Tag Archives: SPLOST

Videos: LAS, TIA, Facilties, Emergency @ LCC 2022-09-27

Last month, the most time was spent on a six-minute Hurricane Ian report by EMA Director Ashley Tye, plus a minute on an added Local Emergency Declaration, at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session of September 27, 2022.

Chairman Bill Slaughter was absent due to illness. Commissioner Scottie Orenstein presided. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall was also absent.

The most discussion on the regular agenda, at more than three minutes, was on the high-dollar item, the ongoing redo of the facilities at the county palace. Next at more than a minute was more than a minute on widening of Old Clyattville Road. The whole thing took twenty minutes.


[LAS, TIA, Facilties, Emergency @ LCC 2022-09-27]
LAS, TIA, Facilties, Emergency @ LCC 2022-09-27

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the preceding morning’s Work Session and the agenda and board packet. Continue reading

Videos: LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26

Update 2022-10-24: Videos: LAS, TIA, Facilties, Emergency @ LCC 2022-09-27.

A report on Hurricane Ian by EMA Director Ashley Tye (could be here by Wednesday) took eight minutes of the eighteen minutes of yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.


[LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26]
LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26

Nonetheless, there was a surprising amount of discussion of other items, especially on 5.c. Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Old Clyattville Road Widening and on the $1,364,736.00 5.d. Comprehensive Facilities Energy Savings Project Amendment, which everybody agreed should not have needed so much fixing so soon.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also agenda and board packet. Continue reading

Packet: Sewage LAS expansion testing, Old Clyattville Road widening, Replace county palace chiller @ LCC 2022-09-26

Update 2022-09-27: Videos: LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26.

This week the Lowndes County Commission will spend $1.4 million, mostly on fixing faulty chillers on their meeting building, but also $45,460 on the South Lowndes Land Application Site (LAS) which handles the county’s sewage.

Their Work Session is 8:30 AM this morning. They vote at their Regular Session, 5:30 PM tomorrow evening, September 27, 2022.

Cost What
$1,364,736.00Comprehensive Facilities Energy Savings Project Amendment Resolution
$45,460.00South Lowndes LAS Expansion Assessment and Testing
$1,410,196.00Total

Plus some amount of previously-authorized funds to widen Old Clyattville Road.

And there’s a beer and wine license.

[Collage Lowndes County Commission Packet 2022-09-26]
Collage Lowndes County Commission Packet 2022-09-26

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

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Videos: slides @ LCC Millage 2022-08-23

Update 2022-09-14: Videos: Millage, tax assessment, 3 utilities, ZBOA, Juvenile Justice @ LCC 2022-08-23.

They rolled back the millage slightly. Millage rates for Parks and Rec and Development Authority were unchanged, also for the unincorporated county fire district.

[Pie and Commissioners]
Pie and Commissioners

As usual, no citizens showed up for the millage rate public hearing. Gretchen was the only person there who was not a Commissioner or staff, and since she is a Tax Assessor, I guess she’s staff, too, although she was there for LAKE, taking these videos.

Two of the Lowndes County Commissioners also did not show up for that meeting nor for the Regular Session that same evening. But they voted to adopt the millage anyway.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist: Continue reading

Millage Rate Hearing w. new fire millage @ LCC 2021-08-24

With the new 2.5 mil fire millage on unincorporated Lowndes County, property taxes in unincorporated Lowndes County will still be lower than in Valdosta.

The slides, presented by Finance Director Stephanie Black, were informative, although somewhat hard to read on the screen behind the Commissioners. They are not on the county’s website, and also not in the board packet.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker asked one question, wanting to know what the total millage would be for residents in the unincorpated parts of the county. Answer: 13.1.

Nobody spoke for or against at the Millage Rate Hearing, so it took less than eleven minutes.

[Slides, Finance, Fire millage, Commission]
Slides, Finance, Fire millage, Commission

The Lowndes County Commission voted in its Regular Session 20 minutes later.

Here is the LAKE video of the Millage Public Hearing. See also Continue reading

Valdosta Chamber Candidate Forum 2019-10-08

Meet the Candidates 2019, organized by the Valdosta Lowndes Chamber of Commerce: no questions from the audience, but Gretchen Quarterman videoed for LAKE the few minutes each candidate for Valdosta Mayor, City Council, or Valdosta Board of Education held forth. Plus seven minutes about SPLOST, the Special Local Option Sales Tax, the only thing voters in the unincorporated parts of Lowndes County get to vote on this election season.

Mike Gudley talks about the SPLOST referendum

Below are links to each LAKE video Gretchen took, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Continue reading

Valdosta City Council Town Hall 2019-09-30

Most people missed a chance to ask whatever they wanted of the Valdosta City Council, without time limits or fear of ejection from the room. This town hall, hosted by Council members Andy Gibbs and Eric Howard, apparently was not announced on Valdosta’s own website nor in the Valdosta Daily Times. But Gretchen Quarterman was there for LAKE and videoed it, and provided the notes below. The few people who did attend were interested enough to take an hour and a half of their time to participate in the community and local government.


      People are sometimes afraid to speak

George Boston Rhynes noted that people might fear even coming to this kind of meeting, because of fear of retaliation, by being blackballed for jobs, or in other ways.

Lowndes County Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was there, and occasionally answered, as did Valdosta City Council Tim Carroll. City Council Sonny Vickers was also there.

Sidewalks were a major topic. Gretchen wondered why every street doesn’t have one. Instead, the city thinks it will improve traffic on Bemiss Road by making it wider.

Naturally, Taxes in County and City and property values were a major topic. Valdosta City Council Sandra Tooley said she thought sidewalks make property values go up, so why should the county get any of that tax money when the city paid to put the sidewalks in? Others misunderstood that, and more discussion ensued. People remain confused about how SPLOST works between city and county.

Back on transportation, a final speaker spelled out how Valdosta is not bicycle-friendly, so children can’t ride bicycles to school, students to VSU, employees to work, or people to see friends, because it is not safe. Same for Lowndes County: not safe for this healthy, family-friendly activity and transportation method. Andy Gibbs said this is one of the topics being gathered into the Parks and Rec. Master Plan, currently in progress.

Below are links to each LAKE video, followed by a LAKE video playlist. Continue reading

Lowndes County Budget Meetings 2019-05-07-09 @ LCC 2017-05-07

Lowndes County is holding its Budget Meetings this week. Typically Commissioners and staff hear from all departments, agencies, and Authorities that get tax funds collected by the county.

When: 8:30 AM – 4:15 PM Tuesday, May 7, 2019
8:30 AM – 2:15 PM Wednesday, May 8, 2019
8:30 AM – 2:45 PM Thursday, May 9, 2019

Where: Commission Chambers,
327 N. Ashley Street 2nd Floor,
Valdosta, GA 31601

All three Lowndes County calendar posts note:

Meetings could potentially run longer than the scheduled times.

I would guess one topic that will come up will be the remaining projects in SPLOST VII.

SPLOST VII pie chart

As usual, Continue reading

Videos: Naylor Boat Ramp, approval limits, CALEA, personal care home @ LCC 2018-09-10

News about the Naylor Boat Ramp in an Engineering Projects Report! Chad McLeod also reported about the 911 center, the North Lowndes Soccer Complex, the fire warehouse classroom, the animal shelter, and the courthouse renovation project, all still to be completed from SPLOST VII funds, which run out next year. Even with that three-and-a-half-minute special engineering report, the whole meeting took ten minutes Monday morning.

Also not on the agenda, HR has a new employee. Also there will be a new traffic signal.

Should the County Manager and the Finance Director be able to approve Continue reading

Videos: Day 1, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-19

The 2018 Lowndes County Commission Retreat was just about the exact opposite of a commission meeting, except that same group of people are present (almost). There was discussion, disagreement, laughing, sighing, interrupting, listening, inside jokes, outside jokes, and general exchange of views. Those things don’t happen in a commission meeting. This year’s retreat was particularly different because there was no time frame attached to any agenda item and they didn’t discuss topics in exact order, and some topics got covered repeatedly. Commissioner Evans said to me during a break that the previous format of having departments just give a report can “get boring” and she had suggested that they have a different format with more discussion about communications.

The agenda was available on-line but was hard to find and the link I followed to find it is gone now. I did manage to download it before it went away. Find it here: 2018 LCC Annual Planning Meeting Agenda (plus searchable text). There were paper copies available at the meeting after the first break.

I sometimes think that the commissioners may be getting used to me but then, no, don’t be silly.

At the lunch hour, the Commissioners stepped outside to take a group picture and as County Clerk Page Dukes suggested that they get closer and not have so much “space” between them, Commissioners Orenstein and Griner (I live in their districts) huddled together.

Commissioners Gather Group Photo Close Group Photo
  Commissioners Orenstein and Griner

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes followed by a LAKE video playlist. Continue reading