Tag Archives: Economy

Videos: Grants, Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-26



The most interesting items were not on
the agenda
of the Regular Session two weeks ago of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session.
The County Engineer had

One more thing: Loch Laurel Bridge Work and Closure 7/16 – 7/23,
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall

reminded everyone the Georgia hands-free driving law was going into effect,
and the Chairman announced

swearing in of the newly un-privatized Probation Officers the following morning.

The longest scheduled item at almost 3 minutes was

New Consoles For 911 Dispatchers,
followed by

Contract With Parks And Recreation Authority,
because both had questions from Commissioners.

The two grant items added the previous morning, for

Accountability Court
and

DUI Court,
sailed through, as did the

Francis Lake Lift Station Repair
and the

LAS Storage Pond Improvements.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25



Videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session two weeks ago.
See
agenda post for background.
The budget got no comments from Commmissioners.


County Manager Joe Pritchard asked for
addition of two grant agenda items, for

Accountability Court
and

DUI Court.
Proponents of each spoke, and both items were added to the agenda
for the next day’s Regular Session.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes,
especially about the

Hotel/Motel Tax
and the still-mysterious

Wisconsin Public Finance Authority Bond Issue,
a rare verbal appearance by Joyce Evans on Continue reading →

Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25

A

busy morning’s agenda
starts with approving

a new annual budget and related

hotel and motel taxes.
Plus a
Contract with Valdosta Continuing Land Bank Authority.

Parks and Rec is negotiating a $3 million loan from Ameris Bank for improvements to Freedom Park and wants

the county to guarantee its 1.25 mil tax base.

Utilities wants

about $20,000 for impellers and wear rings for the pumps in the

Francis Lake Lift Station and about $275,000 to improve the

Land Application Site (LAS), where they spray sewer waste onto a field
which they then rent out for hay production (the county does not have a wastewater treatment plant).
See also WWALS blog post.

The mysterious

out-of-state apartment bonds
actually get an explanation this time:

The Board of Commissioners is requested to adopt the attached
revised Resolution approving the issuance of bonds by a Wisconsin
Public Finance Authority. A portion of the proceeds of the bonds
will be used for a project located on Old Statenville Road. The
project is a 204-unit multi-family affordable housing development
known as Brittany Woods & Park Chase Apartments.


1110 and 1150 Old Statenville Road, Map

1150 Old Statenville Road, Parcel 0159D 014,

The reason for this revised Resolution is Continue reading →

Budget, LMIG, tractor, truck, 3 sewer items @ VCC 2018-06-21

On the

Valdosta City Council agenda this Thursday,
a budget public hearing (no agenda nor draft budget linked for that),
and a bunch of bids, including three about the sewer system,
ioncluding
sewer lines on Iola Drive,

manhole rehabilitation,
and

the Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) Lining Project.
Here’s the Invitation to Bid for CIPP.


Maybe this kind of

Sewer System Imprrovements
is why Valdosta has not had a major spill in a hear and a half,
while
Tifton continues to spill.
Also, over on the Flint River,

Albany recently spilled quite a bit.
Don’t worry: if Valdosta spills again, you’ll hear about it.

AGENDA

REGULAR MEETING

OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL

5:30 PM Thursday, June 21, 2018

COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Continue reading →

Budget Hearing, Lowndes County, GA @ LCC Budget 2018-06-19

According to

the calendar on lowndescounty.com:

When:
8:30 AM, Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Where:

327 N. Ashley Street 2nd Floor,
Valdosta, GA 31601
What:
No agenda is posted.


Calendar, Screenshot

On the

Finance Department’s web page,
The most recent
budget document is the

Fiscal Year 2018 Operating Budget,
and the most recent financial report is the

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, July 1 2016 — June 30, 2017.
If they have posted a draft budget, I can’t find it.

-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!

Et tu, FERC? No tax writeoffs for MLPs; pipeline stocks plummet 2018-03-15

On the Ides of March,
FERC, apparently forgetting its the companies it supposedly regulates that pay its salaries,
knocked pipeline company stocks down by disallowing a tax writeoff.
This was one month after

FERC inadvertently cleared a path for renewable sun and wind power through batteries.
Look who got whacked the most,
and not even

FERC’s Sabal Trail rubberstamp permit reinstatement could save it:


Pipeline MLP vs. Electric Utility, Stock Charts

Stock price comparison, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 14, 15, 16 March 2018.
The colorful candle canyon is for Spectra Energy Partners LP (SEP), which was by far the worst affected of those shown.

You may wonder as I do: what is FERC doing Continue reading →

Pastry, Hunting, Market Strategy @ VLCIA 2018-02-20

On their agenda for tomorrow are bonds for

Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe.


Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc. logo

Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority

Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 5:30 PM

Development Authority Conference Room/103 Roosevelt Drive

Monthly Meeting Agenda

Continue reading →

Videos: Resolutions and Railroad crossing @ Hahira 2018-01-30



The Hahira City Council passed two resolutions at its February 1, 2018
Regular Session, one
supporting GA HR 158 to stop state fee diversions,
and another

supporting the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.
Two days before I spoke about both and there was discussion at the Hahira Work Session of January 30, 2018.

Another item from that Work Session has unfortunately
become big news:

possibly closing the Lawson Street railroad crossing,
where
a man was killed February 5 when a Norfolk Southern train struck a dump truck, according to WTXL.
WALB says, “The Georgia State Patrol identified the driver as Dexter Brown, 48, of Barnwell, S.C.”.
Mayor Bruce Cain gave a statement to Hahira Today,
which also included some discussion of that agenda item: Continue reading →

Special Called Meeting @ VLCIA 2018-02-07

Update 2019-07-21: LAKE videos and still pictures.

Alcohol and the economy, on

the agenda for this morning’s
Special Called Meeting of the Development Authority.
I think I’ll go to see Brad Folsom as the new Mary Gooding.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority

Agenda/Special Called Meeting

Wednesday, February 7, 2018, 11:30 am

Industrial Authority Conference Room

103 Roosevelt Drive

Call to Order

  • For the purpose of voting on amended Economic Development Agreement
    and Lease Agreement for GA Beer Company

Adjourn Special Called Meeting


Only one item, Agenda

Georgia Beer Company’s website
says “We are not open for business yet”,
but its
contact page says “Say hello to the first Georgia brewery in Valdosta.”
They also have a facebook page.
Neither of which says where they will be located.
So, VLCIA, in one of your numerous mostly-empty business parks, or elsewhere?


GA Beer Co. logo

Looks like GA Beer Co. had a kickstarter fundraiser a couple of years ago, which says they all met at VSU.

Presumably this is the same Community and Economic Development Strategy
recently approved by the

Lowndes County Commission.

-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!

Resolutions against GA state fee diversions and for water trail @ Hahira 2018-01-30

Tonight, a resolution

for Georgia HR 158 against state fee diversions, and
another resolution

supporting the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail,
at the Hahira City Council Work Session (and Thursday on the Regular Session agenda).
Also, Terry Benjamin will get sworn in again as

Councilman, District 1,
the

food truck zoning ordinance is back,
there’s a

RR crossing closure request,
and a

Recommendation to Raise Hahira Depot Rental Fee from $400 to $500,
among other items on the agenda.

Hahira City Council

January 30, 2018

Work Session Agenda

6:00 pm- Hahira Courthouse



  1. Call to order     Continue reading →