Tag Archives: Transparency

Videos: Day 1 of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03

300x400 Commission and agenda, in Agenda, by John S. Quarterman, 3 March 2015 It’s good the Commission is having these meetings where they can hear directly from the various department heads. And with LAKE’s videos, you the citizens can hear what the departments are asking for.

Also, why are these called budget hearings? The public doesn’t get to speak, so they are not actually public hearings, and they are not the state-required budget hearings before passing a budget: they don’t even have a draft budget yet. And the next time the Commission rushes citizen speakers to finish, remember this 14 minutes of dead air or the several others like it in yesterday’s meeting.

They met in the Commission Chambers, nevermind the address on the Commission’s calendar yesterday, and still says for today’s meeting.

There’s still no agenda posted, except for paper copies in the Commission building, which read as below. Continue reading →

Three days of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03

Billed back in December as “Commission Meets with Constitutional Officers, Elected Officials, and Outside Agencies” and two weeks later than originally scheduled, it’s three days of what is on the County’s calendar now as Budget Hearings, today, Wednesday, and Thursday, all three days at the Lowndes County Governmental Building, 300 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31601.

There’s no agenda posted.

At least these meetings are on the county’s calendar before the last minute, which is an improvement on last year. However, last year they did publish an agenda. Here are videos of last year’s similar hearings.

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Valdosta sewage into Alapaha River watershed three times in February 2015

Valdosta didn’t mention it and the Florida Department of Health doesn’t seem to know it, 300x219 Knights Creek in Valdosta, in Knights Creek, Valdosta, Georgia, by USGS Streamer, for WWALS.net, 28 February 2015 but Knights Creek is in the Alapaha River watershed. Valdosta spilled sewage into it twice in February. Plus that 16 February spill into Dukes Bay Canal also ends up in the Alapaha River. But never you mind, Valdosta also spilled into the Withlacoochee River through the usual Sugar Creek. Somehow I don’t think all these spills are not Valdosta’s fault. Seems like it’s time for Valdosta to finish fixing its wastewater problem. And since the most recent spills were due to rainfall directly on Valdosta, the levee proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers on Sugar Creek at the Withlacoochee River wouldn’t help, nor would it help at any time for spills directly into the Withlacoochee River at GA 133, nor for Dukes Bay Canal nor Knights Creek, which flow into the Alapaha River.

News Release, Florida Department of Health (FDH), 27 February 2015, Florida Department of Health Advises of Possible Wastewater Contamination, Continue reading →

Videos: ESPLOST V kickoff meeting @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24

Co-Chair Jerome Tucker emphasized that ESPLOST helping public schools also helps economic development. See below for who we now know are the committee members for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST). It’s mysterious why that information wasn’t in the PR before the meeting, but now we know, since Gretchen went and took the videos and collected the flyers you’ll find below.

Early voting already started that same day and continues through March 13th, with the final Election Day 17 March 2015.

600x450 Crowd picture, in ESPLOST Kickoff and Press Conference, by Gretchen Quarterman, 24 February 2015

Lowndes/Valdosta Citizens for Excellence in Education
Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
For Lowndes County Schools and Valdosta City Schools Continue reading →

Videos: 1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23

In the briefest Planning Commission meeting I can recall, Stovall got her rezoning of 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension recommended unanimously Monday 23 February 2015. Ivy Gate subdivision’s second phase to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road at 4088 Cat Creek Road was also recommended unanimously. Nobody spoke for or against either rezoning, and there was no discussion from Commissioners, other than a recommendation by Commissioner Wildes that all lots face interior roads for Ivy Gate.

After the rezonings, Commissioners joked that with a meeting so brief they might catch up with the County Commission. County Chairman Bill Slaughter responded, “Actually, we just showed up to show you how to run a quick meeting.” The difference is GLPC actually does discuss when there’s something to discuss. These cases will show up on the County Commission agenda for March 10th, so we’ll see who takes longer on them then.

Here’s the agenda, and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23

Stovall wants to rezone 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension and Ivy Gate subdivision wants a second phase to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road. The existing Ivy Gate Subdivision is on Bowen Way. The only nearby property on Cat Creek Road is 4088 Cat Creek Road, across the road, owned by James Arthur Kutzli.

Thanks to Lowndes County for starting to post Planning Commission agendas including this one.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Monday, February 23, 2015 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →

REZ-2015-02 Devine packet materials @ LCC 2015-02-24

Gretchen filed an open records request for all the natively-electronic materials from the board packet, especially including the list of the Commission’s own goals, but all we got was the one rezoning item, REZ-2015-02 Devine for the 23 February 2015 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. At least they sent that much by email, but even so it’s missing important information that I wonder if the Commissioners noted wasn’t there before they voted.

New material in here, different from Continue reading →

What does conversion of the Land Bank Authority mean? @ ESPLOST VLCLBA 2015-02-25

What does “conversion of the Land Bank Authority” mean? What are they converting this Authority to? Or do they mean the Authority is voting on converting some real estate from non-taxable to taxable?

Valdosta News, City of Valdosta, 23 February 2015, In The City This Week, Feb. 23-28,

Feb. 25: Land Bank Authority Meets. Members of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Land Bank Authority will hold a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9 a.m., in the Neighborhood Development Conference Room (Room 202, Valdosta City Hall Annex). This meeting is being held to vote on the conversion of the Land Bank Authority. The Land Bank Authority exists to foster the public purpose of returning property which is in a non-revenue generating, non-tax producing status to effective utilization status in order to provide housing, new industry and jobs for citizens. For information, call (229) 671-3617.

Even the state doesn’t have up to date information about this board. According to the Continue reading →

ESPLOST V kickoff meeting today @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24

A committee of unknown members is holding a kickoff meeting today for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax. Various local news media carry the announcement below, but none of them seem to have the names of the committee members beyond one co-chair. I guess we’ll find out from the videos Gretchen is going there now to take.

In the City of Valdosta’s In The City This Week, Feb. 23-28,

Feb. 24: ESPLOST V Campaign. The ESPLOST joint committee will host a campaign kickoff on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m., in the Valdosta City Hall Annex Multi-Purpose Room. At the meeting, committee members will share proposed projects for Lowndes County and Valdosta City Schools with citizens. Early voting runs Feb. 23 through March 13. The final opportunity to vote will be on the official Election Day, March 17. For more information, email Co-Chair John Eunice at jleunice@yahoo.com.

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Videos: Dr. Grow, Devine, VLPRA @ LCC 2015-02-23

Dr. William R. Grow, District Health Director, presented about the state of the Health Department, and County Manager Joe Pritchard reported revisions to both the county’s Solid Waste Ordinance and the franchise agreement for solid waste were in progress. They ended by going into an executive session to discuss real estate.

For Parks and Rec Board, former Lowndes County Commissioner Richard Raines read a prepared statement, while Scott Willis, hearing specialist with Hearing Care Resources, gave an extemporaneous presentation, including that he was formerly on the VLPRA Advisory Board, and he’s been coaching children and working with the elderly. Commissioners had no questions for either applicant.

Tonight they’ll vote on a list of goals that is in their packet but they haven’t shown you the taxpayers.

Perhaps coincidentally, Continue reading →