Tag Archives: Withlacoochee River

County and news media digging deeper on Shiloh sinkhole story

Will nearby buildings fall into this 120-foot sinkhole? Will Shiloh Road have to be moved like Snake Nation Road was? What about sinkhole insurance? If there are “fault lines” causing sinkholes heading westwards in Lowndes County, wouldn’t they cross the proposed path of the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline? What will Lowndes County do if that thing goes in and a sinkhole opens under it? What if Sabal Trail declares such a sinkhole force majeure and doesn’t pay?

More on the usual detour on Shiloh Road. Joe Adgie, VDT, 6 August 2015, Sinkhole threat to Shiloh Road, Continue reading →

Videos: Rural revaluation meeting at Farm Bureau 2015-08-04

See for yourself the Tax Assessor response to local landowners, in these LAKE videos of last night’s meeting at Farm Bureau. Do you think there’s a problem? If so, what do you think we should do to fix it?

The attendees appointed Gretchen to take notes. Here are her notes, followed by the videos.

Accessibility is not about access, it’s about geographic location…. That was done by one of our appraisers on staff. —Chief Appraiser Silas Hrobar

Rural and commercial land owners got surprises in the mail in July when they received the updated assessments of their properties. Lowndes County Assessors engaged a contractor last year to help with the reassessments of approximately 10,000 properties. Rural properties were categorized as small (under 20 acres) and large (over 20 acres) but complaints were the same, inconsistent and confusing application of criteria.

On Tuesday evening, Farm Bureau hosted Continue reading →

Rural revaluation meeting at Farm Bureau 2015-08-04

Are Bill Gates and subdivisions really more important than agriculture or rivers or public transportation? Come to Farm Bureau tomorrow evening and find out what’s going on with the rural land revaluation. facebook event.

When: 7PM, Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Where: 3296 Greystone Way, Valdosta, GA, (229) 242-7876

By: Farm Bureau board member Buddy Coleman called this meeting.

What: Compare the Comprehensive Plan to this revaluation here (PDF).

Sprawl: sprawling residential growth is a certain ticket to fiscal ruin (Or at least big tax increases). PDF of the report by UGA Prof. Jeffrey H. Dorfman Lowndes County paid for in 2007, The Local Government Fiscal Impacts of Land Use in Lowndes County.

Who: At least some of the Lowndes County Tax Assessors Continue reading →

Rural tax revaluation: Bill Gates and subdivisions more important than agriculture and public transportation?

Does this rural land revaluation map resemble the Comprehensive Plan Future Development map? Why not? And why were rivers and public transportation not considered either by the Lowndes County Tax Assessors while tracts with road frontage were considered the “highest market area” and land purchases by Bill Gates were considered “benchmark sales” instrumental in pricing large tracts?

This rural land revaluation is yet another vehicle to drive development straight north into the agricultural areas of the county, not even stopping at the Withlacoochee River.

That way lies sprawl, which as Dr. Jeffrey H. Dorfman of UGA has said, “is a certain ticket to fiscal ruin* * Or at least big tax increases.”

The City of Valdosta better watch out! Much of this Continue reading →

Highway-Commercial and Planned Development in Valdosta @ GLPC 2015-04-27

One case on St. Augustine Road and the other on Slater Street due east of VSU and a block north of Drexel Park and One Mile Creek. Here’s 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
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Monday, April 27, 2015 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

CALL TO ORDER, INVOCATION, PLEDGE

Approval of the Minutes: February 23, 2014

CITY OF VALDOSTA CASE:
FINAL ACTION by the City of Valdosta Mayor-Council
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Valdosta City Hall, 216 E. Central Street, Valdosta, Georgia
Council Chambers, 2^nd Floor
5:30 p.m. Continue reading →

Videos: Trash, Vallotton agriculture, animals, body armor, HEAT, water, and a canopy road @ LCC 2015-04-14

ADS trash collection price and performance wasn’t on the agenda, but even former Commissioner Richard Lee stood up to speak about it two weeks ago at the April 14th 2015 Regular Session, along with two other citizens David Eaton and me. See also VDT trash story. The VDT didn’t pick up on Ann Swayze’s smoot and soot concerns also being related, because nobody stood up to complain about burning in Foxborough before the collection centers closed.

Commissioners did the right thing and unanimously rezoned Vallotton Farms back to Estate Agriculture, like it was before county-wide rezoning happened. It wasn’t like the County Planner said, “it has developed around it in an urban way”. The subject land and landowners didn’t do that: other people have built subdivisions around it the the county’s active promotion. And for once agriculture won, after landowner attorney Bill Langdale, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, and I spoke up for it.

They’re even going to preserve the canopy on Boring Pond Road and I thanked the County Engineer for that.

The two Sheriff’s requests for Continue reading →

Videos: Vallotton agriculture, animals, body armor, HEAT, water, waste, and a canopy road @ LCC 2015-04-13

The County Planner said “I can’t tell you anything beyond that” about why Vallotton Farms is requesting rezoning to Estate Agriculture, which is mysterious, since he (and the County Chairman) sat through the entire Planning Commission explanation by attorney Bill Langdale, several Planning Commissioners, and me: see the LAKE video of that GLPC item. The County Planner did say “we expect development” in that area. They vote on their expectations tonight at 5:30 PM, although they have to listen to citizens for and against first.

I’d like to commend County Engineer Mike Fletcher for preserving the canopy in the plans for Boring Pond Road Phase III.

The Vickers rezoning item was withdrawn by applicant, and the County Planner yesterday morning explained that was because they’d worked out a way for the property to count as five acres so no rezoning was necessary. The ~~Vickers~~ Jennings rezoning to commercial is still being considered. Also discussed yesterday morning and to be voted on tonight at 5:30 PM are three water-related items, a Georgia Department of Agriculture Spay/Neuter Grant Request, two Sheriff’s requests ( body armor, and High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) Team grant), another paving items (Resurfacing of 3 County Roads (Howell Road, Whitewater Road and Ousley)) a Fuel Island Upgrade. The Execution of the Resolution for the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund is about reimbursement for monitoring of the closed Clyattville landfill about which the county chooses to reveal very little. Last I heard, the Sabal Trail methane pipeline was still proposed to go through there with its hundred-foot right of way and 36-inch pipe. I wonder how that would affect monitoring?

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

Why Vallotton wants to rezone back to agricultural @ GLPC 2015-03-30

Yesterday morning the County Planner seemed perplexed about the Vallotton family request to go back to the most agricultural zoning, E-A. Yet he was there when Bill Langdale explained that at the Planning Commission 30 March 2015, aided by multiple Planning Commissioners, plus a few words from me.

He didn’t bring agriculture to the city; the city come to him….
I think it’s going to be real hard one day trying to eat this concrete.
–Tommy Willis

See for yourself. And remember the County Commission votes on this case this evening at 5:30 PM; maybe you’d like to come speak for. Continue reading →

Videos: Vallotton agriculture on Bemiss Road, historic preservation, personal services @ GLPC 2015-03-30

They took the Lake Park personal services case first and recommended it 8:0. REZ-2015-06 Vickers was withdrawn by applicant. Vallotton Farms‘ reversion to Estate Agricultural was recommended 8:0 after an explanation by attorney Bill Langdale (and yours truly chimed in). Denser zoning for Edward Jennings LLC was recommended 5:4 with a rare example of the Chairman voting, this time in favor. And the Valdosta historic preservation LDR changes were recommended 8:0. Those two Lowndes County cases have already been heard at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday morning and will be voted on tonight at the Regular Session. The Vallotton case greatly puzzled the County Planner and at least one of the Commissioners.

Here’s the agenda, reordered according to how they actually considered the cases, with links to the videos, results of the votes, and a few notes. Continue reading →

Videos: KLVB, Drinking, driving, and air conditioning @ LCC 2015-03-23

Keep Lowndes-Valdosta Beautiful did cleanups in wetlands in both the Withlacoochee and the Alapaha River watersheds, plus at exit 22, and the general illegal trash dumping situation came up. Did the county change the speed limit on your road? The County Engineer said only in one area, but they didn’t publish the list. Also discussed were a GEMA grant application, a proposal for engineering services for Exits 22 and 29, HVAC for county buildings, and a liquor license. Here’s the agenda with links to the videos and a few notes.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange