Tag Archives: Valdosta City Council

Dancing Around the Issue —Dr. Noll

Received this morning on

Biomass plant land offer.
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It is unbelievable that despite all the concerns in our community about
biomass, the Industrial authority is still considering to sell the
land to a company like

Wiregrass Power LLC.
This is the same company
the Industrial Authority once stated



it had no faith in anymore.
This is the same company

that just missed another deadline as stipulated by
their contract. And this is the same company that apparently does not
have the best interest of our community in mind.

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Many ways Valdosta can stop biomass

VDT says Only city can stop biomass.
Well, maybe not only, but they could, by some of the things VDT suggested.



There are other things Valdosta could do, such as what the VSU
Faculty Senate did:

pass a resolution opposing biomass.
Remember,

the mayor of Gretna, Florida did that.
If little old Gretna can do it, TitleTown USA can do it!

The Valdosta City Council could also hold an ethics investigation
of their own appointees to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority,
on the topic of why those appointees are in favor of a project with
demonstrated health hazards to the community.

Short of that, Valdosta could demand transparency from VLCIA:

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Lowndes County could stop biomass plant

VDT is not quite right when it says Only city can stop biomass. The Lowndes County Commission could do it.

According to Ashley Paulk, a few months ago VLCIA approached the Lowndes County government, asking them to ask VLCIA not to extend Sterling Planet’s contract for the biomass plant. Chairman Paulk refused to accept that hot potato and instead laudably told the community what was going on. Yet there was a bit of a good idea in what VLCIA was asking. Lowndes County could pass an ordinance such as VDT is suggesting banning the incineration of human feces.

Remember, Lowndes County rezoned the land for the plant. It’s time to review that rezoning to see if in light of new information it should be rescinded. According to the VDT, Wiregrass Power LLC supplied a fake timeline, so it wuld not be interesting to know what else they said wasn’t true?

For that matter, wasn’t the rezoning to build a certain biomass plant according to a certain plan which has no expired? Maybe the rezoning is already null and void and the Commission just needs to declare it so.

Short of that, the Lowndes County Commission could demand transparency from VLCIA:

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Only city can stop biomass —VDT

VLCIA has once again passed the buck on biomass, and the Valdosta City Council
could pick it up and finally deal with it.

VDT editorial yesterday:
after the



In a recent Valdosta council meeting, longtime councilman Sonny Vickers
asked if there was any way to put the biomass issue to rest once and for
all. The good news, Councilman Vickers, is that there is and it’s all
in the city’s hands.

The Industrial Authority signed an agreement with Wiregrass Power LLC
which allows the company to purchase the land from the Authority and
proceed with the project on its own. Although the Authority hasn’t
yet voted on the issue, it appears that they don’t have a choice and
may be compelled to honor the agreement.

Compelled? Give me a break!
VLCIA has an attorney, and one of its board members is an attorney.
If they can’t find a way to break a land purchase contract because
conditions have changed, they need new legal counsel.

Why didn’t they discuss that in

their yet another special called meeting Thursday morning,
in which they apparently discussed that
offer from Sterling Planet to buy the proposed biomass plant site?

VDT continued:

And once the land is purchased,
as long as the company complies with existing zoning laws, there is not
a way to prevent the plant from being built.

Oh, but there is.

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Mayor Fretti Ethics Hearing cont. with Taylor, Harris, and Flumerfelt



We saw
part 1,
and now here are the rest of the videos
George Boston Rhynes sent of the Valdosta City Council’s
ethics hearing of 22 June 2011 about Mayor Fretti’s travel expenses.
There was assorted legal wrangling, plus appearances by

George’s comments are quoted below.
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Here’s

Part 1 of 8:




Mayor Fretti Ethics Hearing cont. with Taylor, Harris, and Flumerfelt Part 1 of 8:

Mayor Fretti’s Expenses,

Ethics Hearing, Valdosta City Council (LCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 June 2011.

Videos by George Boston Rhynes for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.




Alvin Payton, Jr. asked quite a few questions.

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When will the Wiregrass Solar plant be expanded? —John S. Quarterman @ VCC 9 June 2011



Compliments to Mayor Fretti for saying we will competitively expand the Wiregrass Solar plant!

Responding to
George Rhynes’ point,
I said that while I had recommended moving Citizens to be Heard to the
end of the agenda, it never occured to me that it might get moved


after Council Comments, which did lead to an impression that Council
did not want to hear and did not plan to respond.
I noted that if Council videoed its own proceedings and put them on the web,
that would help make the problem moot.
I’m thinking videos distributed by the City Council itself would probably


get
more citizens viewing them than ones distributed by bloggers like me and
George and by LAKE.

My main point was that, even though Brad Lofton and Col. Ricketts apparently
never told Mayor Fretti, there was a larger solar array in

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Citizens to be Heard will get moved back earlier —George B. Rhyne s



George Rhynes said he’s positive Citzens to be Heard will get moved
back earlier in the agenda.
The VDT quoted that part, in a story that doesn’t appear to be online yet.
He also criticized the VDT for printing more about animals than
about jail deaths.

Here’s

the video:




Citizens to be Heard will get moved back earlier —George B. Rhynes

Regular Meeting, Valdosta City Council (VCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 June 2011.

Videos by Barbara Stratton for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Here’s

George’s own video and writeup of what he said.

-jsq

Economic opportunity and cooperation —John Robinson @ VCC 9 June 2011



Discussing the VSEB program, John Robinson remarked:

We need the council up here to show us interest in this program.

He recommended everybody work together, including city and county.

Here’s

the video:




Economic opportunity and cooperation —John Robinson @ VCC 9 June 2011

Regular Meeting, Valdosta City Council (VCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 June 2011.

Videos by Barbara Stratton for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

The Council of Hamlets meets tonight in Valdosta!



The Valdosta City Council regular meeting is tonight.
You remember them, the council

that may or may not be able to say whether or not they can or cannot
speak during, at the end of, or after their council meetings.
Tonight they appoint people to boards that decide who can put up how big a sign, and that spend millions in your tax money.



I want to see if Mayor Fretti will keep to his word to
expand the Wiregrass Solar plant.

Also, maybe now this city council can do what Gretna, Florida, did:

put out a proclamation saying there will be no biomass plant.
Or they could sit on their hands some more and wait until
some Sonny finds a way to do it anyway.



They have lots of other stuff on their
agenda
for tonight, including an appointment to the

Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA),
and an appointment to the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority.


ZBOA decides on variances to Valdosta’s LDR and Lowndes County’s ULDC,
including sign variances, much to the annoyance of
some local entitled rich people and of
McDonald’s.




Parks & Rec receives 1.5 mil of tax money, about $4.5 million dollars a year,
more than the

Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA).
Parks and Rec board members get to spend that tax money that you pay.




AGENDA

REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL

5:30 PM Thursday, June 9, 2011

COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

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Dialog and VSEB —John Robinson



Mr. John Robinson pointed out that school board problems and biomass
are not the only issues around here, and for example the south side
of town needs money so people there can become more productive citizens.
At the 21 April 2011 Valdosta City Council meeting,
He specifically recommended getting
Valdosta Small Emerging Business (VSEB) up and running.

Here’s

the video:




Let us try to come together and find some method —John Robinson

Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 21 April 2011,

Videos by George Boston Rhynes for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

George Rhynes posted

a complete transcript.
Here are a few excerpts:

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