Tag Archives: Transparency

Videos: Developments on Mulligan Road and North Oak St. Ext. @ GLPC 2018-06-25

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Tonight the Lowndes County Commission will be voting on two rezonings that were considered a few weeks ago in the June 2018 Planning Commission meeting.

GLPC took 3/4 of an hour (by far the longest) on 4. REZ-2018-14 Jerry Stoker – Mulligan Road R-A and R-1 to P-D and 8 minutes on 2. REZ-2018-13 Sims, Sims, Jackson Beaver Rd E-A to R-1, before recommending both unanimously.

Second longest at 16 and a half minutes was the Valdosta case, 6. VA-2018-10 ADCO Investments – 3320 North Oak Street Ext – R-15 to R-P.

Here are LAKE videos of each GLPC agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading →

2 county, 3 city @ GLPC 2018-06-25

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Here’s the agenda for the June 2018 Planning Commission meeting.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Monday, June 25, 2018 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

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Videos: 2 KLVB appointments, lift station pump, 2 rezonings @ LCC 2018-07-09

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They vote this evening on what you can see they discussed yesterday morning, in these LAKE videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. They barely had a quorum. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall is never at Work Sessions because he’s at work, and Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was on some beach.

Tracy Chapman asked for her name to be withdrawn from the KLVB appointment. Regina Kimbrough spoke. See previous post for more about the applicants.

Longest at more than 3 minutes was 6.b. REZ-2018-14 Coventry Villas, Mulligan Rd, a rezoning for a planned development, in which Commissioner Clay Griner actually asked a question.

Third longest (after the KLVB item) was the 7.d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, because of Continue reading →

Videos: Grants, Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-26

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The most interesting items were not on the agenda of the Regular Session two weeks ago of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. The County Engineer had One more thing: Loch Laurel Bridge Work and Closure 7/16 – 7/23, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall reminded everyone the Georgia hands-free driving law was going into effect, and the Chairman announced swearing in of the newly un-privatized Probation Officers the following morning.

The longest scheduled item at almost 3 minutes was New Consoles For 911 Dispatchers, followed by Contract With Parks And Recreation Authority, because both had questions from Commissioners.

The two grant items added the previous morning, for Accountability Court and DUI Court, sailed through, as did the Francis Lake Lift Station Repair and the LAS Storage Pond Improvements.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25

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Videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session two weeks ago. See agenda post for background. The budget got no comments from Commmissioners.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked for addition of two grant agenda items, for Accountability Court and DUI Court. Proponents of each spoke, and both items were added to the agenda for the next day’s Regular Session.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, especially about the Hotel/Motel Tax and the still-mysterious Wisconsin Public Finance Authority Bond Issue, a rare verbal appearance by Joyce Evans on Continue reading →

2 KLVB appointments, lift station pump, 2 rezonings @ LCC 2018-07-09

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This morning at 8:30 AM at the Work Session and tomorrow at 5:30PM for voting by the Lowndes County Commission, Vivian Miller-Cody wants to be reappointed to Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, while Adam Floyd does not. Three people applied for that second slot: Tracy Chapman, Regina Kimbrough, and Travis Morgan). “Three applications… are included”, apparently in the board packet, but not in what is posted with the agenda, so we don’t know who these people are. I would guess Tracy Chapman is the Assistant District Attorney; that Regina Kimbrough is the second grade teacher at Sallas Mahone Elementary School,

Regina Kimbrough
City of Valdosta PR, 2017 Jr. Fire Marshal School of the Year, “Trey Sherwood of Valdosta Insurance Service, sponsor of the Jr. Fire Marshal program, presented the 2017 Jr. Fire Marshal School of the Year awards to Regina Kimbrough (left) of Sallas Mahone Elementary School and to Danielle Gibbs of Pinevale Elementary School.”

and that Travis Morgan is a manager at Best Buy, but I’m only guessing, while the county could just post the applications, like counties in metropolitan areas eleswhere do.

Jason A. Smith, Valdosta Daily Times, 10 April 2018, Volunteers work recycling event, Continue reading →

Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25

A busy morning’s agenda starts with approving a new annual budget and related hotel and motel taxes. Plus a Contract with Valdosta Continuing Land Bank Authority.

Parks and Rec is negotiating a $3 million loan from Ameris Bank for improvements to Freedom Park and wants the county to guarantee its 1.25 mil tax base.

Utilities wants about $20,000 for impellers and wear rings for the pumps in the Francis Lake Lift Station and about $275,000 to improve the Land Application Site (LAS), where they spray sewer waste onto a field which they then rent out for hay production (the county does not have a wastewater treatment plant). See also WWALS blog post.

The mysterious out-of-state apartment bonds actually get an explanation this time:

The Board of Commissioners is requested to adopt the attached revised Resolution approving the issuance of bonds by a Wisconsin Public Finance Authority. A portion of the proceeds of the bonds will be used for a project located on Old Statenville Road. The project is a 204-unit multi-family affordable housing development known as Brittany Woods & Park Chase Apartments.

1110 and 1150 Old Statenville Road, Map
1150 Old Statenville Road, Parcel 0159D 014,

The reason for this revised Resolution is Continue reading →

Budget Hearing, Lowndes County, GA @ LCC Budget 2018-06-19

According to the calendar on lowndescounty.com:

When: 8:30 AM, Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Where:

327 N. Ashley Street 2nd Floor, Valdosta, GA 31601 What: No agenda is posted.

Calendar, Screenshot

On the Finance Department’s web page, The most recent budget document is the Fiscal Year 2018 Operating Budget, and the most recent financial report is the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, July 1 2016 — June 30, 2017. If they have posted a draft budget, I can’t find it.

-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!

Two rezonings, bids, contracts, and alcohol @ LCC 2018-06-11

Last week while we were out of town, the Lowndes County Commission considered two rezonings, one with a Union Road, Hahira address, by far the longest, with Judge Arthur McLane speaking against, the applicant Stacy Stubbs speaking for, and quite a bit of discussion among Commissioners and staff, after which they approved it 3:2 with the two conditions proposed by the Planning Commission. The other rezoning has a Valdosta address, which they approved unanimously; for both see also the preceding Planning Commission meeting. Plus a third transportation item, GDOT Option for Right of Way at Exit 11. A bid, a bunch of contracts, and an alcohol license; pretty routine. The previously-tabled and somewhat controversial Additional Deputy Coroner Request Continue reading →

Motel, Agricultural, Commercial @ GLPC 2018-05-29

A motel, somebody wanting to revert to agricultural, and a commercial rezoning halfway between exits 22 and 29. Pretty standard fare at the Planning Commission this evening.

Parcel ID 0052 126, 6125 Union Road, Map
Lowndes County Tax Assessors: Parcel ID 0052 126, 6125 Union Road.

Here is the agenda.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Continue reading →