Maybe Georgia should fund mental health facilities instead of
local jails having to act as mental hospitals.
On a positive note,
Agriculture is an $81M industry in Lowndes County.
Law, taxes, and education, in the second day which was only in the morning,
of the
three days of
“Budget Hearings” which aren’t really hearings because nobody from the
public can speak and they don’t have a budget to hear yet.
See yesterday for
the agenda.
Here are links to videos of each item with some notes by Gretchen,
followed by a video playlist.
And one more day to go today. Continue reading
Tag Archives: LAKE
Videos: Day 1 of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03
It’s good the Commission is having these meetings where they can
hear directly from the various department heads.
And with LAKE’s videos, you the citizens can hear what the departments
are asking for.
Also, why are these called budget hearings? The public doesn’t get to speak, so they are not actually public hearings, and they are not the state-required budget hearings before passing a budget: they don’t even have a draft budget yet. And the next time the Commission rushes citizen speakers to finish, remember this 14 minutes of dead air or the several others like it in yesterday’s meeting.
They met in the Commission Chambers, nevermind the address on the Commission’s calendar yesterday, and still says for today’s meeting.
There’s still no agenda posted, except for paper copies in the Commission building, which read as below. Continue reading
Three days of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03
Billed
back in December as “Commission Meets with Constitutional Officers,
Elected Officials, and Outside Agencies”
and two weeks later than originally scheduled, it’s
three days of what is on the County’s calendar now as
Budget Hearings,
today, Wednesday,
and
Thursday,
all three days at the Lowndes County Governmental Building,
300 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31601.
There’s no agenda posted.
At least these meetings are on the county’s calendar before the last minute, which is an improvement on last year. However, last year they did publish an agenda. Here are videos of last year’s similar hearings.
-jsq
Sabal Trail contractor yard at end of Valdosta Airport runway
The same company that sued Lowndes County in 2007 to try to put a
tall building above the 30-foot height limit in Valdosta’s Runway Protection Zone
now appears to want to put a contractor yard for Sabal Trail’s fracked methane
pipeline in the same location.
Will this involve any tall cranes?
What about Moody’s flights off of that runway at Valdosta Airport?
And what about those aquifer recharge zones?
Among the contractor yard maps Sabal Trail filed with FERC 20 February 2015, there’s this one: Continue reading
Valdosta sewage into Alapaha River watershed three times in February 2015
Valdosta didn’t mention it and the Florida Department of Health doesn’t seem to know it,
but
Knights Creek is in the Alapaha River watershed.
Valdosta spilled sewage into it twice in February.
Plus that 16 February spill into Dukes Bay Canal
also ends up in the Alapaha River.
But never you mind,
Valdosta also spilled
into the Withlacoochee River through the usual Sugar Creek.
Somehow I don’t think all these spills are not Valdosta’s fault.
Seems like it’s time for Valdosta to finish fixing its wastewater problem.
And since the most recent spills were due to rainfall directly on
Valdosta,
the
levee proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers on Sugar Creek
at the Withlacoochee River wouldn’t help,
nor would it help at any time for spills directly into the Withlacoochee
River at GA 133, nor for Dukes Bay Canal nor Knights Creek,
which flow into the Alapaha River.
News Release, Florida Department of Health (FDH), 27 February 2015, Florida Department of Health Advises of Possible Wastewater Contamination, Continue reading
Sewage spill not Valdosta’s fault this time
Not every spill is the city’s fault.
City of Valdosta PR, VDT, 18 February 2015, Sewage spilled into waterway,
VALDOSTA — An estimated 375 gallons of sewage dumped into a tributary of Dukes Bay Canal Monday, according to city officials.
A spokesperson for the city said the wastewater spill near Old Statenville Road and Arlington Ave. was the result of a manhole overflow at the 1100 Block of Old Statenville Road around 11 a.m. Monday.
The public is being cautioned Continue reading
Videos: ESPLOST V kickoff meeting @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24
Co-Chair Jerome Tucker emphasized that ESPLOST helping
public schools also helps economic development.
See below for who we now know are the
committee members for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST).
It’s mysterious why that information wasn’t in
the PR before the meeting,
but now we know, since Gretchen went and took the videos
and collected the flyers you’ll find below.
Early voting already started that same day and continues through March 13th, with the final Election Day 17 March 2015.
Lowndes/Valdosta Citizens for Excellence in Education
Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
For Lowndes County Schools and Valdosta City Schools Continue reading
Videos: 1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23
In the briefest Planning Commission meeting I can recall,
Stovall got her
rezoning of 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension
recommended unanimously Monday 23 February 2015.
Ivy Gate subdivision’s second phase
to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road
at
4088 Cat Creek Road
was also recommended unanimously.
Nobody spoke for or against either rezoning,
and there was no discussion from Commissioners,
other than a recommendation by Commissioner Wildes that all lots
face interior roads for Ivy Gate.
After the rezonings, Commissioners joked that with a meeting so brief they might catch up with the County Commission. County Chairman Bill Slaughter responded, “Actually, we just showed up to show you how to run a quick meeting.” The difference is GLPC actually does discuss when there’s something to discuss. These cases will show up on the County Commission agenda for March 10th, so we’ll see who takes longer on them then.
Here’s the agenda, and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23
Stovall wants
to rezone 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension
and
Ivy Gate subdivision wants a second phase
to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road.
The existing Ivy Gate Subdivision is on Bowen Way.
The only nearby property on Cat Creek Road is
4088 Cat Creek Road, across the road,
owned by James Arthur Kutzli.
Thanks to Lowndes County for starting to post Planning Commission agendas including this one.
Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Continue reading
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Monday, February 23, 2015 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
What does conversion of the Land Bank Authority mean? @ ESPLOST VLCLBA 2015-02-25
What does “conversion of the Land Bank Authority” mean? What are they converting this Authority to? Or do they mean the Authority is voting on converting some real estate from non-taxable to taxable?
Valdosta News, City of Valdosta, 23 February 2015, In The City This Week, Feb. 23-28,
Feb. 25: Land Bank Authority Meets. Members of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Land Bank Authority will hold a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9 a.m., in the Neighborhood Development Conference Room (Room 202, Valdosta City Hall Annex). This meeting is being held to vote on the conversion of the Land Bank Authority. The Land Bank Authority exists to foster the public purpose of returning property which is in a non-revenue generating, non-tax producing status to effective utilization status in order to provide housing, new industry and jobs for citizens. For information, call (229) 671-3617.
Even the state doesn’t have up to date information about this board. According to the Continue reading