Waste disposal issues in Lowndes County are more complex than one might think,
and transparent processes could help citizens understand these stewardship
issues, while helping the local government do its job.
Commissioner Raines called me yesterday evening after I had left him
a voice mail and an e-mail letting him know that I had some
questions.
I was particularly curious about the proposals
in column “F” which asked for:
Contractor(s) agrees to provide an independent proposal option to
address residential solid waste, bulky item, yard waste and
recyclable materials collection, transportation and disposal,
collection center management and related customer service, records,
billing and payment processing services for unincorporated Lowndes
County residents.
Proposal “F” Pricing —
Residential solid waste, bulky item, yard waste and recyclable
materials collection, transportation and disposal, collection
center management and related customer service, records, billing
and payment processing services.
$______________ per month/subscriber
This was an opportunity for the vendors to provide some option that
the county had not asked for but used their expertise in waste
disposal and offer a creative solution.
Commissioner Raines briefly explained what had been submitted by
each vendor and it became clear that there was not a creative
winning solution proposed there. In fact, submitting a “Negotiate
Rates and Program” is clearly a failure.
We then went on to discuss at length the whole solid waste disposal
history, problems, options, and so on. Commissioner Raines stressed
his focus
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The big news
was the
waste disposal railroad, but the Lowndes County Commission also
heard about three water issues (one a rezoning), plus a beer
license, revenue bonds, community planning month, and a health fair
at its Work Session this morning.
Here’s the
agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes, or links to
separate posts.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF
COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd
Floor
Assuming the dollar figures in the table are monthly charges to the end user,
note that the only one that comes out less than the current $100/year
is the $8.33 in the lower right corner: $8.33 * 12 = $99.96.
Presumably plus tax, since this would be a private service.
So if the Commission chooses any of these options, we the current
waste disposal customers will have to pay more.
The upper end of $19.95 (upper right corner) comes to $239.40 per year.
Or 140% more than the current price.
A bit more to a lot more: that’s what we’ll have to pay.
Plus
the socialized costs of privatizing waste disposal,
such as code enforcement to pick up trash dumped on rights of way,
private fences and gates built to keep trash out, and other costs.
Average is somewhere around $13/month, for $156/year.
If they simply charged that for the current service,
the already rapidly decreasing budget deficit for waste disposal
would vanish,
and there would be no need to change to something else.
The Lowndes County Commission plans to vote tomorrow evening
to privatize waste disposal in the unincorporated areas of the county,
after numerous discussions at meetings the public were unaware of,
without any public hearings, and regardless of whether the people want it.
County Manager Joe Pritchard talked about
“a long, long process”
they’d been through, including at the Commissioners’ retreat.
That was after they discussed solid waste disposal at
their backroom closed meeting
24 May 2011.
Then they cancelled their 21 May 2012 Work Session
and instead held an unscheduled 4 June meeting in which according to the VDT
they decided that waste disposal site cards would be for six months,
instead of the former 12 months.
Fewer speakers at the Regular Session
than at the
previous morning’s Work Session
of the Lowndes County Commission.
The longest item was
a citizen wishing to be heard, who only spoke for 3 and a half minutes.
Up until then, the meeting took five minutes, as the Chairman noted.
And everything was adopted unanimously, with little or no discussion.
Bevel Creek Lift Station Repair —Mike Allen
The total for the wastewater lift station
was still $38,969 with the budget impact being
the insurance deductible.
Unanimously approved.
Dell Lease Agreement for Sheriff’s Office Laptops —Aaron Kostyu
Six years ago the Sheriff’s Dept. leased some laptops;
plan was always to roll new laptops into the lease;
that will be done using drug seizure funds.
Unanimously approved.
Contract with Corporate Health Partners
County Manager Joe Pritchard said they had started looking
into wellness plans several years ago,
$260,000 in savings in health care expenses so far;
partnership with SGMC and YMCA.
Commissioner Joyce Evans wanted to know how regularly
it would be monitoried.
Answer: quarterly.
Commissioner Richard Raines moved to approve
Corporate Health Partners,
except instead of a three year contract,
an initial one year with two one-year extensions.
Unanimously approved.
Reports-County Manager
Joe Pritchard had no report.
Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address
Chairman Ashley Paulk noted it was 5:35, and then
Ken Klanicki spoke
for 3 and a half minutes, the longest item in the meeting,
after which
they adjourned.
Video Playlist
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 September 2012.
A rezoning for well and septic,
Bevel Creek is back with a lift station pump repair,
and something about an Alapaha waterline:
water, water, water.
Plus a beer license, refunding revenue bonds, and
the long-awaited waste management RFP.
And an employee health fair, whatever that is,
and apparently this is community planning month.
All that at the Lowndes County Commission, Monday morning
and Tuesday evening.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
At Monday’s Lowndes County Democratic Party meeting,
LCDP Chair
Gretchen Quarterman introduced Kay Harris as chairman of the Library Board.
You can see that board in action a few weeks ago
in these previous videos.
Kay Harris said she was not there as editor of the newspaper,
since as such she wouldn’t be allowed (presumably by the newspaper)
at a partisan meeting.
She was there as chair of the library board.
She said this is her fifth year on that board, and
her second year as chairman.
She said the county put her on that board to move along the
library project, which had been in process for some time.
She said she had led negotiations with the City of Valdosta
for the Five Points process.
She mentioned the
Five Points Steering Committee,
of which she is also a member.
About the current library building and how the new one would be better,
she said,
The library board heard citizens at length about a problem that was
apparently news to the board,
later considered the problem at length,
came up with an interim solution,
and formed a committee to examine it longterm.
Citizen concerns about rules against after hours library use
Concerns were raised about hours at the southside library at the monthly meeting
of the South Georgia Library Board, 18 September 2012.
Apparently rules have recently been changed for
all library branches
so that meetings can no longer be held after library hours.
This is a problem for volunteer groups composed of working people.
It was unclear what the latest version of the rules is.
And the library board appeared
unfamiliar with the hours of its own libraries.
However, they did at the end of their meeting
extensively consider the issue
and apparently come to an interim solution with
a path to a more general solution.
The rules change may have been due to
one incident at one branch
(not the southside branch)
for which the library board knew the sponsoring organization.
Questions were raised as to why a blanket rules change ensued.
One citizen pointed out that
taxpayers pay for the library buildings
so it’s not clear why they should be prevented from using them;
school buildings, too.
Another consideration was
elderly parent care, because it’s hard to get help for that
any time other than during the day.
Kay Harris wanted to be sure everyone who wanted to speak had spoken.
At least one citizen left
a written statement for the record,
which is always a good idea.
Then all the citizens who had spoken left the meeting,
apparently uninterested in anything else the library board was doing.
Interestingly,
a southside library support group
was in one of the regular report items.
Transparency
After the other citizens left, one of the library board (his nameplate
said Ray Devery)
asked whether Gretchen could stay.
Kay Harris without hesitation said yes and moved on to approval of the minutes.
Congratulations to Kay Harris on knowing the open meetings law
and sticking to it!
Speaking of the minutes, where are they so the taxpaying public can see them?
Regarding the planned Five Points library, Kay Harris clarified
that staff are not supposed to help promote that
“in any way, shape, or form.”
During paid hours.
After hours is different.
South Georgia Library Board
southside library hours,
Monthly Meeting, South Georgia Library Board (SGLB),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 18 September 2012.
Rubberstamping library architect
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 July 2012.
It would be easier for people to vote for SPLOST VII if they knew
what they were getting.
So far, that’s difficult to tell from what’s been published.
Many questions remain to be answered.
The county projects penny sales tax collections through SPLOST VII
to total at least $150 million during a six-year period, a sum that
could fund a library complex, an auditorium, the installation of a
mandated public safety radio system, an array of municipal water and
sewage improvements, new equipment for police officers and
firefighters, and road maintenance projects.
There is not adequate funding for these projects if the SPLOST
referendum does not pass, according to city and county planners.
$150 million is not $35 million.
$150 million divided by six is $25 million, not $35 million.
Waste disposal issues in Lowndes County are more complex than one might think,
and transparent processes could help citizens understand these stewardship
issues, while helping the local government do its job.
The prices in column “F” ranged from $8.33 to $19.95 to “Negotiate”.
