUDGET IMPACT”
but it seems like it must affect the budget of Lowndes County, Georgia.

What would you guess would be the biggest insolvency for business closed,
things moved somewhere else, etc.?
Mobile homes? Paving? Real Estate?

Cost What
$618,767.14 Fender Road Improvement Project
$437,823.30 Insolvent List – Tax Commissioner
$28,842.00 Agreement for HVAC Service for Additional Lowndes County Buildings
$1,085,432.44 Total

Nope.

[Insolvent tax writeoffs, Fender Road Improvement]

Insolvent tax writeoffs, Fender Road Improvement

On page 21, Personal Property, GANDER MOUNTAIN COMPANIES has three lines
of base + interest + Penalty + FIFA and in one case they actually paid the base tax.
So the nets for each of the three lines add up as
$16,917.55 + $82,256.20 + $74,203.57 = $173,377.32.
That’s just shy of 40% of the $437,823.30 total.
Maybe big box stores are more of a risk than the county and cities
have been taking into account. Continue reading →

Lowndes Co. Dev. Auth. Reappointments, Insolvent property, subdivision infrastructure, wine license, radios, bottled water, trucks, clothes washers, mowers, tractors, backup generator 2021-05-24

Less than a million tax dollar expenditures to be decided upon Tuesday
after discussion Monday,
by the Lowndes County Commission.
Not counting future expenses from accepting streets for a subdivision,
and not county almost half a million in insolvent taxes to be written off.

[Wine license, Subdivision Infrastructure]

Wine license, Subdivision Infrastructure

Cost What
$274,780.32 Purchase of Trucks for Various Departments on State Contract
$236,056.00 Bid for Four (4) Tractors for Public Works
$71,600.00 Bid for Four (4) Bat-Wing Mowers for Public Works
$60,421.00 Bid for Washers/Dryers for Fire Stations
$47,500.00 Val-Tech Booster Station Generator
$6,000.00 Bids for Bottled Water Service
$696,357.32 Total

This,
Acceptance of Infrastructure for Two Oaks Subdivision Phase II,
will result in ongoing tax dollar expenses for sending school buses, sheriff, fire and rescue, and repairs to water and sewer and streets.
But the County Commission never counts that in its budget.
They also don’t count as related however many millions they’ve already spent preparing roads, water, and sewer for a subdivision.

Also not included is the $437,823.30

to be written off the tax rolls as insolvent,
due to statute of limitations, moved property out of the county, etc.,
at the request of the Tax Commissioner.

Not the same as the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority:
“The terms of Commissioner Clay Griner, Mr. Crawford Powell, and Mr. Barry
Broome to the Lowndes County Development Authority will expire on June 8, 2021. They have all expressed
an interest in being reappointed.”

I wonder what this was about, in the

May-10-2021-Work-Session-Minutes.pdf”>
Minutes of the previous Work Session?
“County Attorney, Walter Elliott, requested in writing, that the regular session minutes be revised regarding the motion to enter the executive session meeting.”

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

https://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-05-24–lcc-packet

Here is

the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Public Facilities Autority, 2 rezonings, 2 GDOT agreements, Juvenile Justice, 3 road widenings, Hahira extraterritorial water @ LCC 2021-05-10

Almost eight million dollars, mostly for road projects,
presumably approved by the Lowndes County Commission at their meeting yesterday.

[Union Station on Union Road, borrow pit off Lake Alapaha Blvd.]

Union Station on Union Road, borrow pit off Lake Alapaha Blvd.

Cost What
$4,931,029.15 Old US 41 Widening Project
$1,669,478.88 GDOT Standard Utility Agreement, Lake Park Bellville Road
$314,776.00 Bid for a Loader for Public Works
$300,000.00 Borrow Pit Agreement
$250,172.09 Change Order For Old US 41 Widening Project
$172,637.00 GDOT Standard Contract Agreement Exit 11
$165,427.00 FY 2022 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Application
$58,673.47 Turn Lane Project for Cat Creek Road and River Road
$13,000.00 Bid for Annual Coffee Service for County Buildings
$7,875,193.59 Total

The Union Station rezoning on Union Road continues to have complications, this time
Hahira Extraterritorial Extension of Water Service.

[Conceptual Layout for Union Station on Union Road]

Conceptual Layout for Union Station on Union Road

PDF

The water body in the aerial for the
Borrow Pit Agreement is not the Alapaha River. Continue reading →

Airport appointment, alcohol*2, courthouse, facilities, Infrastructure for The Landings, Jail hardware, fire station #5 @ LCC 2021-04-26

Only two items have dollar costs attached in the agenda
for this Monday and Tuesday.
No cost is cited for
Acceptance of Infrastructure for The Landings Phase II,
even though that will cost the county in future road maintenance, fixing any water or sewer line leaks, sending fire trucks and Sheriff’s deputies, and especially in
sending school buses.

Cost What
$796,865.00 Lowndes County Fire Rescue Station #5 Additions and Renovations
$26,751.00 Purchase of License and Hardware for the Odyssey Jail Project
$823,616.00 Total

[Alcohol, Streets, Fire station]

Alcohol, Streets, Fire station

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


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-04-26–lcc-packet.

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Subdivisions, quit claim, fire tax district & draft pit, Chambers A/V, deannexation, resurfacing, soccer complex, shooting range shelter @ LCC 2021-04-21 2021-04-12

A couple weeks ago Lowndes County approved almost $3 million dollars in expenditures, including
$110,147.78 for Commission Chambers Audio and Visual Upgrade,
even though other counties and cities livestream their meetings using an iphone
and facebook live.

[Rezoning, quit claim, audio-visual]

Rezoning, quit claim, audio-visual

Cost What
$1,811,758.00 North Lowndes Soccer Complex Phase II
$429,634.23 Resurfacing of Various County Roads
$304,252.00 A New Shooting Range Shelter for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office
$225,329.00 A New 30,000 Gallon Draft Pit for Lowndes County Fire Rescue
$110,147.78 Commission Chambers Audio and Visual Upgrade
$2,881,121.01 Total

The shooting range was actually not listed as BUDGET IMPACT,
but it comes from SPLOST taxes, so I don’t know how it’s not part of the budget.

Not marked as costing anything was the rezoning for
REZ-2021-04 Union Station on Union Road,
“for a multi-family housing complex to be constructed,”
even though that sprawl will cost in sending fire, sheriff, and school busses out there.

Also not counted was
Acceptance of Infrastructure for Creekside West Phase 6 & 7
for which “All roads will remain private. Lots will be served by Lowndes County water and sewer.”
So if a water or sewer line breaks, the county will have to pay to fix it.
And see above about sprawl.

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


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-04-21–lcc-packet Continue reading →

Packet: Subdivisions, Land taking, trash @ LCC 2021-03-22

As usual, the items with the most long-term expense are in the agenda for zero dollars,
for the Lowndes County Commission meetings Monday and Tuesday:
two subdivisions, one opposed by 200 neighbors
(REZ-2021-03 Johnston Subdivision, School House Pond Road),
another wanting the county to accept its roads, water, and other infrastructure
(Adopt Resolution Accepting Infrastructure for Quarterman [no relation] Estates Subdivision Phase III on Whitewater Road),
meaning the county is on the hook for maintenance,
in addition to costs of sending school buses, sheriff, fire, etc.

[Subdivisions, Taking, Trash collection sites]

Subdivisions, Taking, Trash collection sites

Cost What
$2,149,692.26 FY 2020 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Application
$43,490.00 Bid for Breathing Air Machine for the Fire Department
$339.00 Approve Condemning Right of Way and Drainage Easement for Hightower Road – Cooper Road TSPLOST Paving Project
$0.00 Advanced Disposal Services Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal
$0.00 Deep South Sanitation, LLC. Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal
$2,193,521.26 Total

Most of the $2 million acknowledged in the board packet is for fire and rescue,
which seems good to me.

In a rare move, apparently negotiations fell through with a landowner for
land for utilities, so the county has condemned it and is taking it for a nominal fee:
Approve Condemning Right of Way and Drainage Easement for Hightower Road – Cooper Road TSPLOST Paving Project.

The board packet, obtained in response to a LAKE open records request,
is

on the LAKE website.
Here is
the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Two rezonings, contractors for personal property assessments and water tank cleaning @ LCC 2021-03-08

In addition to the big ticket items of $1.5 million
approved this week by the Lowndes County Commission,
one rezoning will probably actually cost the county nothing,
and the other will most likely eat up more tax dollars down the road.

The inexpensive one is
REZ-2021-02 on Loch Laurel Road,
where Nancy Hobby is returning some land to Estate Agriculture (EA) zoning.
The pricey one is
REZ-2021-01 Knights Landing Subdivision, Phase 5,
where most likely the county will end up paying for road maintenance
or fixing utilities or something else down the road,
plus fire trucks and school buses.

[Two rezonings and $252,000 for contractor, personal property assessment]

Two rezonings and $252,000 for contractor, personal property assessment

Cost What
$1,322,274.00 Tank Maintenance Contract
$252,000.00 Deen’s LLC Contract
$1,574,274.00 Total

The agenda packet item says that the
Deen’s LLC Contract
for personal property appraisal costs $84,000,
but that is per year, and the contract is for three years,
so the real price is $252,000. Continue reading →

Retreat at Jekyll Island Club @ LCC 2021-02-25

Lowndes County Commissioners and staff are
meeting tomorrow where those pesky taxpayers won’t be
“distraction to strategically address community needs and set goals
for the next year.”

Tripadvisor says: “A Historic Treasure not just for “Millionaires” of Jekyll Island Club Resort”, with rooms from $207 to $220 per night.

[Cherokee Cottage]

Cherokee Cottage

I do congratulate the newish Lowndes County Public Information Officer for
putting out a press release,
and for promising a daily
“synopsis of discussions” to be posted on the county’s website.

How about a daily video, such as LAKE has posted for several years?
Or livestream the meetings via facebook live, YouTube, or Zoom?

Meghan Barwick, Lowndes County Press Release, February 18, 2021,

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Host Annual Planning Meeting,

Lowndes County, Georgia- The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
will hold their annual planning meeting on Jekyll Island February
25-26, 2021 at the Jekyll Island Hotel, Cherokee Cottage, 371
Riverview Dr., Jekyll Island, Georgia. The planning meeting will
begin on Thursday, February 25 at 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. and resume
Friday, February 26 at 8:30 a.m. wrapping up at 12:00 noon.

The purpose of the annual planning meeting is Continue reading →

Roads, Water, and Taxes @ LCC 2021-02-22

Four million dollars in tax money discussed this morning,
to be voted on at 5:30 PM tomorrow (Tuesday) by the Lowndes County Commission.

[Table: Four Million Dollars]

Table: Four Million Dollars

Yet their video cameras seem to be broken and I haven’t seen anything
about paying to fix them or buy new ones.
Meanwhile, Valdosta City Council started online through an iphone,
and numerous other counties in Georgia and Florida have made their meetings
accessible online.

Cost What
$1,974,139.00 Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) Loan Application for the Lake Park Bellville Road Widening Project
$1,875,000.00
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) Loan Application for Lift Station & Manhole Rehab Project
$219,000.00 Approve Purchase of West Savannah Avenue and Briggs Street Properties
$168,880.00 Purchase of Wetland and Stream Credits for Old US 41 North Widening Project
$59,500.00 Contract with Condrey and Associates, Inc.
$34,024.64 Request for the Purchase of Motorola Radios for Public Works
$19,167.00
Approval of the Solicitor General’s VAWA Competitive Grant Award
$10,195.00 Approval of Hightower Road and Cooper Road Right of Way Purchases
$6,000.00 GMASS Rural Land Maintenance Contract
$339.00 Just Compensation – Right of Way Parcel 10 Hightower Road and Cooper Road, TSPLOST Project
$4,366,244.64 Total

We don’t know where are the lift stations or manholes to be
financed through a GEFA loan for $1,875,000,
but I’d say that’s a good use of funds.
Not so sure about the

$1,974,139 for relocating utilities for widening
Lake Park Bellville Road,
because I’m not clear on why that road needs widening.
I do wonder why sewer and drinking water improvements have to be funded through loans
while road building gets tax funds.

Here is
the agenda.
The board packet is
on the LAKE website,
received Friday in response to a LAKE Open Records request.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →