Tag Archives: Transparency

Videos: Airport, Aging, Community Service Board Appointments, $1,677,028.92 LMIG funds from GDOT @ LCC Regular 2025-05-27

Commissioner Joyce Evans was absent at both the morning’s Work Session and the evening’s Regular Session, but they appointed her to two boards anyway.

At the Tuesday evening Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commission approved everything unanimously, including appointing Jeff Sykes to the Airport Authority, and “Miss Evans” to the Aging and Community Services Boards.

County Manager Paige Dukes said the opening on the Community Services Board was because Chairman Bill Slaughter had been appointed to a statewise board, and thus could not continue to serve on a local board.

[Collage @ LCC Regular 27 May 2025]
Collage @ LCC Regular 27 May 2025

Director of Engineering Services Chad McLeod clarified which parts of which roads would be resurfaced if the county gets the GDOT LRA funds.

Finance Director Stephanie Black said it’s a mid-size excavator that Public Works wants, following up from discussion in the Work Session.

County Manager Paige Dukes said Val Del Road work began at North Valdosta Road that day (yesterday) and there’s a county facebook page about it. She indicated a meeting with FEMA and a need to deal with less federal funds and more local preparedness. She also talked about SPLOST IX, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the civic center, and emergency operations, rattling off a string of dates. Seems like she could provide a written report if she expects people to remember those dates. She did say the bicentennial dates would be updated on the county’s website, although I cannot find them there.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if there was any update on the animal shelter. Chad McLeod said the RFP was 90% approved.

There were no Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes by John S. Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist. There are some one-second gaps between videos, because I was using my phone, which does not cycle off and on quickly enough. Plus one towards the beginning of the Minutes item, because I accidentally bumped it off and had to turn it back on.

See also the Continue reading

Videos: Airport, Aging, Community Service Board Appointments, $1,677,028.92 LMIG funds from GDOT @ LCC Work 2025-05-27

Update 2025-05-28: Videos: Airport, Aging, Community Service Board Appointments, $1,677,028.92 LMIG funds from GDOT @ LCC Regular 2025-05-27.

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

Here are LAKE videos of this morning’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. Both the Work and Regular Sessions are being held today, because the Lowndes County Commission observed the Memorial Day holiday yesterday.

[Collage @ LCC 27 May 2025]
Collage @ LCC 27 May 2025

The Commissioners discussed several items, including more than four minutes on 6.b. Updated Debris Removal Contract Pricing with Ashbritt and about three minutes each on 6.a. 2025 Local Road Assistance (LRA) Administration Funds Application and 7.a. Bid for Mini Excavator for Public Works.

Plus there was a staff presentation in 8. Reports – County Manager – 10. Adjournment and County Manager Paige Dukes called for an executive session to discuss real estate.

Below are Continue reading

Agenda: Airport, Aging, Community Service Board Appointments, $1,677,028.92 LMIG funds from GDOT @ LCC 2025-05-27

Update 2025-05-27: Videos: Airport, Aging, Community Service Board Appointments, $1,677,028.92 LMIG funds from GDOT @ LCC Work 2025-05-27.

Both the Work and Regular Sessions will be held Tuesday, because the Lowndes County Commission is observing the Memorial Day holiday today. On the agenda is one more than million-dollar income item, and a couple of outgos, plus three board appointments.

Ben Hogan has also applied, but Jeff Sikes will probably be reappointed to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority.

Commissioner Joyce Evans will probably be reappointed to the Southern Georgia Area Agency on Aging and appointed to the South Georgia Community Service Board; nobody else has applied for either board.

[Agenda: Collage @ LCC 2025-05-27]
Agenda: Collage @ LCC 2025-05-27

The county got one bid that met specifications for the Mini Excavator for Public Works: $171,543 by Yancey Bros.

The big dollar item is income to the county: 6.a. 2025 Local Road Assistance (LRA) Administration Funds Application

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that the Governor and the Legislature included the LRA in the amended fiscal year 2025 budget. The Local Road Assistance (LRA) funds will be distributed using the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application System and will require no matching funds. The fiscal year 2025 LRA formula amount for Lowndes County is $1,677,028.92.

If approved, the LRA funds will be used for the following roads:

  • Newsome Road – 1.76 miles
  • Radar Site Road – 1.82 miles
  • Coffee Road – 1.43 miles
  • Hemby Lane – 0.15 miles
  • Webb Road N. – 1.78 miles

No dollar figure is given for the 1.9% increase on the Updated Debris Removal Contract Pricing with Ashbritt after Hurricane Helene.

Here is the agenda.

We do not have the board packet yet, because Continue reading

Videos: One Hahira Case: rezoning and annexation for an access road @ GLPC 2025-04-28

This may have been the fastest Planning Commission meeting ever, at 18 minutes.

[Collage @ GLPC 28 April 2025]
Collage @ GLPC 28 April 2025

They welcomed new Planning Commissioner Shawana Griffith, appointed by Lake Park.

The only person there who was not a Commissioner or staff (or LAKE) was to speak for the one rezoning and annexation case in Hahira. So the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission forged ahead and approved both parts unanimously.

Below are LAKE videos 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 video playlist. Continue reading

One Hahira Case: rezoning and annexation for an access road @ GLPC 2025-04-28

Update 2025-05-04: Videos: One Hahira Case: rezoning and annexation for an access road @ GLPC 2025-04-28.

Update 2025-04-28: The minutes of the previous GLPC meeting were received this morning in reponse to a LAKE open records request reminder, and are now on the LAKE website.

The Planning Commission has only one case in two agenda items: rezoning and annexation into the City of Hahira of a triangular lot on South Hagan Bridge Road, so that a secondary subdivision access road already built can be made legal.

[Collage: GLPC Packet 2025-04-28]
Collage: GLPC Packet 2025-04-28

Here is that agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), Monday evening at 5:30 PM.

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

Except the minutes of the previous meeting are missing, because Lowndes County did not responsd to the LAKE Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) request, which was sent more than the statutory three days ago.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, April 21, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session – CANCELLED
Monday, April 28, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading

Packet: Lowndes County Commission Annual Planning Meeting 2025-03-05

Update 2025-03-23: Packet: Utilities in Lowndes County Commission Annual Planning Meeting 2025-03-06.

Here is what we got in response to an open records request for the agenda and board packet for the Lowndes County, Georgia, three-day Annual Planning Meeting, which you may recall was held on Jekyll Island with one day’s notice to the public.

There are packet materials for many of the agenda items, including Finance (in some detail), SPLOST VIII, VLPRA (in great detail), TIA I and II, Comprehensive Plan, and E-911.

[Lowndes County Commission, Annual Retreat 2025-03-05-7, Agenda and Board Packet]
Lowndes County Commission, Annual Retreat 2025-03-05-7, Agenda and Board Packet

I don’t seem to see materials for South Health DIstrict, Utilities, Public Works, or Lowndes County Fire Rescue. If any of those are in here, somebody please point them out.

Not listed on the agenda there are long sections by the Engineering Department, and lists of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee staff.

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

Agenda:

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
2025 Annual Planning Meeting Agenda
March 5 1:00 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.*
March 6 8:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m.*
March 7 8:30 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.*
(*times may vary based on length of discussion)
The Westin — Jekyll Island
110 Ocean Way, Jekyll Island, Georgia

Wednesday-
1:00 p.m. Finance
2:30 p.m. SPLOST VIII
3:00 p.m. SPLOST IX
Thursday-
8:30 a.m. VLPRA
10:00 a.m. South Health District
11:00 a.m. TIA I
11:30 a.m. TIA II
12:00 noon Lunch
12:45 p.m. Utilities
2:00 p.m. Public Works
3:00 p.m. Comprehensive Plan Review
Friday-
8:30 a.m. Lowndes County Fire Rescue
9:30 a.m. E-911
Continue reading

Cancelled: Lowndes County Commission meetings 2025-03-10-11

Update 2025-03-13: Packet: Lowndes County Commission Annual Planning Meeting 2025-03-05.

Maybe they were tired after three days on Jekyll Island.

Once again, they let the public know the day before.

Their alert system civicplus sent a notice at 9:30 AM this morning, Friday, March 7, and a notice appeared on lowndescounty.com.

There has been no response yet to the LAKE open records request for the board packet for the now-cancelled meetings. Nor to the other LAKE request for the agenda and board packet for the three-day Jekyll Planning Meetings.

[Cancelled: LCC, Meetings 2025-03-10-11, Lowndes County Commission, Lack of agenda items]
Cancelled: LCC, Meetings 2025-03-10-11, Lowndes County Commission, Lack of agenda items

Posted on: March 7, 2025

Commission Meetings Cancelled

Due to a lack of agenda items requiring attention at this time, the Lowndes County Commission Meetings scheduled for Monday, March 10, 2025, at 8:30 am and Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 5:30 pm, have been cancelled.

-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

One Day Notice: Lowndes County Annual Planning Meeting, Jekyll Island, GA 2025-03-05

Update 2025-03-13: Packet: Lowndes County Commission Annual Planning Meeting 2025-03-05.

Update 2025-03-07: Cancelled: Lowndes County Commission meetings 2025-03-10-11 2025-03-10.

If you were signed up for Lowndes County’s civicplus alert system, yesterday you got a notice that today starts the three-day Lowndes County Annual Planning Meeting on Jekyll Island.

No agenda is posted.

The name of the venue is not mentioned, but at 110 Ocean Way, Jekyll Island, GA, is The Westin Jekyll Island Beach Resort, with rooms listed at $299/night, or $372 with taxes and fees.

[One Day Notice: LCC Annual Planning Meeting, Westin Jekyll Island Beach Resort 2025-03-05-07]
One Day Notice: LCC Annual Planning Meeting, Westin Jekyll Island Beach Resort 2025-03-05-07

Generally I agree the budget of the Lowndes County Commission is frugal.

But not this resort island splurge away from the eyes of the taxpayers and voters.

LAKE has filed a Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) request for the agenda and board packet. The three-day statutory limit does not expire until after this retreat is over. We would have filed the request earlier, had we known. Continue reading

Packet: Insurance cancellation, annexation and rezoning for Development Authority, final bond resolution for water and wastewater, and $679,832.40 for tasers @ VCC 2024-12-05

The board packet has a couple of pages on why city staff want to cancel the insurance broker contract, while the broker is posting his version on his ValdostaFirst facebook group.

Valdosta Police Department wants $679,832.40 for Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEW), which say taser on the side.

I’m told this is the final resolution required before issuing the $67 million bonds for water and wastewater projects.

[Packet: Issue water and sewer bonds, cancel insurance contract, $679,832.40 for tasers, VLDA rezoning and annexation, raise wrecker rates @ VCC 2024-12-05]
Packet: Issue water and sewer bonds, cancel insurance contract, $679,832.40 for tasers, VLDA rezoning and annexation, raise wrecker rates @ VCC 2024-12-05

See also the agenda.

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

For the rezoning and annexation, see also the preceding Planning Commission meeting. Continue reading