Tag Archives: Violence Against Women Act

Videos: Datacenters, Sinkholes, Animals, Emergencies, Disasters, Judges, Drugs, and Wells @ LCC Regular 2026-04-28

There was some discussion among Lowndes County Commissioners, but their Regular Session on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, as they approved all the voting items unanimously.

In her Reports, County Manager Paige Dukes called on both Utilities Director Steve Stalvy and Fire Chief Billy Young about the current drought and fire situations.

Six Citizens Wished to Be Heard.

George Fisher spoke about his water research, which includes he’s discovered the line of sinkholes running across the county.

~~Pam~~ Kelly Jarvis and Amanda Hall spoke about animal issues.

Jimmy LeFiles, Michael Noll, and Susan Wehling spoke about datacenters.

Collage @ LCC 28 April 2026

After the meeting adjourned, County Chairman Bill Slaughter came down to talk to several people about datacenters. County Manager Paige Dukes joined in. The Chairman said it was their procedure not to answer Citizens Wishing to Be Heard during the meeting, but he made himself available afterwards.

I mentioned that the Continue reading →

Videos: Emergencies, Disasters, Judges, Drugs, and Wells @ LCC Work 2026-04-27

Update 2026-05-08: Videos: Datacenters, Animals, Emergencies, Disasters, Judges, Drugs, and Wells @ LCC Regular 2026-04-28.

The Lowndes County Commissioners asked many questions yesterday morning in their Work Session.

Especially about 5.a. Adoption of the Lowndes County Resolution for Emergency Management – LEOP and 5.d. …Procurement Determination Declaring Initial Proposal Non-Responsive….

In the elevator after, I told Commissioner Joyce Evans she needs to stop making those long speeches. (Joke: she famously never has said much during County Commission meetings.)

The meeting lasted more than 32 minutes, which is quite long for them.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was absent.

They vote today at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in their Regular Session.

You can speak at the end of this evening’s meeting, in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

Below are links to LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes by John S. Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Packet: Emergencies, Disasters, Judges, Drugs, and Wells @ LCC 2026-04-28

Update 2026-04-28: Videos: Emergencies, Disasters, Judges, Drugs, and Wells @ LCC Work 2026-04-27.

The Lowndes County Commission has no rezonings and no appointments to review Monday morning at its Work Session, nor to vote on at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at its Regular Session.

Most of the agenda items are continuation or updating of things they were already doing, such as 5.c. Renewal of Disaster Related Debris Contracts, since we seem to keep having disasters.

Packet: Emergencies, Disasters, Judges, Drugs, and Wells @ LCC 2026-04-27-28

But two items are cleaning up projects that failed. 5.d. Consideration of Procurement Determination Declaring Initial Proposal Non-Responsive and Award of Contract to Cowart Electric is because Current Edge Solutions failed to meet requirements.

5.g. Potable Well Testing is to try once again to get water wells working correctly at Alapaha Plantation.

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website, with images of each page below.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2026, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Tax Assessor and Land Bank appointments, Assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC Regular 2024-01-28

Update 2025-02-11: Lowndes County Considers Opting Out of House Bill 581 @ LCC Public Hearing 2025-02-10.

Commissioner Joyce Evans will rotate back into the Vice Chair position. On January 28, 2025, the Lowndes County Commission also reappointed to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Land Bank Authority.

Collage @ LCC 28 January 2025

In a break with tradition, the incumbent was not reappointed as a Tax Assessor. Gretchen Quarterman, the incumbent (although technically not, since the County Commission did not do reappointments before her term expired at the end of 2024) got a nomination and two votes. James Michael (Mike) Tanner also got a nommination and two votes. Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was not present for that item, since he came in late. That left Chairman Bill Slaughter to break the tie, and he voted for Tanner.

The previous morning, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall said he wanted to ask questions of the applicants for 6.a. Appointment to the Board of Tax Assessors. Chairman Bill Slaughter said they weren’t doing that in the Work Session because both applications were not there, but they can do it in the Regular Session Tuesday.

Mike Tanner did not attend the Regular Session. Gretchen Quarterman was there as usual, videoing the meeting.

The voted on the added agenda item, 8.d. Publish the intent to opt out of HB 581, to do that. That item and all the others were approved unanimously, except as noted above.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Packet: Tax Assessor and Land Bank appointments, Assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC 2025-01-27

Update 2025-02-10: Videos: Tax Assessor and Land Bank appointments, Assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC Regular 2025-01-28.

Finally received on February 6, 2025, the board packet materials are on the LAKE website for the January 27 and 28, 2025, Lowndes County Commission meetings.

Packet: Collage @ LCC 2025-01-27

See also the agenda and the LAKE videos of the Work Session; Regular Session up soon.

Lowndes County included this note with the board materials:

The January 27-28, 2025 meeting packet is attached. We did not receive the email on January 25th. Thank you for resending it.

As I mentioned in response: Continue reading →

Videos: Tax Assessor and Land Bank appointments, Assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC Work

Update 2025-02-10: Videos: Tax Assessor and Land Bank appointments, Assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC Regular 2025-01-28.

Update 2025-01-28: Added back the inadvertently omitted video of the 8.c. Approval of the Solicitor General’s FY2025 VAWA Grant Application.

At this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall said he wants to ask questions of the applications for 6.a. Appointment to the Board of Tax Assessors. Chairman Bill Slaughter said they weren’t doing that in the Work Session because both applications were not there, but they can do it in the Regular Session Tuesday evening.

Collage @ LCC 27 January 2025

The Chairman asked to add an agenda item: Consideration for discussion of opting out of new homestead exemption law. Deadline to decide and paperwork to Department of Revenue is March 1, 2025. He noted he voted for this law, but he isn’t sure he completely understood it. For the county consider opting out, they first need to announce that possibility and ask the public for input. They discussed this for almost eight minutes.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the agenda. Continue reading →

Agenda: Tax Assessor and Land Bank appointments, Assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC 2025-01-27

Update 2025-01-27: Videos: Tax Assessor and Land Bank appointments, Assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC Work 2025-01-27.

For discussion Monday morning and for voting Tuesday evening, the Lowndes County Commission will consider appointments to two boards: Tax Assessors (reappoint Gretchen Quarterman or appoint James Michael Tanner) and Land Bank Authority (reappoint Commissioner Joyce Evans).

Tax Assessor appointment, Land Bank Appointment, Special assessment rate, VAWA, alcohol @ LCC 2025-01-27

They will also hear a change-of-ownership beer, wine, and liquor license application, set the special assessment rate to 9.5%, and probably approve purchasing cards for Tax Commission Clay Guess and Probate Judge H. Burke Sherwood.

Plus they will consider $26,371.00 in cash match while the Solicitor-General’s Office applies for $79,112.00 in federal funding related to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Appointment to Land Bank Authority, Mutual Aid Agreement, SetterPointe Subdivision, grants, offsite alcohol, data center switches, and failed land sale @ LCC Regular 2024-04-23

With no discussion, the Lowndes County Commission unanimously appointed James Miller to the Land Bank Authority. Gretchen note, “I’m guessing that this was pre-discussed because there was no discussion at either the work session, nor at this meeting. How do they decide? It’s a mystery.”

At that same Regular Session of April 23, 2024, they also approved everything else unanimously.

There was some discussion of how many single-parent families would be affected by the 6.a. FY 2025 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant.

Commissioner Clay Griner asked where are the 6.g. North Lowndes Data Center Switches. Answer from Aaron Kostyu: “I would be happy to discuss that with you offline, but it’s probably not best for us to discuss data center locations in a public meeting.”

Jeff Hardy asked in Citizens Wishing to be heard about the timeline for replacement of the Frank’s Creek Bridge on Shiloh Road and about emergency services. The Chairman said he would speak to him after the meeting. Seems to me more citizens would like to know the answers.

No rezonings were on the agenda.

Collage @ LCC 23 April 2024

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: Appointment to Land Bank Authority, Mutual Aid Agreement, SetterPointe Subdivision, grants, offsite alcohol, data center switches, and failed land sale @ LCC Work 2024-04-22

Update 2024-05-10: Videos: Appointment to Land Bank Authority, Mutual Aid Agreement, SetterPointe Subdivision, grants, offsite alcohol, data center switches, and failed land sale @ LCC Regular 2024-04-23.

At their Work Session Monday morning, April 22, 2024, the Lowndes County Commission did not reveal which of three applicants they favor to appoint to the Land Bank Authority.

They breezed through everything else, with few questions, mostly wanting to know if there would be any surprises, to which the answer was always no.

This one was not anticipated in the original agreement: 5.d. TIA Supplemental Agreement for Hightower Road/Cooper Road NE.

No rezonings were on the agenda.

They voted the next evening.

Collage @ LCC 22 April 2024

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Packet: 3 applicants for Land Bank Authority, Mutual Aid Agreement, SetterPointe Subdivision, grants, offsite alcohol, data center switches, and failed land sale @ LCC 2024-04-22

At their Work Session Monday morning and voting Regular Session Tuesday evening, the Lowndes County Commission this week will mostly consider the three applicants to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Land Bank Authority and a variety of grants, plus renewing a Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement Between Lowndes County and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, as well as with all the other Georgia counties.

Collage, Lowndes County Commission Board Packet, April 22,23, 2024

No rezonings are on the agenda.

The one subdivision infrastructure acceptance is as usual listed as Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange