Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

$75/day Lowndes County Travel Policy @ LCC 24-25 October 2011

Commissioner Crawford Powell wanted exemptions or exceptions to Lowndes County’s travel policy for “department heads, elected officials, County Manager”. Commissioner Richard Raines just wanted the limits raised. Commissioner Joyce Evans preferred they
…make a statement that we should not exceed a certain amount per day.
Chairman Ashley Paulk said exceptions were a problem and indicated they would be a bad idea. Powell and Raines are the same Commissioners who thought accepting a federal grant for NOAA Weather Radios would be “wasteful spending” of tax dollars and who refused a federal grant for an emergency vehicle. Spending local taxes seems fine with then when it comes to their travel expenses. They finally adopted a total of $75/day for meals. I hate to agree with Frank Barnas, but GSA standard for trips to Atlanta is $56/day.

At the Monday 24 October 2011 County Commission Work Session, County Manager Pritchard said the county’s travel policy had been discussed during their retreat and during budget preparations, with changes for mileage reimbursement, meal limitations, and use of tax forms. .

This is the policy we have been acting under since the adoption of the budget. I just wanted to bring it back before you to make this adoption public.
Joyce Evans expressed a concern about it saying the County Manager or his designee could approve expenses. She seemed to want the designee part removed.

Crawford Powell said:

Continue reading →

Videos of VBOE Education Open Forum 25 October 2011

Here are videos of the entire Open Forum on education held by the Valdosta Board of Education at JL Lomax Elementary School 25 October 2011. This forum was advertised starting 29 August 2011, almost two months in advance, and was the third of three forums held by VBOE. As I asked back back on 1 September, Where was CUEE at the school board meetings? One or two showed up at each of the VBOE forums. Where were the rest of them?

Oh, that’s right! CUEE’s idea of a forum is to phone up selected people in the middle of the night to come to a meeting when both school superintendents are out of town, oh, and not invite the newspaper of record.

If you still haven’t been to a real open forum, the Lowndes Continue reading →

Any parent is free to send their children to Valdosta Schools —Susan Wehling @ VBOE 25 October 2011

Susan Wehling made several good points Tuesday, including an invitation for CUEE to put their children where their mouth is, like she already has.

Hi, I’m a parent, and I have three kids in school right now; one just graduated.

First of all, CUEE sent me flyers… to insult my schools…. That was very hurtful for my children to read those flyers telling them how bad my schools are. My schools are not bad, and I’m very upset about that.

[applause]

She also said: Continue reading →

The Comprehensive Plan updates Lowndes County refused to provide

LAKE has obtained the planning revision documents Lowndes County refused, in violation of the law, to return in response to an open records request. Here they are for all to see.

The Standards and Procedures for Local Comprehensive Planning, established by the Georgia Planning Act of 1989, require updates to the Short Term Work Projects (STWP) list and the Report of Accomplishments (ROA) every 5 years. Lowndes County and the cities in Lowndes County have submitted the documents to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA)

An open records request to Lowndes County for the documents was not satisfied. However other government agencies were willing to abide by the Georgia Open Records Law ocga 50-18-70.

The documents are available for review on the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange website for Valdosta, Lake Park, Remerton, Hahira and Lowndes County.

I encourage you to read carefully what our elected officials see as the future of our community.

-gretchen

Lowndes County Commissioners approve intergovernmental agreement with SGMC

Without discussion, the Lowndes County Commissioners at their regular meeting two weeks ago on 11 October 2011. approved an intergovernmental agreement with South Georgia Medical Center to guarantee more than $100 million in bonds, for expansion of SGMC facilities, to include 96 new private rooms in the Dasher Heart Center, the 5 story parking deck, now under construction and due to be completed in early 2012, and Life Safety and Generator Equipment updates.

If one had not been at the work session and heard the presentation at their work session the day before, one would have no idea what this agenda item was about, since the Commission does not post such presentations anywhere the public can see them. Fortunately, LAKE was there and videoed it.

Here’s the video:


Lowndes County Commissioners approve intergovernmental agreement with SGMC
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-gretchen

SGMC asks Lowndes County Commission to guarantee $100 M in bonds 10 October 2011

Commissioners asked some perceptive questions two weeks ago at their work session, as well they should, when South Georgia Medical Center was asking the county to guarantee a hundred million dollars in bonds. Some questions may remain.

Representatives from SGMC gave a two part presentation about expansion of SGMC facilities, to include 96 new private rooms in the Dasher Heart Center, the 5 story parking deck, now under construction and due to be completed in early 2012, and Life Safety and Generator Equipment updates.

Additionally, they spoke briefly on the acquisition of Smith Northview Hospital on September 1, 2011. Smith Northview operates as a campus of SGMC and all Smith Northview employees are now SGMC employees.

The second part of the presentation was about the financial Continue reading →

Cameras at Lowndes County Commission 11 October 2011

What does a bill of attainder mean, anyway? Perhaps Lowndes County should ask their Attorney to look it up.

Here’s an interesting presentation by a group of 4-H people to the Lowndes County Commission in their Regular Sessino of 11 October 2011. Hm, first they said the pledge, and what’s that I see?

Why look, it’s a camera!

Here during the 4-H presentation, she’s moved up to the second row from the front, right side:

What seems familiar about that location? Continue reading →

SGMC, Comprehensive Plan, and 4-H at County Commission, 10-11 October 2011

The previous Lowndes County Commission meetings of two weeks ago featured in the work session:
6. Resolution – SGMC Revenue Certificates
Here’s a playlist for the work session of 10 October 2011.

And in the regular session:

7.b. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates – Lowndes County Report of Accomplishments (ROA) and Short Term Work Program (STWP)
Oh, yes, and this seemingly innocuous PR item:
4. 4-H Presentation
Here’s a playlist for the regular session of 11 October 2011. More posts to follow on these items.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. 4-H Presentation
  5. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — September 26, 2011
    2. Regular Session — September 27, 2011
  6. Resolution – SGMC Revenue Certificates
  7. Public Hearing
    1. REZ-2011-13, Fred’s Dept. Store, 4401 Bemiss Rd., 145c-90a, 2.0 ac., water/sewer, C-H(c) & C- G(c) to C-G
    2. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates — Lowndes County Report of Accomplishments (ROA) and Short Term Work Program (STWP)
  8. For Consideration
    1. Lowndes County Jail Administration HVAC — Change Order
    2. Section 5311 Rural Transportation Program Capital Contract
    3. Fluke Network OptiView XG
  9. Reports-County Manager
  10. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

At the MLK Monument —Occupy Valdosta

Many people stood up at the Martin Luther King Jr Monument last Friday and spoke. Here they are (we may have missed a few).


At the MLK Monument —Occupy Valdosta
We are the 99%,
Marching to Occupy Valdosta, Occupy Valdosta,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

WCTV says Occupy Valdosta made No Consolidation impossible to ignore

WCTV gets it right in most of the story:
A familiar scene from the Big Apple reaches Southern Georgia. It’s called “Occupy Valdosta.” More than 100 protesters take to the streets to fight corporate greed and social injustice.

Greg Gullberg wrote Friday for WCTV, Occupy Wall Street Comes To Valdosta,

Chanting before banks, monuments and courthouses, the rally reached its summit at the Chamber of Commerce.

There the crowd cried two familiar words: ‘No Consolidation’.

In a demonstration designed to fight corporate greed and social inequality, the protest ultimately turned to the fate of the school systems and the children of Valdosta.

“My children go to city schools. I live in the county. I can’t vote. That’s not right,” said Susan Smith.

WCTV’s low estimate of 100 who chanted “no consolidation” on the Chamber’s doorstep is several times Continue reading →