Tag Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Packet: Two Lowndes County rezoning materials @ GLPC 2025-06-30

As promised, JD Dillard and BOC Records provided the packet materials for the two county rezonings on the agenda for the Monday evening Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting. Staff wants conditions on one, but not the other.

An RV park and a large warehouse type campus @ GLPC 2025-06-30

Staff lists conditions, but does not propose including them as conditions in approval, for the RV park north of Hahira halfway to Cecil, in the watershed of Franks Creek, which goes to the Little River. Continue reading →

Agenda: Two Lowndes County rezonings @ GLPC 2025-06-30

Videos: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC 2025-06-23

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The 2024 millage of 5.283 is little more than half the 8.974 it was in 2017. Not counting the 2.5 mils of fire tax on unincorporated Lowndes County since 2021, and of course the 1 mil to the Industrial Authority and the 1.25 mils to Parks and Rec, which have not changed since 2008.

About 85% of the county’s revenues come from taxes. About 57% of that comes from property taxes, and about 31% Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).

Of expenditures, about 41% goes to Public Safety (Sheriff Department, Jail, etc.), about 12% to Juducial (courts), and about 18% to General Government.

Collage @ LCC Budget Hearing 23 June 2025

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked how the rising cost of gasoline was dealt with. Finance Director Stephanie Black said there was some leeway built into the budget, but if the price rise exceeds that, at the end of the year, additional funds would have to be allocated.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein wondered about the fire services budget. FD Black said it is going down 10%, because new fire trucks were moved into a SPLOST line item.

County Manager Paige Dukes said a few words about property assessments that were mailed out by Tax Assessors staff. I think this was about the recent opt-out of the county from the statewide homestead exemption (the county actually has better homestead exemptions).

Almost no citizens attended, and none asked any questions.

Below is the LAKE video of the session, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist of this Lowndes County Commission presentation at 9AM this morning.

Budget Public Hearing @ LCC 2025-06-23

Half a million or zero dollars for the bar Lowndes County bought with no agenda item? 2024-07-09

Did the Lowndes County Commission spend nothing or half a million dollars to buy an old bar in Lake Park? And why did they vote to buy it after an Executive Session, with no item entered on a public meeting agenda?

Where did the money come from? Apparently, it did not come from SPLOST. Since the property is to be repurposed for a fire station, did it come from the special fire tax?

Half a million or zero for the bar Lowndes County bought with no agenda item?, Rascal’s into a fire station

The only times I see Rascal’s appearing in Lowndes County Commission meetings of the past five years is in this week’s meetings of June 9 and 10, 2025, in April 2023, and in March 2025.

April 2023 Liquor license for Rascal’s become Twin Lake Club and Grill

Continue reading →

Videos: Rascal’s, VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Regular 2025-06-10

Update 2025-06-11: Half a million or zero dollars for the bar Lowndes County bought with no agenda item? 2024-07-09.

In Citizens Wishing to be Heard, Gretchen Quarterman spoke about Transparency and the purchase of Rascals, wondering why Lowndes County Commission approval of that purchase was not a lot more visible, instead of being recorded only in Minutes as a vote that took place after an Executive Session and everybody else had left. See below for more detail.

Kelly Saxon spoke about affordable housing, including asking for a town hall and a telephone contact.

The Lowndes County Commissioners at their Regular Session last night added an item, Chairman – Add agenda item to repair Hahira Health Dept (8b). That’s more than they did for the Rascal’s purchase back in July 2024. More on that in a later post.

Collage @ LCC 10 June 2025

Last night, they unanimously approved all the agenda items, including reappointing the incumbents to the two boards.

Nobody spoke against either of the two rezonings.

For 7.b. Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper, they mentioned that prices had doubled, and locking in a price now would avoid further price increases.

In her Reports, County Manager Paige Dukes recognized Kellerman Construction and Jimmy Cone for their work on 8.a. Bid – A New Facility for Lowndes County Fire Rescue No. 4.

Earlier, Chairman Bill Slaughter called for Leadership Lowndes to be recognized, but, maybe for the first time ever, there were none present.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall was absent from this meeting.

Here are LAKE videos of each Work Session agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Work 2025-06-09

Update 2025-06-11: Videos: Rascal’s, VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Regular 2025-06-10.

The Lowndes County Commissioners didn’t have much to say at their Work Session yesterday morning. They did discuss potential paving of dirt roads under 6.b. REZ-2025-09 All Metal Buildings, 2515 Madison Hwy, ~2 acres, C-G to C-H.

They vote this evening at their Regular Session at 5:30 PM.

Collage @ LCC 9 June 2025

This Fire Station #9 is on James Road: 7.b. Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper.

Station Locations

This one is in Minneola, near the Stone Creek subdivision: 8.a. A New Facility for Lowndes County Fire Rescue No. 4. In which County Manager Paige Dukes revealed that the county had obtained the old Rascal’s building. That’s at 4875 US 41 South in Lake Park. More later in another post about the somewhat irregular conveyance of that former Rascal’s location to the county.

Here are LAKE videos of each Work Session agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

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

VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC 2025-06-09

Update 2025-06-10: Videos: VLPRA & DFCS appointments, two rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 million Fire Rescue @ LCC Work 2025-06-09.

Vincent Miller wants to be reappointed to the Parks and Rec Board. Lynn Orenstein would like to be reappointed to the board of Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). Samuel Clemons has applied to be on each of those boards.

Plus almost $6 million dollars will be decided this week by the Lowndes County Commission, for a pump truck and a station for Fire Rescue.

VLPRA & DFCS appointments, 2 rezonings, Hazard Mitigation, $1 million Custom Pumper, $4.7 M Fire Rescue @ LCC 2025-06-09

Cost	What
$4,767,660.00	A New Facility for Lowndes County Fire Rescue No. 4
$1,063,876.64	Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper
$21,000.00	Service Agreement with SGRC to Perform Hazard Mitigation
$5,852,536.64	Total

About the Purchase of one (1) Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper: Continue reading →

Videos: Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-27

Nobody showed up to oppose any rezoning, and 43 minutes is lightning fast for a Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

The Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of each item. The Lowndes County Commission and the Hahira and Valdosta City Councils make the actual decisions.

Collage @ GLPC 27 May 2025

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

Rescheduled: Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-27

Update 2025-06-07: Videos: Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira, 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2025-05-27.

Reschedule: because there was no quorum at the originally-scheduled date, the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) will meet this evening at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

I suppose it’s a coincidence that two different requests for “a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a reinstated machine and welding shop in a Highway Commercial (C-H) zoning district” about two Valdosta blocks apart are on the agenda for Monday’s Planning Commission meeting.

Two Lowndes County cases, 1 Hahira case, @ GLPC *Rescheduled* 2025-05-27, Two Valdosta cases, both machine and welding shops

There’s one Hahira case for “Special Exception for a financial institution in R-P zoning”.

And two Lowndes County cases, one for 10 acres from E-A to R-A, and the other for 1.9 acres from C-G to C-H.

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials for the Valdosta and Hahira cases are on the LAKE website, because Valdosta and Hahira City Planner Matt Martin sent them.

See other post for the packet materials for the Lowndes County cases.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, May 12, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, May 19, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia
Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange