No county commission meetings this week.
According to LowndesCounty.com,
Current Events
May 21 Lowndes County Work Session CANCELLED
May 22 Lowndes County Regular Session Meeting CANCELLED
Why? Follow either of those links, and all it says is:
For questions please call County Clerk, Paige Dukes, at 229-671-2400.
The next meetings on their calendar are work session Monday 11 June 2012 and regular session Tuesday 12 June 2012.
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Here are videos of the entire approximately eight minute 7 May 2012 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. They vote in Regular Session tonight at 5:30PM. Here’s the agenda.
See other post about “5. Appointments – Lowndes County Development Authority”.
Two weeks ago they decided to hold a public hearing about abandoning part of the Right of Way of old US 41 South, 
but this time it’s on the agenda as a Resolution, and it appears part of the request has been withdrawn, and some people would be left landlocked with no access to a public road, so it seems the Resolution will be to table at least part of it to an undetermined future date. Yet the County Engineer seemed to reccomend going ahead with the rest of the abandonment. Where’s the public hearing?
Two rezonings had no comments. The third, just north of Hahira, got opposition at the Planning Commission; see the other post on that.
A developer wants, according to County Planner Jason Davenport, a letter from the Commission so it can more readily get tax credits from the federal government. He didn’t say what the tax credits would be for. For a concrete front yard? Or for solar on the roof? It will be interesting to see how the anti-grant Commissioners vote on this one, when it’s a developer who benefits.
It sounds like the county wants to award a contract to Continue reading
Two rezonings had no comments. The third, just north of Hahira, got opposition at the Planning Commission, which recommended a qualification, which County Planner Jason Davenport interpreted as trying to limit the density of development of the property.
At the Lowndes County Commission at its 7 May 2012 Work Session during the discussion on
7.c. REZ-2012-07 McNeal Property, McNeal Road E-A to R-A, Well & Septic, 25 acres
Crawford Powell, Commissioner for District 3, which is the south end of the county, asked a question, while Richard Raines, Commissioner for District 2, which is the north end of the county including Hahira, sat silent, although he did nod his head.
A neighbor sent a letter with details of opposition. I wonder what’s in it? If you want to know, you can submit an open records request to the county. Of course, with the three day time limit for the county to respond, the Commission will have already voted on it this evening before you find out what’s in the letter.
Here’s the video:
Rezoning density outside of Hahira
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 May 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
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What’s this Development Authority of Lowndes County (LCDA) and who’s on it? If a voting board member of a board being appointed is on that second board, should he recuse himself? What if he’s one of the people being considered for appointment?
The Lowndes County Commission at its 7 May 2012 Work Session considered 5. Appointments – Lowndes County Development Authority. That’s a completely different board from the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA). You may wonder, what does it do? I wonder that, too.
According to County Manager Joe Pritchard, the County Commission is considering reappointing several people to LCDA. 
They are Jerome Tucker, [mumble, mumble, and mumble].
The Commission didn’t give us anything in writing to go by. However, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs tells us:
Continue reading 
An appointment, a road abandonment, three rezonings, and a bunch of for considerations. How long do you think the Lowndes County Commission and staff will discuss these things in their Work Session tomorrow morning? Five minutes? Ten? Maybe even fifteen minutes?
Here’s the agenda.
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LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
- Call to Order
- Invocation
- Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
- Minutes for Approval
- Work Session — April 23, 2012
- Regular Session — April 24, 2012
- Appointments – Lowndes County Development Authority
- Resolution – Abandonment of unopened Right of Way off US 41 South
- Public Hearings
- REZ-2012-05 Gloria Dave, Bethany Drive R-A to R-1, Well & Septic, ~3.8 acres
- REZ-2012-06 Hart Property, Whitewater & Clyattville Lake Park R-A to R-1, County Water & Septic, ~3 acres
- REZ-2012-07 McNeal Property, McNeal Road E-A to R-A, Well & Septic, 25 acres
- For Consideration
- Letter and Resolution of Support for Brookhaven III Apartments
- Acceptance of Proposal for Patching of Ousley Road
- Section 5311 Rural Transportation Program Supplemental Agreement #1
- Proposal from Doubletree Communities, LLC.
- Piney Wood Mobile Home Park Trust Indenture
- Beer License-Right Shop 2-6872 Lake Park-Bellville Rd.
- Traylor Business Service Inc. Contract
- Reports-County Manager
- Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address
Here are videos of the entire 11:11 minute 24 April 2012 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. They time at 0:57 (before call to order; doesn’t count), 0:42 (mostly dead air), 0:33 (invocation and pledge: not business), 0:29, 0:37, 0:40, 0:10, 0:46, 1:09, 0:46, 0:53, 1:22, 2:08, 1:30, and 0:08: eleven minutes and eleven seconds total. And that’s including the invocation and pledge and the two citizens who spoke (3:38 for those last two). It would seem a good guess that the Commissioners and staff discussed more in the previous morning’s work session, but not really; you can see for yourself.
In the Regular Session (here’s the agenda) they appointed [“mumble”, said County Manager Joe Pritchard] to the Courthouse Preservation Committee. They approved a beer, wine, and liquor license for Southern Landing Restaurant. The liquor license for Rio Grande Bar & Grill was withdrawn. The adopted the infrastructure for Jimmy Rodgers Way. They decided to hold a public hearing next meeting for unopened ROW off US 41 South. They decided to switch banking from Regions Bank to SunTrust. They accepted bids for water and coffee service for county buildings; (apparently the county’s own water that its citizens drink isn’t good enough for Commissioners and staff).
A Commissioner asked a question! Before they accepted a bid for mowing Bemiss Road, Joyce Evans wanted an explanation of the timeframe of the cutting of the grass. Public Works Director Robin English wanted to know work time or response time? County Manager Joe Pritchard and somebody else simultaneously said “response time”. Hm, how did they know that? In what open meeting was that question previously raised? Also, Pritchard demonstrated he could speak into the microphone and be heard when he wanted to. English clarified the response times quoted by the bidders, and Evans moved to go with the low bidder, which the Commissioners approved, unanimously as usual.
Two citizens spoke:
See those two separate posts for details.
Here’s a video playlist for the entire Regular Session:
Videos, Regular Session
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 April 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
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DSL in Lowndes County for fast Internet access? County Commission Chairman Ashley Paulk passed the buck on citizen Timothy Nesmith’s question about that, at the 24 April 2012 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.
Chairman Paulk violated the Commission’s own Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to be Heard by saying Timothy Nessmith didn’t get a chance to fill out the appropriate form, but he was welcome to speak anyway. Now I think that’s a silly rule, and if the Chairman is going to waive it for one person, they might as well revoke it for all citizens so nobody has to sign up.
Nessmith wanted the Commission 
to pressure BellSouth to provide DSL on Hambrick Road.
Chairman Paulk chose to answer that by saying it was a Public Service Commission issue, and adding that due to housing density on that road “they [presumably the telephone company] can’t make it work economically.”
Like my neighbor Chairman Paulk, I know Nessmith’s neighborhood (Nessmith lives around the corner from me, although I had no idea he was going to speak, and have never discussed his issue with him). Later I will post some things the Commission could do.
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Lowndes County unincorporated area residents may or may not be forced to buy curbside trash pickup, or something, sometime, but the county isn’t answering questions about that.
In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard at the
24 April 2012 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, Gretchen Quarterman wanted to know 
what had been decided at the retreat or elsewhere about the trash question. Will we have to get curbside pickup? Did the county look to see what surrounding counties do? Might the county survey citizens for their opinions? Could we have a special garbage tax district for those who wanted to use the current trash deposit areas, similar to the special lighting tax districts the county has repeatedly approved? She got no answers to any of her questions other than Commissioner Joyce Evans shaking her head at that last one.
So we don’t know what the county has decided, if anything, nor when they will decide it, nor how they are collecting citizen input (if at all).
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Here are videos of the entire ten and a half minute 23 April 2012 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. As you can see, these videos time at 1:01, 0:33, 0:44, 1:07, 1:45, 1:40, 0:33, 2:59, and 0:10, and that’s with a camera that stops and starts almost instantaneously. Those times add up to 10 minutes and 32 seconds. Is that adequate discussion for the county’s business?
A former member of the Courthouse Preservation Commission, has moved, and the Chairman said Mike somebody was a good one to appoint as a replacement. 
No Commissioners asked any questions. They didn’t ask many questions on anything else, either. On 8a. Abandonment of unopened ROW on Walker Avenue (off of US 41 S) in Twin Lakes area, Commissioner Crawford Powell had a question, but it was only where the engineer was in the map.
Finance Director Stephanie Black said the county sent out an 
RFP for banking services to local banks. Three responded, and one was incomplete. The two complete bids were Regions Bank and SunTrust. Regions will waive charges with $6M balance; SunTrust will waive charges $2.8M balance.
On the FDIC charge, Regions will charge .135 per thousand dollars; SunTrust is waiving that.
She said that was currently about $3500 or $4500 per month. Commissioner Powell asked who they were currently using. Answer: Regions. There’s more in the video, and there was a written report the Commissioners were looking at.
Apparently the county’s own water isn’t good enough for Commissioners and staff, Continue reading
The five local cities (Valdosta, Hahira, Remerton, Dasher, and Lake Park) presented their case in terms of changed demographics from the 2000 to the 2010 census. Much of the presentation was explained by Hahira City Manager Jonathan Sumner.
Lowndes County wasn’t interested in discussing, and is waiting for arbitration, which will happen in 60 days (presumably from when they started negotiating). The VDT writeup protrays that as a surprise, but it’s what County Chairman Ashley Paulk has been saying since before these negotiations began. 
I would have preferred to hear what services the cities do now or could with more tax revenue provide that would benefit the entire county.
Even more, I think the local governments could spend their time together better talking about how to increase the pie, for example through solar energy for municipal revenue
or through county-wide fast Internet broadband access, either of which would help attract knowledge-based jobs, which would provide employment and increased tax revenue.
However, I salute the cities and the county for being transparent about their positions, as you can see in these videos.
Here’s a playlist:
Videos of Mayors and County in Hahira
LOST Negotiation,
Mayors and County in Hahira, Lowndes County Commission (LOST),
Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 2 May 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
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