Tag Archives: Crawford Powell

ADS wants a trash collection rate hike: who could have forseen? @ LCC 2014-12-08

Who could have forseen the rate hike ADS requested Monday morning at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session? Maybe anybody who noticed that ADS’ bid was 40% more than its quickly-acquired subsidiary Veolia’s bid.

Update 2014-12-10: No report from ADS in the board packet. Joe Adgie reported on this topic in the VDT 10 December 2014, Advanced Disposal wants price increase.

1. Call to Order 4.Minutes for Approval 8a.Advanced Disposal 8.a. Advanced Disposal —Steve Edwards (work session)

Video. ADS wants to amend the exclusive franchise for solid waste collection due to “lost revenue and unanticipated costs”. And their number one reason: competition with “another hauler”, in other words Continue reading →

Reappointments and no annexation in Regular Session @ LCC 2014-05-27 @ LCC 2014-05-27

The Hahira Annexation request was actually heard at the Planning Commission meeting that started at the same time. All the incumbents were reappointed to the Hospital Authority and the shadowy Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority. Both the road abandonments were approved, of Old Statenville Road and of Excess Right of Way on James Road and Riverside Road. All that plus a GEMA Sheltering Memorandum of Agreement and a beer license, plus Poll Manager Recognition.

The blank page Budget Session was at 9:30 AM after the Work Session, all the same day as this Regular Session. See also my question about Budget Public Hearings.

Here’s the agenda. See the videos from the Work Session of the same morning and the videos from the previous Regular Session of May 13th for context on the Public Hearings and on the James Road Subsidence.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

District 3 down to two candidates for Lowndes County Commission

The southern District 3 for Lowndes County Commission is down to only two candidates, one Democrat and one Republican, so there will be no primary races and Tom Hochschild (D) and Mark Wisenbaker (R) will face each other in the general election in November. Retiring candidate Don Thieme (D) throws his support behind Hochschild. District 3 is mostly the south half of the county, but it also wraps around Valdosta to incorporate Remerton and VSU. See detail map or PDF of district 1,2,3 as found on lowndescounty.com.

And Crawford Powell has withdrawn from the race for House District 174, so that leaves only two candidates there, too: Jessie Smith (D) and John L. Corbett (R), with no primary races, to face each other in November.

Continue reading →

Videos: Water under Moody Family Housing and Sabal Trail @ LCC 2014-03-11

Two speakers about the Sabal Trail pipeline, one about water issues under Moody Family Housing, One request to do something about speeding (good luck), a recognition (firefighters), a proclamation (purple hearts), and an award (budget), one rezoning withdrawn, three others approved, two contracts (bus system renewal and software master contract), some but not all streets accepted in Nelson Hill, and no mention of the Lake Park annexation request that took up at least five minutes the previous morning.

For why John Page is no longer on the Commission, see the previous post with the agenda. Here’s the agenda again with links to the videos and a few notes. See also videos from the previous morning’s Work Session. And see also Lowndes County becomes third purple heart county in the state, by Matthew Woody, VDT, 12 March 2014.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Crazy Qualifying Season Finally Completed

Update 31 March 2014: Withdrawals of Thomas Sims and Don Thieme from Lowndes County Commission District 3 and of Crawford Powell from House 174. See also school board election.

Additional entries in County Commission Districts 3 and 5, plus a swap and a withdrawal, continued the musical chairs in local qualifying. Plus three out of four County Commission seats up for election will actually be decided in May, not November. And one state House seat and the state Senate race are hotly contested.

The three County Commission seats that will be decided May 20th are: Continue reading →

Videos @ LCC 2014-03-10

An unexpected concern about limiting someone’s ability to expand his business was expressed by Lame Duck Commissioner Richard Raines, the same who made the motion for the exclusive franchise for trash collection by ADS, and who apparently (in executive session so we don’t know for sure) voted twice to sue local business Deep South Sanitation. They spent five or six minutes on an annexation request by Lake Park that was not on the agenda, even though they received it last week. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, and don’t forget the budget hearings continue all day today.

One road in the Nelson Hill subdivision wasn’t up to snuff and will be omitted from the adoption of infrastructure; that’s better than the county’s previous practice for that development of staff waivers with no public hearings. Plus four rezonings, one for a former County Commissioner and another for a community well for a development. And the annual contract renewal for the MIDS on-call bus system, plus a master software service contract.

See Musical chairs in local qualifying for why John Page is no longer a Commissioner and they already removed his picture from the entryway. There’s more about that in the previous post with the agenda. And here’s the agenda again with links to the videos and a few notes.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Only four voting Commissioners Monday @ LCC 2014-03-10

With only four voting Commissioners left, and two of those lame ducks, it should be an interesting set of Lowndes County Commission meetings this week. On the agenda is adoption of infrastructure for the Nelson Hill subdivision; the one with all the waivers by staff with no public hearings. Plus four rezonings, one for a former County Commissioner and another for a community well for a development. And the annual contract renewal for the MIDS on-call bus system.

While the VDT headline yesterday said Political shuffle continues: County commissioner resigns to run for state Senate seat, actually former Commissioner John Page didn’t resign: he vacated his seat the moment he signed the qualifying papers to run for state Senator. That’s why the Board of Elections has already called a special election that Continue reading →

Musical chairs in local qualifying

Three out of five voting County Commissioners are not running again, and one has already vacated his seat, plus you have to have a playing card to keep track of who’s running for the state Senate and House.

We already knew State Senator Tim Golden was not running again, and now we know who’s running for that seat: Richard Raines (R), who had said two months ago he was not running again for County Commission District 2, Ellis Black (R) currently House 174, Bikram Mohanty (D) who ran last time and came close, and John Page (R), who thus vacated County Commission District 5.

Because Ellis Black is running for Senate, and even though he qualifed for his House District 174 seat Monday, when he qualified for Senate Wednesday, he left his House seat open. Running for District 174 are Crawford Powell (R), currently County Commissioner for District 3, Jessie Smith (D), and John L. Corbett (R).

The incumbents qualifed for the other House seats, each with no challenger.

As for the three (3) County Commission seats now open, here, read Gretchen’s explanation.

And remember, more changes can still happen, because qualifying has reopened for County Commission District 3, and will have to reopen for District 5.

-jsq

Broadband, outsourcing, trash, and fire @ LCC 2014-02-28

The second day of the Commission retreat is finished. Reporting from location, Gretchen noted:

1PM: BroadBand

Chairman Bill Slaughter has a five year goal of making broadband available. Some possibility of creating a fibre ring. He says he’s working with the City of Valdosta.

Well, a year ago in February he said broadband was “one of the number one issues”, but in October he said “we have broadband”, so it’s anyone’s guess what his opinion will be in a few months.

1:06PM: Outsourcing

Commissioner Crawford Powell wants to outsource more county services.

That’s working so well, after all; see the next note.

1:19PM: Trash evaluation

Continue reading →

SpectraBusters Informational Meeting 2013-11-16

Standing room only while Ellis Black (GA Dist. 174), Bill Slaughter (Lowndes County Chairman), and Tim Carroll (Valdosta City Council) spoke after Gretchen Quarterman gave an introduction at the first SpectraBusters Informational Meeting last Saturday. A second meeting is scheduled for this Saturday morning at 10AM at the Valdosta City Hall Annex.

Video. Gretchen asked if there were any representatives from the pipeline company present. Nobody spoke up. Several affected landowners did speak: Beth Gordon from Levy County, Florida and Larry Rodgers and Carol Singletary from Lowndes County, Georgia.

Video. Elected officials spoke. Bill Slaughter (Lowndes County Chairman) said Continue reading →