Tag Archives: taxes

Packet: Valdosta downtown multi-family residential development and office and storage in Lowndes County @ 2026-01-26

Update 2026-02-08:
Videos: Valdosta downtown multi-family residential development and office and storage in Lowndes County @ GLPC 2026-01-26.

Not even the agenda is on lowndescounty.com for Monday’s Planning Commission meeting,
much less any of the board packet materials.

You can see all of those, plus the minutes from the previous meeting,
here on the LAKE website.

But why doesn’t Lowndes County put these materials on its own website,
so the taxpaying and voting public can see them?

Maybe you’d like to ask your Lowndes County Commissioners.
They have a Work Session Monday morning and a voting Regular Session Tuesday evening with Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

Why does it take multiple open LAKE open records requests and further email interactions to pry these materials out of Lowndes County?

It’s not just the materials for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC)
that are not on the county’s website.
While the agenda and one-page agenda sheets for the Lowndes County Commission are
on the county’s website, none of the rest of their board packet materials are.

Why should a private media firm have to pry these materials out of the county?

I’m not blaming the county staff.
They do what they are told to do by the County Commissioners.

I’m not blaming the Planning Commissioners.
They are merely an advisory body.

So please ask your Lowndes County Commissioners why they do not publish
important materials so the public can see what they the Commissioners are using to make decisions?


[Packet: Valdosta downtown multi-family residential @ GLPC 2026-01-26, Office & storage in Lowndes County; None of this on lowndescounty.com]

Packet: Valdosta downtown multi-family residential @ GLPC 2026-01-26, Office & storage in Lowndes County; None of this on lowndescounty.com

The Valdosta item is for a dense residential development in an appropriate city character area, with appropriate conditions recommended by staff.
It’s the opposite of sprawl.
Seems like a good idea to me.

I’m less clear on the proposed office and storage facility in Lowndes County, REZ-2026-03.
It is not in an appropriate Character Area.
It has noise and lighting concerns.
It crosses a county sewer force main and a natural gas pipeline.
It crosses a creek that feeds into Franks Creek into the Little River.
The staff-recommended conditions seem like weak tea.

We only have the board materials for this third county case because LAKE
insisted on the county honoring the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA).
The materials for this city case and this county case are

on the LAKE website,
along with the agenda and the minutes from the previous GLPC meeting.

For the materials for the other two county cases, see the previous post:


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25459

Here is the GLPC agenda, which is still not on the county’s own website:


Greater Lowndes Planning Commission


~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~

~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 5:30 P.M. Work Session

Monday, January 26, 2026 5:30 P.M. Regular Session

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Videos: 2 presentations, 4 CWTBH, Appointment Board of Health, correct Tax Assessor, Qualifying Fees, grants, road widening and paving, Lakes Blvd Water Meter Relocation @ LCC Regular 2026-01-12

They tabled (again)

9.l. Abandonment of Grice Road,
this time to no definite date,
at the Monday evening Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.


Dr. Lucy Greene is handing over her work as Moody Support.
At 23 minutes, that was by far the longest item.

Four citizens spoke at the end.


[Collage @ LCC Regular Session, 12 January 2026]

Collage @ LCC Regular Session, 12 January 2026

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 Continue reading →

Videos: 3 presentations, Appointment Board of Health, correct Tax Assessor, Qualifying Fees, grants, road widening and paving, Lakes Blvd Water Meter Relocation @ LCC Work 2026-01-02

Update 2025-01-15:
Videos: 2 presentations, 4 CWTBH, Appointment Board of Health, correct Tax Assessor, Qualifying Fees, grants, road widening and paving, Lakes Blvd Water Meter Relocation @ LCC Regular 2026-01-12.

A rare sight at the Monday morning Work Session:
the Lowndes County Chairman and the Valdosta Mayor jointly
reading a Proclamation of I love Public Schools Day.

They discussed tabling (again)

9.l. Abandonment of Grice Road
trying to avoid making any landlocked lots and other concerns about neighboring lots.


[Collage @ LCC Work Session, 12 January 2026]

Collage @ LCC Work Session, 12 January 2026


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 the board packet,
received in response to a LAKE open records request.

If they put it on their own website, lowndescounty.com,
under
Agenda Center,
nobody would have to file an open records request and county staff
wouldn’t have to spend time sending out packets.

Here is the LAKE video playlist:


https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLshUv86fYkiHack-3koY45nFAwmkCKyHM&si=aVZFV6sV0MjMHiOz

-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!


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Packet: 3 presentations, Appointment Board of Health, correct Tax Assessor, Qualifying Fees, grants, road widening and paving, Lakes Blvd Water Meter Relocation @ LCC 2026-01-12

Update 2025-01-14:
Videos: 3 presentations, Appointment Board of Health, correct Tax Assessor, Qualifying Fees, grants, road widening and paving, Lakes Blvd Water Meter Relocation @ LCC Work 2026-01-12.

Both Work Session and Regular Session are today, Monday, January 12, 2026,
for the Lowndes County Commission.
I don’t know why.

They didn’t do the appointment right in December for Felicia Williams as a Tax Assessor, so do-over today.

Frances Brown wants to be reappointed to the Lowndes County Board of Health.

As required by state law, they’re setting the qualifying fee to run for County Commissioner: it’s $450.

Three grant application or acceptance items are on the agenda, for Juvenile Justice and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).

Two Acceptance of Infrastructure, for Knights Landing Phase IV Section I,
and for Colbie Place Subdivision on River Road.

Four road widening items, and one Abandonment of Grice Road.


[Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-01-12]

Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-01-12

Finally,
$63,801.00
from SPLOST
for
10. Lakes Blvd Water Meter Relocation
“to meet commercial development needs in the area.”
At least it’s in Lake Park, so it’s not sprawl.

It’s interesting that they count that SPLOST expenditure as “BUDGET IMPACT”
but for

9.h.
FY 2026 Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application

the agenda sheet says “BUDGET IMPACT: N/A; 10% match allocated in SPLOST VIII” for Lake Alapaha Boulevard and other roads.

Here is the
agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is

on the LAKE website.

If they put it on their own website, lowndescounty.com,
under
Agenda Center,
nobody would have to file an open records request and county staff
wouldn’t have to spend time sending out packets.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Packet: 3 rezonings, dogs and cats ordinance, 7 water items, etc. @ VCC 2025-12-11

Update 2025-12-27: According to a usually reliable witness, facebook live had technical difficulties for the December meeting,
and wasn’t noticed until just before the meeting started, so there is no video of that meeting.
I’m told the dogs and cats ordinance did not pass, but may come back in a later meeting.
Everything else did pass, or so I’m told.
It appears the City Council needs to get some help for the City Clerk:
“2.a) The Minutes from the September, October, and November City Council Meetings are forthcoming.”

Valdosta Mayor and Council had a very busy meeting on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

First, some questions for Valdosta Mayor, Council, and City Manager:

  1. Why does Valdosta not publish its board packets on its own website?
    Since anyone can get them through an open records request, they are not secret.
    The board packets could go on the city’s own Agenda & Minutes web page:

    –

    https://www.valdostacity.com/city-council/agendas-minutes

  2. Speaking of which, where are the minutes since August?
    They’re not on that web page.
  3. Why did Valdosta not do publicity about the
    seven (7) drinking water or wastewater improvement items on this December agenda?
  4. Where is Valdosta’s video of this December meeting?
    If the facebook live video is the official video of the meeting,
    why is it not linked into the Agendas & Minutes web page?

Valdosta complains people think they’re doing nothing about fixing their wastewater problems.

Maybe that has something to do with the city
actively hiding the details in unpublished board packets,
as well as doing publicity about such projects.


[Collage of VCC Packet 2025-12-11]

Collage of VCC Packet 2025-12-11

On this agenda was an ordinance copying Lowndes County in prohibiting
sale of dogs and cats by retail establishments,
a resolution about Valdosta City School System Refunding Bonds,
and another resolution about the Georgia Historic Tax Credit Program.
Plus various equipment for Engineering, Public Works, and Police.

The agenda also
included the three rezonings or conditional use permits heard last month
by the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25373

The seven wastewater improvement items are: Continue reading →

Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Regular 2025-10-28

At the Tuesday evening Work Session, the Lowndes County Commissioners approved everything unanimously.

They chatted quite a bit about

6.a. Demolition for Lowndes County Fire Rescue Station 3.
Apparently the old Rascals did come with some equipment in the kitchen,
although County Manager Paige Dukes declined to call it kitchen equipment.

On the

5.c. GEFA Loan for Lift Station Bypass Pumps
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted clarification that this was for sewage, not other kinds of water. Answer: yes.

In

7. Reports – County Manager
she had
EMA Director Ashley Tye talk about remaining federal funds promised
but not yet received.
The big batch will not qualify for the relaxed timeline for budgeting,
due to how late it is.

She also had Fire Chief Billy Young talk about fire safety in this dry season,
a topic the Commissioners continued to discuss for a bit.


[Collage @ LCC 28 October 2025]

Collage @ LCC 28 October 2025

In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard,

Steve Schreck apologized if the shirt he wore
Monday morning offended anyone. The Chairman had told him after that Work Session never to come back wearing that shirt.
Schreck talked about a display near him that children could see, which he said
was at least equally offensive.
He asked for an ordinance banning public obscenity.

Commissioner Joyce Evans remained absent due to Continue reading →

Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27

Update 2025-10-29:
Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Regular 2025-10-28.

Seven minutes for this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall was absent.
Commissioner Joyce Evans remains absent due to health reasons.

They vote tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 5:30 PM.


[Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station 3, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27]

Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station 3, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27

There were no surprises, except maybe County Manager Paige Dukes
lauding Public Works Director Robin Cumbus for organizing

6.b. Bid for Bemiss Road Right of Way Mowing.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
plus a few stills of some people,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC 2025-10-27

Update 2025-10-27:
Videos: Alcohol, Health insurance, GEFA Lift State Pump Loan, Rascals demolition for Fire Station, Bemiss Road Mowing @ LCC Work 2025-10-27.

It’s a brief agenda with a long packet for the Lowndes County Commission this month.

It demonstrates planning ahead in the
GEFA Loan for Lift Station Bypass Pumps,
getting ready for the next hurricane season.

And they got multiple bids for both the old Rascals in Lake Park,
Demolition for Lowndes County Fire Rescue Station 3
and for
Bid for Bemiss Road Right of Way Mowing.

No emergency sole-source contracts in this agenda.


[Packet: Collage @ LCC 2025-10-27]

Packet: Collage @ LCC 2025-10-27

Here is the
agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is

on the LAKE website.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2025, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2025, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Opioid Litigation Settlement and Budget and Equity Reserve Policy @ LCC Regular 2025-09-23

The two regular business items (opioid litigation and budget policy update)
sped to unanimous approval
at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session last week.


[Collage @ LCC 23 September 2025]

Collage @ LCC 23 September 2025

Three citizens spoke.


Janice Strickland worried that she was not represented because
Commissioner Joyce Evans had been absent for months.
See below for Chairman Bill Slaughter’s answer.


India Bell wanted to know if there was any financial assistance.
Chairman Bill Slaughter said he would speak to her afterwards about
various organizations, but the county itself probably did not have anything to help.


Kelly Saxon was concerned about housing after Hurricane Helene
now that temporary housing is ending.
There was no direct response.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall reminded everyone that each citizen
actually has two Commissioners,
because of the superdistricts, one of which he represents.
And anyone could also call the Chairman.

Here 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 Continue reading →

Videos: Opioid Litigation Settlement and Budget and Equity Reserve Policy @ LCC Work 2025-09-22

Update 2025-09-29
Videos: Opioid Litigation Settlement and Budget and Equity Reserve Policy @ LCC Regular 2025-09-23.

There were only two main agenda items, but the Lowndes County Commissioners
had questions on each of them.

That was in this morning’s Work Session.
They vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.


[Collage @ LCC 22 September 2025]

Collage @ LCC 22 September 2025

Some previous opioid litigation settlement funds have been received,
about $600,000.
Those are escrowed in an intergovernmental grant fund
since the funds are earmarked.
They have to be used for treatment, prevention, and abatement of the opioid crisis.

The updates to the county’s
Budget and Equity Reserve Policy
are partly because of FEMA relief for Hurricane Helene and previous hurricanes,
which arrived after the corresponding Fiscal Years ended,
and after a 60-day grace period in the previous policy.
So they’re extending that grace period for grant funds only.

Last year about $3.9 million came in before the end of November,
but after the grace period for FY 2025.

The policy stays as changed, unless the Commission later votes to change it again.

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

See also the Continue reading →