Tag Archives: Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant

Videos: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC Regular 2025-01-15

Ms. Terri Lupo was reappointed to the 5.a. Valdosta Lowndes Development Authority.

The Lowndes County Commission at their Regular Session of January 14, 2025, also passed everything else unanimously, with little or no discussion.

Collage @ LCC 14 January 2025

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall did have a question about 7.k. GEFA Loan DWLSL2023097 for Lead Service Line Inventory. He also had a special thanks for Samaritan’s Purse in Commission Comments.

Former Valdosta City Council Alvin Payton, Jr., sat front and center the entire meeting.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Packet: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC 2025-01-13

Update 2025-01-16: Videos: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC Regular 2025-01-14

Yesterday morning Commissioner Mark Wisenbarker wanted to know whether the staff had a list of roads needing striping for 7.g. 2025 Georgia DoT Local Maintenance – Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application. Here’s the project list:

Road paving list and Broadband map @ LCC Packet 2025-01-13

The map appears to be where Windstream thinks Lowndes County already had broadband in 2021. Continue reading →

Videos: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC Work Session 2025-10-13

The Lowndes County Commission started the Work Session yesterday morning by welcoming new Commissioner Michael Smith. He will vote for the first time at the Regular Session this evening at 5:30 PM.

Collage @ LCC 13 January 2025

Chairman Bill Slaughter praised Terri Lupo, long-time baord member of the 5.a. Valdosta Lowndes Development Authority, although he noted there were two other applicants for her expired term.

There was some discussion on 7.f. Emergency Repair – Lowndes County Fire Station #5. Fire Station #5 is the one on Bemiss Road. Apparently after the November rain, there was a sewage back up in the fire station that was 3″ deep and everything from the floor to 2′ up the wall had to be replaced, including furniture. Insurance covered some of the cost.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbarker wanted to know whether the staff had a list of roads needing striping for 7.g. 2025 Georgia DoT Local Maintenance – Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application. Answer: yes.

They do not yet have a design for the 7.h. Local Bridge Replacement at Jumping Gully Road at Bevel Creek (0019937).

There was Commissioner discussion about the prices for the Continue reading →

Agenda: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC 2025-01-13

It’s a busy first agenda of the year for the Lowndes County Commission, Work Session Monday morning, voting Regular Session Tuesday evening.

Agenda: VLDA appointment, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, VOCA grants, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC 2025-01-13

Terri Lupo’s term has expired for the Development Authority. Robert Green and Brice Evans also want to be appointed. Usually the Commission reappoints the incumbent.

Cost	What
$1,300,000.00	Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage Improvements, P.1.0016279 Supplemental Agreement No. 1
$635,000.00	GEFA Loan DWLSL2023097 for Lead Service Line Inventory
$160,122.00	Bid for Six Compact SUV Vehicles for Multiple Departments
$79,380.00	Emergency Repair – Lowndes County Fire Station #5
$50,000.00	Lowndes County Local Bridge Replacement at Jumping Gully Road at Bevel Creek (0019937)
$45,761.60	Union Road Lift Station Pump Replacement
$33,232.00	Approval of the Solicitor General’s FY25 VOCA Grant Award
$2,303,495.60	Total

The above table, generated by LAKE from the agenda items, is hard to add up because of items where the BUDGET IMPACT is actually incoming funds from a new source, such as this one: Continue reading →

Videos: Budget award, LMIG for Val Del Road widening, Jail addition max price, service and software agreements @ LCC Regular 2024-05-28

The Regular Session two weeks ago took 26 minutes, but 14 of that was the County Manager’s Report, 2 was the Budget award presentation, and 1 was the invocation and pledge, so 9 minutes were about business.

Collage @ LCC 28 May 2024

The Lowndes County Commissioners unanimously approved everything, including the application for state funds for the Val Del Road intersection expansion to support subdivisions and the almost $9 million jail expansion. There was some discussion about the process of moving from Code Red to RAVE Alert.

Again in the Regular Session after they did it in the Work Session: a presentation about Lowndes County having won a Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 18th year.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Agenda: Budget, Personal Care Home, streets and transit, 2 sewer repairs @ VCC 2024-06-06

Nobody attended the First Hearing of the proposed FY 2025 Valdosta Budget, so Thursday is your last chance, at the Second Hearing, at the Valdosta City Council meeting.

Agenda: Budget, sewers, Personal Care Home, streets, and transit @ VCC 2024-06-06

That budget includes a pending $67 million bond for water and sewer projects, with interest to be paid from the Water and Sewer Revenue Fund.

The agenda also includes a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Personal Care Home, two street resurfacing projects, an amendment to the contract for the on-call transport cars, and two sewer repair projects.

Here is the agenda.

See also the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, June 6, 2024
CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS

Opening Ceremonies

Call to Order
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag

Minutes Approval

The Minutes from the May 9, 2024 Regular Meeting and the May 15, 2024 Special Called Meeting are forthcoming.

Public Hearings

Public Hearing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. (Second Hearing)
Consideration of an Ordinance for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Family Personal Care Home in a Single-Family Residential (R-6) Zoning District as requested by Roche Kempson (File No. CU-2024-04). The property is located at 1206 West Magnolia Street. The Planning Commission reviewed this at their May 20, 2024 Regular Meeting and recommended approval subject to four conditions (5-0 Vote).

Ordinances and Resolutions

Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the execution of a Contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation for the Patterson Street Resurfacing and Utility Adjustments Project.

Bids, Contracts, Agreements and Expenditures

Consideration of bids for the resurfacing of streets in the City of Valdosta through the SPLOST VIII Funding and GDOT Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant.
Consideration of a request to amend the Contract with River North Transit, LLC and extend Via On-Demand Transportation Services for the City of Valdosta.

Local Funding and Requests

Consideration of a request to authorize payment for an emergency bypass and sewer repairs on Pebblewood Drive.
Consideration of a request to authorize payment for Phase III final billing for emergency sewer repairs at Knights Creek near the intersection of U. S. Highway 84 and Blanchard Street.

Citizens to be Heard
City Manager’s Report
Council Comments
Adjournment

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Videos: Budget award, LMIG for Val Del Road widening, Jail addition max price, service and software agreements @ LCC Work 2024-05-28

Update 2024-06-11: Videos: Budget award, LMIG for Val Del Road widening, Jail addition max price, service and software agreements @ LCC Regular 2024-05-28.

For the 18th year, Lowndes County won a Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). That was the first item ihis morning at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

Collage @ LCC Work 28 May 2024

We heard some clarification about the almost $9 million dollars in jail additions. Gretchen says, “This is for the proposed new medical area at the jail. Some of the money is ARPA 2021 money.”

With the changeover from Code Red to RAVE Alert, everyone will have to sign up again, because Code Red had an option not to share personal information, which included with the county. However, Ashley Tye said the new system would provide more functionality for less price. That was the longest discussion in the meeting, at more than six minutes.

Hurricane Idalia provided incentive to look for a faster way to do damage assessment. The county is buying Crisis Track damage assessment software, which is a smartphone or table app for faster input to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). That was the second longest discussion, at more than five minutes.

They ended with an executive session to discuss client-attorney privilege for real estate acquisition.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the agenda and board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request. Continue reading →

Videos: 3 Tax Assessors appointed, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC Regular 2024-01-08

Update 2024-01-20: Packet: Appoint another Tax Assessor, Special Assessment Rate, VOCA, federal consultant @ LCC 2024-01-22.

Two weeks ago the Lowndes County Commission appointed three new Tax Assessors: Gene Felts and Thomas Reed to 3-year terms and Sandra D.S.Jones to the 4-year term. Gene Felts resigned two days later, after being sworn in but before his first Tax Assessors Meeting. They still have 12 – 3 = 9 applicants to choose from. Maybe somebody should tell them they have to take substantial hours of training after being appointed.

We the taxpayers and voters still haven’t seen the applications, which were not in that board packet. At least the appointees did show up at the meeting.

Gretchen took these LAKE videos with her iPhone. The LAKE camera is old and tired and refused to function. If anyone wants to donate so we can get a new video camera, that would be wonderful.

The added agenda item, 6.f. 412-416 North Lee Street Purchase, was apparently the result of the Executive Session in the same morning’s Work Session.

The Commissioners unanimously approved everything else with little discussion.

There was a weather report by EMA Director Ashley Tye.

Collage @ LCC Regular 8 January 2024

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: 12 applicants for 3 Tax Assessors, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC Work 2024-01-08

Update 2024-01-20: Videos: 3 Tax Assessors appointed, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC Regular 2024-01-08.

Even the County Commissioners did not get to see the applications of those who applied to be Tax Assessors; not unless they trouped upstairs and asked the County Clerk.

County Manager Paige Dukes read off the dozen names of applicants and added, “Ms. Lovern has their appointment sheets in her office.” Commissioner and Vice Chair Demarcus Marshall said he wanted to see their appplications; he noted Amy Carter is a former state legislator. Chairman Bill Slaughter said “Certainly if you would like to look at those applications, you’ve got those that you can go through.” He did offer to ask Ms. Lovern to call the applicants and ask them to show up at the Regular Session.

Why the secrecy is mysterious. So far as I know, they’re the same application forms everybody fills out to apply for any board or authority. They contain the same kind of information people put on LinkedIn or even facebook, and they are usually included in the board packet, but not this time.

The County Manager said two of the Tax Assessors posts will be 3-year terms, and the third will be a 4-year term, to keep terms staggered.

Collage @ LCC 8 January 2024

The new Vice Chair of the Lowndes County Commission is Demarcus Marshall. Chairman Bill Slaughter thanked Mark Wisenbaker for doing that for the past year, presiding at meetings when the Chair was absent.

Demarcus Marshall wanted to know Continue reading →

Packet: 12 applicants for 3 Tax Assessors, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC 2024-01-08

Update 2024-01-20: LAKE videos of the Work Session 2024-01-08.

The board packet for last week’s Lowndes County Commission meetings does not include any further information about the dozen applicants to be Tax Assessors beyond their names that were in the agenda.

This is odd, since for every other board or authority, application sheets are usually included in the board packet.

We do learn what roads the county plans to resurface with the LMIG grant. Also confirmation in writing that $123,523.13 is the amount of the required 10% LMIG match.

Collage @ LCC Packet 2024-01-08

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange