Tag Archives: Law

Videos: Emergency road repair, grandfathered business, water, and Rural Land Agricultural Improvement Schedules @ LCC 2014-10-27

More detail and issues with Bailey REZ-2014-16 after much discussion last time. Almost ten minutes on 6a. Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention. Numerous things incomplete or just FYI such as drug seizures in the financial report, none of which the citizens could see. This was in the Work Session Monday morning. They vote Tuesday 5:30 PM in the Regular Session.

They actually named the multiple bids for a water item, unlike the single-source price-not-quoted pump replacement last time. And they’re buying some property (at some place unnamed) for a booster pump.

The Rural Land Agricultural Improvement Schedules was actually for Commercial land. We learned why Shiloh Road needs emergency repairs. Nothing about that on the new county Lowndes411 twitter account, and the county still doesn’t publish its own board packets.

I can understand why the Commission needs to approve a juvenile justice grant, a GEFA loan application, to accept quit claim deeds for a subdivision’s detention ponds, and to accept infrastructure for a subdivision, not to mention a CDBG agreement. But to replace batteries in a UPS?

See the agenda. Here are links to the videos of the items as they transpired this morning. Continue reading

Emergency road repair, grandfathered business, water, and Rural Land Agricultural Improvement Schedules @ LCC 2014-10-27

Bailey’s back after much discussion last time. This time they’re actually going for multiple bids for a water item, unlike the single-source price-not-quoted pump replacement last time. And they’re buying some property (at some place unnamed) for a booster pump.

What’s this mysterious Rural Land Agricultural Improvement Schedules? Why does Shiloh Road need emergency repairs? Nothing about that on the new county Lowndes411 twitter account, and the county still doesn’t publish its own board packets.

I can understand why the Commission needs to approve a juvenile justice grant, a GEFA loan application, to accept quit claim deeds for a subdivision’s detention ponds, and to accept infrastructure for a subdivision, not to mention a CDBG agreement. But to replace batteries in a UPS?

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading

Videos: Discussion, GLPC, abandonment, septic, pump, and VOCA @ LCC 2014-10-14

Some actual discussion! 20 minutes of it, on 6.b. REZ-2014-16 Bailey, Madison Hwy/Williams School Ln, at the 14 October 2014 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. With no discussion, they approved a single-sourced pump replacement and the DA’s VOCA grant application. They abandoned Water Oak Trail (not Water Oaks Drive), and they reappointed Jody Hall to the Planning Commission with no discussion and no presentation by him. The county now has a twitter account, but the new website still isn’t ready, after how many months?

See the Continue reading

Protest today against Sabal Trail pipeline

It’s a bad week for Sabal Trail and its proposed fracked methane pipeline, with three back-to-back protests today alone (March and Protest in Valdosta, GA plus Development Authority meeting, and Protest at Sabal Trail Open House in Jasper, FL, plus Hamilton and Suwannee County Commission meetings) after one yesterday (at Albany Open House and Dougherty County Commission) and more to come. Continue reading

Idaho fractivist ejected from jail on own recognizance

Arrested for standing silently in the back of a public meeting, Alma Hasse refused to cooperate with booking or to eat, instead helping prisoners with grievances. After a week, the Payette County, Idaho jail ejected her on her own recognizance with no bail. She says they still plan to charge her with something. Meanwhile, she’s back to filing open records requests, presumably about the Planning and Zoning Commission that had her arrested and that has a record of not divulging information even in response to FOIA requests. I smell a lawsuit, and not by P&Z. Maybe they should have gone to the VDT’s Open Government Symposium in Macon Friday. Maybe some of our local elected and appointed officials have learned that this isn’t the answer:

So it’s just if you disagree you’re disruptive.

Alma Hasse’s husband Jim wrote on her facebook page 16 October 2014, Alma is FREE!!!! PLEASE SHARE!!, Continue reading

VDT Open Government Symposium: in Macon?

Yay open government symposium! But why in Macon, why not in Valdosta, if it’s organized by the new VDT editor? Sure, Macon is the geographic center of the state, but it’s only about an hour from Atlanta, and one thing most people in Atlanta don’t understand is how big Georgia is, so asking them to drive four hours to Valdosta would be educational for them. And if the VDT is so interested in government transparency, why doesn’t it investigate the county’s lawsuit against local business Deep South Sanitation at the expense of the local taxpayers that benefits nobody but “exclusive franchise” ADS and its investors in New York City? Why is the VDT’s front page story that gave a platform for Spectra’s Andrea Grover no longer online, especially now that the Sabal Trail deadline she announced has been busted? Let’s see the VDT lead the way. Here’s a first test: Gretchen is going to Macon with the LAKE video camera. Will the VDT let her video?

Unsigned article, VDT, 11 October 2014, VDT leading way in open government, Continue reading

Board Packet @ LCC 2014-10-13

The address is correct for the road abandonment public hearing agenda item The board packet, unlike on the agenda, so if citizens had ready access to this board packet they’d know whether they should show up tonight at yesterday morning’s Work Session and tonight’s Regular Session for 6.a. Abandonment of Unopened Right of Way off Water Oak Drive.

There’s one quote, from xylem, for the Continue reading

Videos: GLPC appointment, abandonment, septic, pump, and VOCA @ LCC 2014-10-13 @ LCC 2014-10-13

300x253 Map on Screen, in Water Oak Trail Road Abandonment, by John S. Quarterman, 13 October 2014 It’s Water Oak Trail, not Water Oak Drive, for the road abandonment: how are people supposed to know to show up for a public hearing when the address isn’t even on the right street?

Update 2014-10-14: The board packet has the correct address, so if the county put that packet on its website the citizens wouldn’t be confused. And the lift pump replacement got a single quote for $30,040.20, so this is yet another single-sourced non-competitive deal. Why do Commissioners have no questions about that?

Plus an unscheduled recognition of Leadership Lowndes attendees, a Planning Commission reappointment with no previous advertisement, yet another water pump replacement, a well and septic rezoning on Madison Highway, and a legal grant, on the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

County Planning Commission arrests citizen for speaking in public hearing

The Payette County, Idaho Planning and Zoning Commission accused somebody of having previously provided false information and had her arrested for responding in a public hearing to a direct accusation by name. It appears that it was a Commissioner’s information that was misleading, and the same Commission has a history of not revealing relevant information even in response to an open records request. There is video of the Thursday event. She is still being held in jail, and permitted no outside communication.

Jerry Nelson wrote for Epoch Times 12 October 2014, Alma Hasse, Idaho Fractivist, Arrested in Public Meeting, Continue reading

Another Planning Commission appointment, plus abandonment, septic, pump, and VOCA @ LCC 2014-10-13

This morning: another Planning Commission appointment with no previous advertisement that there was an opening, yet another road abandonment, yet another water pump replacement, a well and septic rezoning on Madison Highway, and a legal grant, on the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading