Tag Archives: Economy

Packet: Clyattstone Road rezoning yet again, Decorative lighting, Transportation, Alcohol, Taxes, Law, Cybersecurity, Pandemic @ LCC 2021-01-25

After discussion Monday morning, on Tuesday evening the Lowndes County Commission will approve spending $2 million tax dollars, mostly in $1.6 million on

Lake Park Bellville Road, including relocating water and sewer lines.
There’s another $90,000 on
Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases.

Cost	What
$1,655,975.00	Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Contract Item Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding Lake Park Bellville Road
$280,193.75	FY 2020 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Application
$90,670.31	Approval of Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases
$29,400.00	Cybersecurity Maturity Tier 1
$12,500.00	Agreement with SGRC to Develop 2021 Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update
$20,000.00	FY 2020 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant (to be fully reimbursed)
$2,068,739.06	Total

REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne 6712 Clyattstone Road
is back yet again, this time probably to be improved.
The agenda sheet says no cost for that rezoning,
but remember last time we added up more than $3 million the county
has already spent on Clyattstone Road and water and sewer infrastructure.

The least expensive item with dollars listed is
FY 2020 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant, because it will be fully reimbursed.

Also inexpensive and probably cost-effective is
Agreement with SGRC to Develop 2021 Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update.

Subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County, GA

Listed at no cost to the county is
Addition to Basic Decorative Street Lighting District – Creekside West, Ph. 6 & 7 and Val Del Villas,
which includes maps of subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County,
allowing you to see the extent of sprawl so far in that direction.

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

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-01-25–lcc-packet/

We look forward to board packets being on the county’s own website along with

the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

COVID-19, Ballyntyne Subdivision, County expenses for Hightower Road, Sewer, Moody AFB, Fire Pumper @ LCC 2021-01-11

The agenda sheet for rezoning
REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne (back again from last month)
claims no budget impact,
but that ignores the many thousands of county tax dollars already spent on

Clyattstone Road, as well as followup maintenance of roads,
sewer, and water,
not to mention School Board expenses for sending buses, as well as Fire Department and Sheriff Department expenses whenever called.

WRPDO Site Map

This is what I’ve found the Lowndes County Commission has already spent on Clyattstone Road, and I may have missed some.

Cost	What	When
$1,681,770.84	Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving of Clyattstone Road and Simpson Lane.	2020-09-21
$1,417,333.98	Clyattstone Water Main Extension	2020-09-21
$43,245.50	The stated ROW cost in the agenda	2020-02-24
$23,590.50	Approval of Clyattstone Rd.-Simpson Ln. ROW and Easement Purchases (Parcels 26 and 34)	2020-07-14
$20,000.00	For wetland credits acquisition	2020-04-28.
$11,535.00	and the other stated ROW cost in the agenda
$2,916.00	Up to that amount for an acre of drainage for Simpson Lane	2020-04-16.
$1,085.00	Approve Purchasing ROW and Drainage Easement for Clyattstone Rd.-Simpson Ln. TSPLOST Paving Project	2020-05-27
$3,201,476.82	County tax dollars so far spent on Clyattstone Road

So that’s more than $3 million tax dollars the county has already spent subsidizing subdivision developers on Clyattstone Road, before getting into maintenance and later School Board and Fire and Sheriff Department expenses.
Remember that when somebody says public transportation has to be subsidized.

Here are the expenses acknowledged in agenda sheets for this coming week’s Commission meetings:

Cost	What
$351,115.00	Bid for a Pumper for the Fire Department
$315,557.58	Approval of Railroad Agreement for Hightower Road Project
$96,556.75	Low Pressure Sewer Force Main Upgrade on Old Bemiss and Bemiss Knights Academy Road
$28,000.75	Approval of Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases
$2,500.00	Moody Water Treatment Plant Emergency Repair
$793,730.08	Total

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/2021-01-11–lcc-packet

Here is

the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Tax Assessors appointed, sworn in, Lowndes County, Georgia 2020-01-05

After many years of rising sentiment,
the voters in November 2019,
approved changing Lowndes County from
being one of only two of 159 Georgia counties that elected its Tax Assessors
to appointing them, and the legislature agreed.
Finally in September 2020 the Lowndes County Commission appointed three new
Assessors, and on January 5, 2021, they were sworn in.
Their first official meeting is tomorrow.

Vote, Swearing, Judge, Assessors

Applying for the
Board of Tax Assessors
according to

the agenda for the 21 September, 2020, Work Session and the Tuesday, 22 September Regular Session
were
Mr. Gene Felts and Mrs. Gretchen Quarterman.
The Tuesday voting was a bit more complicated. Continue reading →

FFA, Appointments, Liquor, Rezonings, Roads, Forestry, DUI, Holidays, Insurance, Calendar, Trucks @ LCC 2020-12-07

Update 2020-12-15: Board packet is on the LAKE website.

A million and a half dollars, mostly for insurance, on the agenda for the final
Lowndes County Commission session of 2020, and that’s not counting
the many-years-long ramifications of rezoning for new subdivisions
and acquiring right of way for a new road.

Rezonings: REZ-2020-17 3833 Inner Perimeter Road; REZ-2020-19 3435 Bemiss Knights Academy; REZ-2020-20 6712 Clyattstone Road

Cost	What
$1,240,297.00	2021 Stop Loss Insurance Coverage Renewal Through Symetra Life Ins. Company
$174,759.00	2021 ACCG Workers’ Compensation Insurance Renewal
$60,862.00	Bid for 2 – Three Quarter Ton Trucks for the Engineering Department
$27,367.00	Bid for a Sport Utility Vehicle for the 911 Center
$920.50	Georgia Forestry Commission Services [LAS prescribed burns] Agreement
$381.00	Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Accountability Court Lowndes County DUI Court- State Court
$1,504,586.50	Total

Lowndes County Development Authority
Terms are up for Brooks Akins, Gary Cannon, and Jerome Tucker. Cannon and Tucker want reappointment, and the Commission almost always reappoints.

Resolution Rejection Quitclaim Deed; Affidavit Regarding Title- Branch Point.
The County has laid out the right-of-way for a county road known as Fender Road between Williams School…
Trading a parcel to William Q. Touchton, Jr. for another parcel for the road.

REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne 6712 Clyattstone Road (0071 008) R-1 to R-10, Water & Sewer, ~40.3 acres .
For 105+ house lots. In 2006, for a more complicated plan on the same site, GLPC recommended denial 7:0, County Commission denied 2:0. What did GLPC vote this time?
And how about factoring in all the costs of paving Clyattstone Road over many previous Commission meetings? Continue reading →

Videos: Finance, WM absorbed ADS, Meetings by zoom, Valdosta assistant manager @ DSSWA 2020-11-18

The most interesting parts were not on the agenda at the

DSSWA meeting Wednesday evening.

Richard Hardy, Elizabeth Backe, Steve Edwards, DSSWA

Steve Edwards explained that the WM acquisition of Advanced Disposal Services (ADS) Continue reading →

Waste Management bought ADS, finances, officers, DSSWA 2020-11-18

The Deep South Solid Waste Authority (DSSWA) disburses grant money from landfill tipping fees
to participating local governments.

This meeting will be in the new Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC) office, 1937 Carlton Adams Dr.,
across from the Lowndes Board of Education and next to the Goo Goo Car Wash.

Agenda and WM acquisition schedule for ADS

I’m of a mind to zoom the meeting.

Here is the agenda.
The entire board packet is

on the LAKE website,
thanks to Elizabeth Backe of SGRC.

DEEP SOUTH

REGIONAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

Meeting of the Board of Directors

Deep South Regional Municipal Solid Waste Management Authority

November 18, 2020

6:00 PM

Southern Georgia Regional Commission

Valdosta, Georgia

AGENDA

Welcome and Introduction
Minutes of July 15, 2020 Meeting e Draft attached for review
and motion

Financial Report Jan-September 2020
Financial Audit Engagement Letter
Royalty Disbursement for Period of Jan 1 — June 30, 2020
Grinding Reimbursement Request — City of Valdosta
New application format for future grinding reimbursement
requests

Appointment of Nominating Committee for Election of Officers in
January 2021

Other Business e Waste Management letter for review and
discussion

Adjourn

Next regular scheduled meeting will be on January 20, 2021 at 6 p.m.

Phone: (229) 333-5277

Fax: (229) 333-5312

1937 Carlton Adams Drive

Valdosta, Georgia 31601

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

Public Facilities Authority, Water tank, dump trucks, VOCA, VAWA, road abandonment @ LCC 2020-10-26

This morning the Lowndes County Commission will discuss
abandoning a driveway, er road, a couple of grants for legal purposes,
relining a drinking water tank for a fancy subdivision, dump trucks for Public Works,
and
reappointing Michael Walker, Crawford Powell, and Scott Purvis to the
Public Facilities Authority,
plus a vacant seat.
They will vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.

What does PFA do?

Created via Resolution 05-1130, the general purpose of the authority
is declared to be that of providing through the acquisition,
construction, installation, renovation, expansion, modification or
rehabilitation, any buildings, structure, facilities, improvements,
furnishings, fixtures, machinery, equipment and services for the
citizens in the county. Members are appointed to three year terms
and meet as needed. For more information, contact the Office of the
County Clerk, 229-671-2400, or email the County Clerk.

Map: Road to be Abandoned

Cost	What
$464,196.00	Bid for Four 10-Wheel Dump Trucks for the Public Works Department
$148,000.00	Stone Creek Elevated Tank Coating
$17,326.00	Solicitor-General’s Office 2021 VAWA Competitive Application
$6,000.00	Solicitor-General’s VOCA Continuation Grant
$635,522.00	Total

How the
Abandonment of Artherman Lane
can be considered not to affect the budget is mysterious,
since Public Works will no longer need to spend to maintain that driveway.

On the
Solicitor-General's VOCA Continuation Grant,
VOCA is the
Victims of Crime Act.
The $6,000 cost is health insurance premiums for the two Victim Advocates ($3,000 each).

On the
Solicitor-General's Office 2021 VAWA Competitive Application,
VAWA is the

Violence Against Women Act.
The $17,326 is for Cash Match, about $2,000 lower than last time.
Lowndes County funnels grant money for five counties,
by delegating the District Attorney (DA) to receive and distribute the funds.

Here is
the agenda.
The board packet is

on the LAKE website
due to a LAKE open records request. Continue reading →

Videos: budget and wood pellet plant at Adel City Council 2020-09-21

The wood pellet plant annexation had one vote against,
and two against the rezoning.

Reporters, Council, Opposition, Agenda

The budget, millage, and alcohol license passed unanimously.

There was little discussion and no public input.
There was a Public Hearing
two weeks before.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a very few notes, and a few more pictures. Continue reading →

Appoint Tax Assessors, 3 water, 3 road, 1 pandemic, 1 software @ LCC 2020-09-21

Applying this morning for
Board of Tax Assessors
are
Mr. Gene Felts and Mrs. Gretchen Quarterman.
The Lowndes County Commission will vote tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5:30 PM.
That and almost $4 million in water, road, software, and fire items.

Cost	What
$1,681,770.84	Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving of Clyattstone Road and Simpson Lane.
$1,417,333.98	Clyattstone Water Main Extension
$489,310.00	Motorola SUAII (Evergreen)
$128,075.58	Firefighter Personnel Request
$41,217.6.00	Foxborough Lift Station Pump
$34,169.28	Drainage Improvements to Brinson Lane and Oak Hill Drive
$22,500.00	FY2021 Joint Funding Agreement with USGS
$19,800.00	Land Application System (LAS) Expansion Agreement
$3,834,177.28	Total

Apparently paving does not solve all problems, because
one of the four water items is
Drainage Improvements to Brinson Lane and Oak Hill Drive
to

“eliminate flooding issues as a result of the paving of Oak Hill Drive.”.
The other three water items are
FY2021 Joint Funding Agreement with USGS for the
Folsom Bridge (GA 122 Little River & Skipper Bridge (Withlacoochee River) USGS gauges,
Foxborough Lift Station Pump,
and
Land Application System (LAS) Expansion Agreement.

In addition to Brinson Lane, there are two more road items:
Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving of Clyattstone Road and Simpson Lane (how much have they spent on that project combined so far?) and
Acceptance of Infrastructure for Val Del Villas.
The latter is listed as no cost, despite the Brinson Lane episode.

Survey Plat

Also on the agenda:
Grant Submission Request – COVID-19 Response Grant Application, partly to
“Recruit and hire a sufficient number of poll workers and inspectors to ensure polling places are properly staffed,”
,
a
Firefighter Personnel Request,
and
Motorola SUAll (Evergreen) software.

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

the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Budget and wood pellet farm –Adel City Council 2020-09-08

Adel staff answered extensive questions about the budget,
in the Adel City Council meeting, Tuesday, August 8, 2020.
The

proposed wood pellet plant for export to Europe was criticised by several local citizens,
and defended by members of local authorities and commissions,
as well as its CEO, speaking from Houston, Texas, on a laptop screen.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item and each speaker,
with a few notes.
See also Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange