{"id":22642,"date":"2022-01-27T19:55:31","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T00:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=22642"},"modified":"2022-01-28T09:22:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T14:22:54","slug":"videos-stealth-commission-district-reapportionment-and-half-million-dollar-developer-giveaway-lcc-2022-01-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2022\/01\/videos-stealth-commission-district-reapportionment-and-half-million-dollar-developer-giveaway-lcc-2022-01-25.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos: Stealth Commission district reapportionment and half million dollar developer giveaway @ LCC 2022-01-25"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nAs expected, the Lowndes County Commission at its Regular Session passed the half million dollar bailout for a developer.\r\n

\r\nNot expected, they changed the agenda at the beginning of the meeting to approve new Commission district maps\r\nand a resolution supporting them, for immediate transmission to the state.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nOne citizen wishing to be heard spoke about the never ending noise from the 15 month old Arglass factory.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"[Amendment,<\/a>\r\n
Amendment, Commissioners, New Districts<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

Developer Bailout<\/H4>\r\n

\r\nFor\r\n\r\n5.k. Property Purchase \u2013 Building Valdosta, LLC<\/a>\r\nCounty Manager Paige Dukes said staff acted at the direction of the Commissioners, seeming to distance herself and staff from this action.\r\n

Reapportionment<\/H4>\r\n

\r\nI’m guessing the added agenda item was\r\n\r\n5.l.<\/a>.\r\n

\r\nVice Chair Joyce Evans, presiding over the meeting in the absence of Chair Bill Slaughter, introduced the agenda change for district reapportionment indicating the Commissioners all already knew this was going to happen.\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\"[Amendment:<\/a>\r\n
Amendment: Joyce Evans<\/a>, District 1\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Demarcus Marshall asked when the people could see these maps.\r\nCounty Manager Paige Dukes said they’d be on the county website the next day.\r\nThey were not.\r\nThey turned up the day after that (today),\r\ntucked down at the bottom of the Board of Commissioners web page.\r\nSee \r\nNew Commission District Maps<\/a>.\r\n

\r\n\"[Demarcus<\/a>\r\n
Demarcus Marshall<\/a>, superdistrict 4\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Scottie Orenstein did mention that Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker, who was not present, had some reservations about the new map for his District 3.\r\n

\r\n\"[Scottie<\/a>\r\n
Scottie Orenstein<\/a>, District 2\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nApparently Commissioner Clay Griner was the driving force for the new district lines.\r\n

\r\n\"[Clay<\/a>\r\n
Clay Griner<\/a>, superdistrict 5\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThey expect State Senator Russ Goodman to introduce a bill in the legislature Monday to implement this reapportionment.\r\nCommissioner Marshall asked when the change would take effect.\r\nAnswer: immediately.\r\n

\r\n

Citizens Wishing to be Heard – Andrew Phillips <\/H4>\r\n

In Citizens Wishing to be Heard<\/a>, Andrew Phillips, a resident from the Winnwood Circle neighborhood off of US 84, came to the Commission to ask for some action on making the Arglass factory quieter. The factory has been open for approximately 15 months and has, according to Mr. Phillips, emitted a constant noise that can be heard inside homes when the windows and doors are all closed and is disturbing the quality of life in the neighborhood. He said that his father who wears hearing aids can hear the noise without them. There are some days that there is no noise, but the majority of the days the noise is there. He has approached Arglass about it and has email from them but that there is an insufficient understanding of the magnitude of the problem. Arglass built a sound barrier wall but there is no change in the noise. He thinks that this should be addressed by noise ordinance.\r\n

\r\nVice Chair Evans invited Mr. Phillips to stay after the meeting to talk with the county manager, so of course the public does not know what was said and whatever it was, it was not on the record.\r\n

\r\nThis type of problem appears to be a direct consequence of the county commission and development authority’s mindset of development everywhere and any business is a good business.\r\n

\r\nBelow are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.\r\nSee also\r\nthe agenda<\/a>\r\nand\r\n\r\nWhy should Lowndes County spend half a million dollars to subsidize a developer? 2022-01-24<\/a>,\r\nand \r\nthe LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session<\/a>.\r\n