Tag Archives: ACCG

Videos: Leadership Lowndes, VLCIA appointment, Rivers Radio @ LCC 2017-12-12

In an outbreak of transparency and due diligence in the last Lowndes County Commission of 2017,
they took ten minutes
replacing Mary Goodman
on the

Industrial Authority,
hearing from three nominees, and appointing Brad Folsom.
They took three and a half minutes to choose among three nominees
to the

Tourism Authority
to appoint
Robert Jefferson.
None of those nominees spoke, but the vote was so split
they actually had a runoff, which ended in a 3:2 final vote.
They also reappointed Joyce Evans by silent “acclamation”.

Leadership Lowndes spoke for 12 minutes (as long as three citizens get),

citizen Willie Mae Jones wanted to know what next to get her Black Road paved,
and County Engineer Mike Fletcher said the signatures were verified as 84% of the property owners on the road, so it would go on the paving list
with the 74 projects already on there.
Chairman Bill Slaughter

actually asked for Commissioner comments,
and each of them said a few words, mostly thanks to the staff and Merry Christmas.
Chairman Bill Slaughter even thanked citizens for coming to the meetings. Merry Christmas, Commissioners!

The longest rezoning public hearing was
REZ-2017-13
Quattlebaum-Meadors, N Valdosta RD, R-21 to C-H.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Tucker Rd, West Ridge Business Park, Appointments VLCCCTA, VLCIA @ LCC 2017-12-11

They vote this evening on what you can see them discussing yesterday morning in
these LAKE videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session.
The longest business item was not even a minute and a half on
REZ-2017-12 West Ridge Business Park.

By far the longest item was not on the agenda:

11. Reports – County Manager a. Steve Gupton- LODAC Presentation,
about a local drug counseling organization, originally private,
but for long now funded by Valdosta and Lowndes County plus grants.
As one of the presenters noted, probably only Commissioner Joyce Evans
was thoroughly familiar with LODAC.

Below are Continue reading →

Tucker Rd, West Ridge Business Park, Appointments VLCCCTA, VLCIA @ LCC 2017-12-11

A very busy agenda this morning, including the
controversial
REZ-2017-14 Cothron, Tucker Rd rezoning.

They’ll probably reappoint Commissioner Joyce Evans and Gerone Anderson to the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority,
although Robert Jefferson and Ellen Hill have also applied.

Mary Gooding is retiring from the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Development (Industrial) Authority,
and four people have applied:
Ed Hightower Jr., Brad Folsom, John (Mac) McCall (currently on ZBOA) and Giovanni Panizzi.

Nevermind the
REZ-2017-12 West Ridge Business Park
rezoning
had nothing to do with the Industrial Authority that I know of.

No meeting would be complete without Continue reading →

Videos: funded flood map, Behavioral Health Board still vacant, Rezoning also on GLPC Monday, road abandonment, land exchange @ LCC 2016-07-26

On July 26th 2016,
they

approved up to $40,000
for the

Withlacoochee River Flood Inundation Map Project, and

I thanked them for that and for considering my modest suggestion.
The County Manager,
unlike

the previous morning,
did not mention it’s time for
scheduling meetings to set millage rates.
Still no applicant for the

Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Board, but Commissioner Joyce Evans thought she had a prospect for later.

They approved the
event center rezoning
which also sailed by the previous night’s
Planning Commission.

Below are links to each LAKE video with a few notes, followed by a
video playlist.
See also Continue reading →

Videos: Vacant seat Behavioral Health Board, Rezoning also on GLPC Monday, road abandonment, land exchange, and flood map project @ LCC 2016-07-25

They didn’t have an applicant for the
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
at Monday morning’s Work Session;
Chairman Bill Slaughter invited anyone who wanted to apply to speak up.
The

Withlacoochee River Flood Inundation Map Project
had the longest discussion,
and the County Manager reminded everyone
it’s time for

scheduling meetings to set millage rates.
They vote tonight at 5:30 PM; see Continue reading →

Vacant seat Behavioral Health Board, Rezoning also on GLPC Monday, road abandonment, land exchange, and flood map project @ LCC 2016-07-25

Public hearings for the
event center rezoning
and the
Abandonment of a Portion of Worthington Triangle are
on the

agenda

for the Monday morning Work Session and for voting
in the Tuesday evening Regular Session.
That rezoning is also (back) on
Planning Commission agenda
for Monday evening.

And back on the

County Commission agenda
is the
Withlacoochee River Flood Inundation Map Project;
see
LAKE videos from the previous County Commission meetings,
and

a modest suggestion.

Also in water, another
LAS Pump Motor Repair
and a
Foxborough Pressure Reducing Valve/Vault.
It was actually an LAS pump control panel
last month.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

On the behalf of the Commission and Citizens of Lowndes County –Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter to FERC about the Sabal Trail methane pipeline

These are the fourteen items he promised

two weeks ago at the SpectraBusters panel at VSU:

Sabal Trail will be expected to adhere and honor all Lowndes County Ordinances –Bill E Slaughter, JR to FERC, 10 April 2014.
I thank Chairman Slaughter for making that statement to FERC.

Despite his apparent refusal to speak on behalf of all the citizens
of the county

after the 24 February 2014 Commission meeting,
he did actually say his ecomment to FERC was
“on the behalf of the Commission and Citizens of Lowndes County”,
and that he expects Sabal Trail to follow all Lowndes County ordinances,
plus Continue reading →

Local government pipeline responsibilities

Make pipeline companies answer questions, motivate implementation of safety standards, announce FERC Scoping meetings, and enforce reasonable local zoning restrictions:
these are things local governments can do, and NTSB and FERC say they should do
most of them.
Gilchrist County Commission in Trenton, Florida has done most of them,
and plans to continue doing more.
The Lowndes County Commission and the Valdosta City Council still can, too,
plus all the other county and city governments along the proposed pipeline path,
and their statewide county and city government associations.
Will our local elected officials represent we the people?

Make pipeline companies answer questions

There were

Real questions at the Gilchrist County Commission meeting in Trenton, Florida Monday.
Two hours of first questions from a citizens committee with
Spectra’s reps expected to answer right there in front of everybody,
then questions from locals and people from many counties around,
including attorneys representing landowners and other county
commissions cross-examining Spectra on the spot. The Chairman of the
Gilchrist County Commission said there was a general opinion among
the populace that they were asking specific questions and getting
only general answers. Congratulations, Chairman, Commission, staff,
Committee, and everyone who asked questions for showing the world
how it’s done, and for exposing Spectra’s evasions to public
scrutiny.

This is in sharp contrast to Continue reading →

Secret meeting of Lowndes County Commission and state reps @ LCC 2013-12-20

The VDT report doesn’t say when or where, and doesn’t say whether
Dexter Sharper (District 177) wasn’t invited or chose not to attend.

There’s nothing about this meeting in the online

agendas
or

calendar,
even though that calendar lists

Pictures with Santa at the Historical Courthouse (12/19/2013).

There is this undated

public notice with no agenda:

The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will meet with members of
Lowndes County’s Legislative Delegation on Friday, December 20,
2013, at 4:00 p.m. in the Commissioner’s Conference Room located on
the 3rd floor of the Judicial-Administrative Complex, 327 North
Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.

K. Paige Dukes, County Clerk

pdukes@lowndescounty.com 229-671-2400

Matthew Woody wrote for the VDT 22 December 2013,

Commissioners host local delegation,
oddly omitting the when and where and much of the why from
the traditional

who, what, when, where, and why of journalism.

The Lowndes County Commission hosted Continue reading →

Lowndes County LOST like Hall @ LCC 2013-10-15

Gretchen reports
LOST was the topic at today’s

special called meeting of the Lowndes County Commission.
And yes, they went into executive session.
Rumor has it that it’s not

120 days to come to an agreement,
rather this week is the deadline.
That’s what seems to be happening over in Hall County.

Sarah Mueller wrote for Gainesville Times today,

Hall commissioners to consider new local option sales tax certificate,

Hall County Administrator Randy Knighton said the special called
commission meeting today at 4 p.m. at the Hall County Government
Center in Gainesville was in response to a suggestion from the
Association County Commissioners of Georgia. ACCG has talked with
the Department of Revenue and the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.

“(ACCG) has advised us that each county who has been engaged
in the LOST arbitration proceedings submit a new LOST certificate to
the Revenue Department this week,” Knighton said.

Knighton declined Monday to say Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange