Tag Archives: LCC-Budget

Budget Public Hearing @ LCC Budget 2019-06-11

If the Commissioners are so proud of their proposed budget, why do they make it so hard for the taxpayers and voters to see?

All we have on lowndescounty.com is Public Hearing on the Proposed FY 2020 Budget,

Date: June 11, 2019

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: Board of Commissioners
Administration Building

Address: 327 N. Ashley Street
2nd Floor
Valdosta, GA 31601


A slide from a 2011 Lowndes County budget presentation.
Maybe the proportions are the same this year; maybe they’re not; who can say?

See also the announcement of this June meeting in an unannounced May meeting. Back then Commissioners said the $108 million proposed budget includes a new litter collection division which they’re considering using to replace Keep Lowndes-Valdosta Beautiful (KLVB).

Which is more than we know from the agenda of today’s budget meeting, because no agenda is posted.

The proposed budget is not on 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!

Video: Budget Overview Summary Session @ LCC Budget 2017-05-22

Update 2017-06-26: the rest of the LAKE videos of this meeting. They’re discussing this budget this morning and voting on it Tuesday 27 June 2017.

“You have the packets that have been provided for you in regards budget,”, said County Chairman Bill Slaughter, but the taxpayers do not have that packet for this meeting that was not on the county calendar until this morning, had no agenda, and only popped up online also that same yesterday morning of this Budget Work Session.

This is the summary given by Continue reading

Not on calendar and no agenda @ LCC Budget 2017-05-22

Not on their calendar until this morning, no agenda, and only popped up online also this morning, the same day of this Budget Work Session. And even though that says it would start at 8:45, they actually announced in the main Work Session that it would start at 9AM.

Immediately after the Work Session?

If Gretchen hadn’t been there with the LAKE camera, Continue reading

Budget Meetings with less than 24 hours notice @ LCC Budget 2016-06-01

Does 9:28 AM to 8:30 AM the next day sound like 24 hours notice to you? And as usual there’s no draft budget posted. Also no agenda.

From: listserv@civicplus.com
Date: 31 May 2016 09:28:22 -0500
Subject: New Event Budget Meetings For cp-stcity2.civicplus.com

A new Event now appears on our site. Please click on the link below to go directly to the new posting.
http://www.lowndescounty.com/Calendar.aspx?EID=160

The actual event posting says “There will be no votes taken at these meetings.” Which probably gets them off the hook for the Georgia Open Meetings Law, but still doesn’t indicate they want the taxpayers to see what they’re doing.

Budget Meetings Continue reading

Videos: Budget Public Hearing #2, Lowndes County @ LCC Budget 2015-06-23

Only one citizen spoke at the second Budget Hearing 5PM 23 June 2015: Gretchen Quarterman asking for approval of the VLMPO request for funding for a public transportation study. The Chairman said they weren’t going to, and shortly afterwards at their Regular Session they didn’t, although they did approve more than that for a water main subsidy for private developers.

The 5PM meeting was billed on the county’s website as Budget Adoption Meeting and the previous morning by the Chairman as a presentation by the Finance Director. Is it a public hearing if it’s never advertised as a public hearing?

At least the proposed budget is on the county’s website, just not where Continue reading

Budget Adoption Meeting, Lowndes County @ LCC Budget 2015-06-23

A Budget Adoption Meeting 5PM before the 5:30 PM Regular Session, as alluded to at yesterday morning’s Work Session. Is this a second Budget Hearing? Does it count if it’s not advertised as a Hearing? And it turns out the proposed budget is on the county’s website, just not where they previously said it would be.

Budget Adoption Meeting,

[5:00-5:30PM] Tuesday, June 23 Continue reading

Videos: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC Budget 2015-06-09

For the budget they will vote on Tuesday June 23rd, two weeks ago Finance Director Stephanie Black said:

“This is the public hearing”

What happened to the requirement for two budget public hearings?

The County Chairman said they had $7 million in requests above the expected revenue, so they had had a difficult time coming up with a budget. For (some of) how they did that, see the LAKE videos of the 18 May 2015 Budget Work Session.

Half of this budget hearing consisted of the same presentation from that previous meeting. Then County Manager Joe Pritchard added Continue reading

Videos: Budget Work Session @ LCC Budget 2015-05-18

“Once you put in your transfers in and out, you have a balanced budget,” said Finance Director Stephanie Black. Transfers in from where? How does this magic work?

Even the Commissioners had no agenda to look at, although they did have printed copies of the draft budget, which the public could only see as it scrolled by on the screen at yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Budget Work Session, which was over by 10AM even though it was announced as 8:30AM to 5PM. However, it is good that they had this Work Session in public. County Clerk Paige Dukes told Gretchen afterwards that no draft budget would be available to the public until after two changes requested by the Chairman were incorporated. She did not say when that would be finished or when the draft budget would be available so taxpayers could comment. She did refer people to last year’s budget. The slides that Finance Director Stephanie Black presented do provide an interesting high level overview. Other than Commissioners and very few staff, the only people in the room were VDT reporter Joe Adgie, someone unidentified, and Gretchen taking these LAKE videos so you can see what happened. Continue reading

Budget Work Session @ LCC Budget 2015-05-18

Update 2015-05-18: Still no agenda posted as the meeting starts; not online; not on the outside of the building; not on the inside of the building. Is this legal?

An all-day Commission meeting with no agenda. And no draft budget that the public can see.

PUBLIC NOTICE-BUDGET WORK SESSION

Date: May 18, 2015
Time: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Lowndes County Commission Chambers
Address: 327 N. Ashley Street, 2nd Floor
Valdosta, GA 31601

The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a Budget Work Session for Monday, May 18, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. For questions please call County Clerk, Paige Dukes, at 229-671-2400 or pdukes@lowndescounty.com

Over on the Finance Department web page, it Continue reading