Tag Archives: Valdosta City Council

No public agenda for Planning Commission today @ GLPC 2013-11-25



Why so secretive, planning board that recommends on
issues that affect citizens all over Lowndes County?
Where is your agenda for your meeting at 5:30 PM today?
Sure, Gretchen only asked for it today, but why
does LAKE have to wheedle it out of somebody?
Why don’t you or the county publish it so the
public can see?
Do you, the affected public, agree with
Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter that

transparency is not a problem
?

We can guess the proposed Nottinghill subdivision will be back,
since it got tabled (again) at GLPC’s

October meeting
.


Also probably the

attendance policy
, since last time the GLPC Chairman wasn’t there
and only 6 of 11 Commissioners showed up.
But what else?
And why should have to guess what public business a public board
is taking up tonight?
Why do we have this Planning Commission if it doesn’t take its
responsibilities to the citizens of this county seriously enough
to show up or to tell us what it’s doing?

Lowndes County doesn’t even have today’s meeting

on its public calendar
.
The City of Valdosta

does
;
here’s

Valdosta’s GLPC listing for today
: Continue reading

Why south Georgia actions start in Lowndes County and Valdosta

The biggest population center for 80 miles around is Valdosta and Lowndes County.


Map of population around Valdosta and Lowndes County

Albany to the northwest actually has more people than Valdosta, but Dougherty County
has fewer than Lowndes County.
Beyond Albany it’s Columbus and then Auburn is about the same size as Valdosta.

Farther north it’s Warner Robins and Macon.
Due west Dothan it’s Dothan.
The closest bigger place is Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida
to the southwest.
Farther south it’s Gainesville, then Orlando and Tampa.
East it’s Savannah, and of course Jacksonville.


History of population around Valdosta and Lowndes County

On this handy

interactive google population comparison chart
,
you can see
in the 3-6,000 range:
Adel, Ashburn, and Lakeland.

14-20,000:
Americus,
Brunswick,
Moultrie,
Thomasville,
Tifton,
and
Waycross.

55-60,000: Auburn and Valdosta.

67-80,000: Continue reading

Valdosta force main GEFA loan awarded

Valdosta city PR today,

City Receives $36.7 million GEFA Loan to Move Forward with Force Main Project
,

The City of Valdosta was awarded a $36.7 million

Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
loan by the



Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA)
, on Nov. 14, 2013.

The city will use the low-interest loan to finance the construction
of two major pump stations, two minor pump stations, a 6-mile
32-inch and 40-inch force main, a headworks structure with grit
removal and bar screens, and a 6-million gallon equalization basin.
Wastewater will be gravity fed to the existing site of the
Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for final treatment
and discharged utilizing the existing plant outfall, until the
relocation of the plant is completed in November 2015.


Easement Exhibit Context

This project will Continue reading

We desperately need your help –Carol Singletary @ VCC 2013-11-07



A local mom said she was one of many landowners being bullied
by a pipeline company and asked for help from local leaders,
at the

7 November 2013 Valdosta City Council Regular Session
.


Carol Singletary @ VCC 2013-11-07

Here’s

Part 1 of 2:



Carol Singletary’s impassioned and reasoned plea
got a response from Mayor John Gayle,
even if it was only Continue reading

All the rest of you are new –Sidney Blanton on SPLOST @ LCC 2013-10-22

A citizen expressed concerns about lack of transparency in SPLOST,
at the

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2013-10-22
.



Video.
He remarked that Commissioner Joyce Evans was the only one he knew,
all the rest were new.

He said he would also talk to the Valdosta City Council that Thursday.
(Later I told him they had

cancelled that meeting due to lack of agenda items
; he did speak
at the following Valdosta City Council meeting.)
He said he wanted the city to say the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant was their first priority, and he attested that when he used to crop
tobacco on that site it was underwater then when it flooded.

He especially didn’t like that the county didn’t list what projects
it was going to fund with SPLOST.
I agree with him about that part.

Here’s

the video:
Continue reading

Videos: Steward, Chancy, VLCIA, Nottinghill, and Teramore @ GLPC 2013-10-28



Prequel of the
bogus VLMPO maps!
Maybe the

Valdosta City Council tonight

will clarify why the
Industrial Authority is asking it to

annex

and

rezone

a parcel it apparently does not own.
Here’s what the Planning Commission said about that,
plus rezonings in

Dasher

(no speakers and approved unanimously)
and

Hahira

(tabled at request of applicant;
see

separate post for more on that one
),
plus two in Lowndes County:

Teramore
(yes, it’s Dollar General again, and they unanimously recommended it),
and

Nottinghill
is

back
and got tabled again.

Here’s

the agenda
with links to the videos and a few notes.

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, October 28, 2013* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading

Early Election returns



So far, according to

Lowndes County’s online election results
,
SPLOST is winning more than 2 to 1,
while Bruce Cain and Rose Adams are neck-and-neck for

a plurality for Mayor in Hahira
with incumbent Wayne Bullard
a distant third and Johnny L. Stalvey trailing.
Kenneth Davis is way ahead of Traci Selph Davis for Hahira City Council District 2.

In Lake Park, it looks like Bert Rutland is going to make it onto the council
this time, while Eric Schindler will remain Mayor.

For Valdosta City Council, incumbents Alvin Payton (District 4)
and Robert Yost (District 6) are leading,
as is Sandra J. Tooley (District 2),
although not by as wide a margin.

For Valdosta School Board, Lizzie Shumphard (District 2)
is way in the lead,
incumbent Vanassa Flucas (District 2) is even farther ahead,
and incumbent Warren Sweet Lee (District 3) is sailing in unopposed.

Apparently some results in Valdosta

are still coming in
: Continue reading

VDT video interview of Deb Cox on Lowndes County elections



Kristin Finney for VDT 1 November 2013,

Video: Upcoming Elections
,

Reporter Kristin Finney speaks with the Deborah Cox, the Lowndes County Supervisor of Elections, about the elections being held Tuesday, Nov. 5. For more information about this year’s elections, please contact the Lowndes County Board of Elections office at (229) 671-2850.

And it’s

a video interview!

If the VDT can YouTube, who knows?
even the Valdosta City Council could,
and yes, yes, even the Lowndes County Commission….

See also

Where’s your polling place in Lowndes County? 2013-11-05
.

-jsq

SPLOST VII referendum 2013



If you live in Lowndes County outside the cities,
the only thing you have to vote on today is the SPLOST referendum.
(If you live in one of the five cities, you also get to vote on SPLOST.)
See
Where’s your polling place in Lowndes County?
for where to vote.
Here is the SPLOST referendum as worded by the Lowndes County Commission
and appearing on the ballot today, according to the Georgia Secretary of State

My Voter Page
:


Lowndes County SPLOST Referendum

(Vote for One)

Shall a special one (1) percent sales and use tax be imposed in the special district of Lowndes County for a period of time not to exceed six
years and for the raising of an estimated amount of $150,000,000 to be used and expended:

by Lowndes County for purposes of capital outlay projects, including major permanent, long-lived improvements or betterments and major
capital equipment, consisting of: acquisition of right-of-way for, construction of, improvements to, and maintenance of road, street, and bridge
facilities; major capital equipment, including vehicles, for construction of, improvements to, and maintenance of road, street, and bridge
facilities; construction of, improvements to, and major capital equipment for water and sewer facilities; major capital equipment for law
enforcement purposes, including law enforcement vehicles, and improvements to law enforcement facilities, including evidence storage
facilities; major capital equipment for firefighting purposes, including firefighting vehicles, and improvements to firefighting facilities, including
training facilities; improvements to 9-1-1 call answering facilities, including upgraded 9-1-1 security system and new computer aided dispatch
system; improvements to and major capital equipment for public safety radio system purposes; acquisition of property for, construction of, and
improvements to parks and recreation facilities, including new soccer facility, Naylor Community Center, boat ramp on Alapaha River, basketball
courts at Freedom Park, and baseball field for special needs persons; improvements and additions to animal welfare facilities; improvements to
civic center facility; improvements to historic courthouse facility; improvements to and major capital equipment for library facilities;
improvements to airport runway, taxiway, and beacon tower facilities;


by the City of Valdosta for the purposes of capital outlay projects, including major permanent, long-lived improvements or betterments and
major capital equipment, consisting of: construction of and improvements to road, street, and bridge facilities to include sidewalks, piping of
ditches, land acquisition, design, traffic signals, intersection improvements, resurfacing, street repairs and materials, traffic management center
improvements, technology improvements, and other transportation systems and equipment; construction of and improvements to drainage
infrastructure, systems, facilities, equipment, and capital materials to include the purchase of land, property, capital equipment for the
maintenance of drainage facilities and infrastructure, and necessary studies, plans, aerials, mapping, design documents, and surveys to support
such projects; construction of, improvements to, and capital equipment for police facilities and operations to include technology, building
renovations, and equipment purchases to include technology and operational equipment; construction of, improvements to, and capital
equipment for fire department services, firefighting, training, fire station facilities, fire vehicles, facility renovations, additions, equipment,
technology, and other equipment; construction of, improvements to, and capital equipment for parks and recreation facilities; construction of,
improvements to, and equipment for water and sewer facilities including but not limited to design, land acquisition, equipment, repairs,
renovations, replacement and new construction of facilities, plants, equipment, infrastructure, materials, and capital equipment; construction of,
improvements to, and capital equipment for public works facilities to include sanitation vehicles, public works vehicles and equipment, facility
and equipment improvements, replacements and renovations; construction of, improvements to, and replacement of a jointly owned public
safety radio system to include equipment and technology improvements; repairs, renovations, and capital equipment for administrative facilities
to include buildings, Mathis Auditorium, and computer hardware and software; property and land acquisition, capital equipment, and
improvements to include design and construction of capital improvement projects as identified in the downtown Valdosta strategic master plan;

by the City of Hahira for purposes of capital outlay projects, including major permanent, long-lived improvements or betterments and major
capital equipment, consisting of: construction of, improvements to, and major capital equipment for road, street and bridge facilities, sidewalks,
bicycle and cart paths and trails, including acquisition of rights of way, improvement of surface-water drainage, widening, resurfacing, leveling,
and other repairs for preservation of road, street, and bridge facilities; construction of, improvements to, and major capital equipment for water
and sewer facilities; construction of, improvements to, and major capital equipment for public safety facilities, including police and firefighting
and rescue equipment, computer equipment, communications equipment, police and fire department vehicles, and acquisition of property;
construction of, improvements to, and major capital equipment for administrative facilities, including city hall, computer equipment and
technology upgrades; construction of, improvements to, and capital equipment for city parks and recreation facilities, including acquisition of
property and construction of parks;

by the City of Remerton for purposes of capital outlay projects, including major permanent, long-lived improvements or betterments and major
capital equipment, consisting of: construction of and improvements to road, street, and sidewalk facilities, and acquisition of equipment related
thereto; construction of and improvements to water, sewer, and public works facilities, including, but not limited to acquisition of equipment
and payment for services rendered in connection therewith; purchase of equipment for public safety including, but not limited to, public safety
vehicles; construction of, improvements and renovations to, or the purchase of property for municipal facilities, and purchase of furniture,
fixtures, and equipment related thereto;

by the City of Dasher for purposes of capital outlay projects, including major permanent, long-lived improvements or betterments and major
capital equipment, consisting of: construction of and improvements to community culture, history, digital information center, museum, library,
and technological equipment and software; construction of and improvements to streets, walks and bicycle paths, roads, and bridges;
construction of and improvements to parks and recreation facilities including land development, capital equipment, and infrastructure;
development of plans for, construction of, and improvements to sewage and water distribution systems; and

by the City of Lake Park for purposes of capital outlay projects, including major permanent, long-lived improvements or betterments and major
capital equipment, consisting of: construction of and improvements to road, street, and bridge facilities, sidewalks, bicycle and cart paths and
trails, including acquisition of rights of way, improvement of surface-water drainage, widening, resurfacing, leveling, and other repairs for
preservation of road, street, and bridge facilities; construction of and improvements to water and sewer facilities; construction of and major
capital equipment for public works facilities, including maintenance building facilities, service vehicles and maintenance equipment, and
acquisition of property for construction of a maintenance building; improvements to and major capital equipment for public safety facilities,
including police and firefighting and rescue equipment, computer equipment, communications equipment, and police and fire department
vehicles; improvements to and major capital equipment for administrative facilities, including improvements to city hall, computer equipment,
and technology upgrades; improvements to and capital equipment for city parks and recreation facilities, including acquisition of property,
construction of parks, and renovation and restoration of civic center and other historic structures.

YES

NO

-jsq

Rezoning for another industrial park? @ VCC 2013-11-07



Why is the Valdosta City Council considering

annexing and rezoning

land for VLCIA that the Industrial Authority apparently doesn’t even own?
Revolving loans, railroad, and appointments to
the Central Valdosta Development Authority/
Downtown Development Authority,
to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center & Tourism Authority,
to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Citizen Advisory Committee,
and the Valdosta Tree Commission.

That rezoning was considered at the
28 October 2013 Planning Commission meeting.
Here’s

the Valdosta City Council agenda
:

AGENDA

REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL

5:30 PM Thursday, November 7, 2013

COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Continue reading