{"id":5313,"date":"2013-08-26T12:39:11","date_gmt":"2013-08-26T16:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=5313"},"modified":"2013-08-26T12:42:23","modified_gmt":"2013-08-26T16:42:23","slug":"videos-splost-vii-open-up-prisoners-water-roads-and-costs-lcc-2013-07-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/videos-splost-vii-open-up-prisoners-water-roads-and-costs-lcc-2013-07-23.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos: SPLOST VII open up, Prisoners, Water, Roads, and Costs @ LCC 2013-07-23"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nThe closest we’re apparently going to get to a town hall or public hearing\r\nabout the county’s SPLOST VII list:\r\nChairman said “we’re going to open up”<\/a> for comments.\r\nThe only taker was\r\n\r\nAirport Authority Executive Director Jim Galloway<\/a>.\r\nConfusion about the minutes<\/a> continued.\r\nThey appointed Ellen Golden to the\r\n\r\nDepartment of Family & Children’s Services Board<\/a>.\r\nThey hired prisoners<\/a> again to compete with local labor.\r\nThey approved a letter<\/a>\r\nfrom Lovell Engineering to GA EPD on behalf of the county;\r\nit wasn’t clear whether any of the Commissioners knew about\r\nall the previous violations at the same water treatment plant.\r\nThey accepted Barrington subdivision infrastructure<\/a>,\r\nwhereever that is, saying it wouldn’t cost the county anything,\r\nexcept, of course, maintaining those roads as county development sprawls outwards.\r\nThey approved their\r\ntheir Directors and Officers insurance<\/a>.\r\nThis was all with a bare 3 of 5 quorum, because\r\nCommissioners Raines and Powell didn’t show up for work.\r\nA citizen thanked the Commission for increasing library funding<\/a>.\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nHere’s\r\n\r\nthe agenda<\/a>, with links to the videos and a few notes.\r\nSee also\r\n\r\nthe previous morning’s Work Session<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nLOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS \r\n
\r\nPROPOSED AGENDA \r\n
\r\nWORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013, 8:30 a.m. \r\n
\r\nREGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013, 5:30 p.m. \r\n
\r\n327 N. Ashley Street \u2013 2nd<\/sup><\/small> Floor \r\n
\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n
\r\n
    \r\n
  1. \r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nCall to Order<\/a>\r\n
  2. \r\nInvocation \r\n

    \r\nMinister County Commissioner John Page mentioned\r\n“the blessings of liberty”, and his usual “decently and in order”, plus\r\nthanks for “our staff and all of those who are a part of our local government”.\r\nApparently that doesn’t include citizens who might want to have\r\ninput on SPLOST VII<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

  3. \r\n\r\nPledge of Allegiance to the Flag<\/a>\r\n
  4. \r\n<\/a>\r\nMinutes for Approval \r\n
      \r\n
    1. \r\nWork Session — July 8, 2013 \r\n
    2. \r\nRegular Session — July 9, 2013 \r\n

      \r\nCommissioner Joyce Evans wanted to know if\r\n\r\nthe confused changes from the previous morning’s Work Session<\/a>\r\nwere incorporated into the minutes.\r\nCounty Manager Joe Pritchard had wanted to know what Commissioners\r\nhad actually approved about two items where purchase orders had been “not present”.\r\nThis time, Chairman Bill Slaughter said those changes were incorporated.\r\nIf the Commission kept their own videos, Pritchard could have\r\njust looked at those and seen what had happened.\r\nIf the county put all the relevant paperwork with the agenda,\r\nCommissioners and staff would know what they were voting on.\r\nIf they put those materials online, as\r\n\r\nmany other places do<\/a>, such\r\nas Travis County, Texas, Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia,\r\nand Glynn County, Georgia,\r\nwe’d all know what our elected government was doing with our tax dollars.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    3. \r\n\r\nSpecial Presentation & Consideration — Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax VII <\/a>\r\n

      \r\nMoved to be\r\n\r\nlast in the meeting<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

    4. \r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nAppointment – Department of Family & Children’s Services Board<\/a>\r\n

      \r\nThey approved Emily Golden with no discussion; see\r\n\r\nyesterday’s Work Session for much more<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

    5. \r\nFor Consideration \r\n
        \r\n
      1. \r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nPrison Detail Contracts<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nThree details at $39,500 each, no increase from last year, said Public Works Director\r\nRobin Cumbus;\r\n\r\napproved with no discussion<\/a>.\r\nSee\r\n\r\nthe previous morning’s Work Session<\/a>\r\nfor what Commissioners Marshall, Slaughter, and Powell had to say then.\r\nAlso note the empty chairs during the vote:\r\nCommissioners Raines and Powell didn’t show up.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      2. \r\n\r\nLetter to Environmental Protection Division concerning Alapaha Water Treatment Plant Upgrade<\/a>\r\n

        \r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nUtilities Director Mike Allen said it was about a letter from\r\nLovell Engineering to GA EPD on behalf of the county.\r\n\r\nthe previous morning’s Work Session<\/a> for what that’s about.\r\nCommissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know\r\n“the water is good now, right?”; see\r\n\r\nseparate post<\/a>.\r\nApril Huntley obtained\r\n\r\nthe letter<\/a> by open records request:\r\nwhy doesn’t the county post such things on the web along with their\r\nagenda packets?\r\nThe Utilities Director didn’t mention\r\n\r\nthe 15 \u201cHealth Based Violations\u201d and the 4 \u201cComplete Failure to Report\u201d plus the 1 \u201cMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR)\u201d, all in the last ten years<\/a>,\r\nbut Chris Graham found those on U.S. EPA’s website.\r\nThe Commission proceeded to approve the letter.\r\nIt wasn’t clear whether any of the Commissioners knew about all\r\nthose previous violations.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      3. \r\n\r\nContract with GA Department of Transportation for Off System Safety Action Program <\/a>\r\n

        \r\nCounty Engineeer Mike Fletcher said\r\nthe county has received a grant from GDOT for striking, signs, and\r\nraised pavement markers for 30.79 miles of road, for $142,491.75.\r\nSee\r\n\r\nprevious morning’s Work Session<\/a>\r\nfor Fletcher’s promise to give the Commissioners a list of the affected roads.\r\n

        \r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nThis time, Commissioner John Page wanted to know if the grant applied to roads\r\nlike Snake Nation Road with a speed limit of 45.\r\nFletcher said no, only for roads with 55 MPH speed limit.\r\nPage wanted to know if work would stop where the speed limit changed.\r\nA: Yes.\r\n

        \r\nCommissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know\r\nif it would cover fixing holes.\r\nA: Just painting striping and reflectors.\r\nMarshall also wanted assurance that it was a grant that wouldn’t affect\r\nthe county’s budget.\r\nA: Yes.\r\nMarshall moved, and it\r\npassed unanimously.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      4. \r\n\r\nAdopt Resolution accepting infrastructure for Barrington Subdivision Phase I<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nEngineer said it was mostly complete but they were waiting on a punch list\r\nfrom the developer before signing off on it.\r\nSee\r\n\r\nprevious morning’s Work Session<\/a>.\r\nThis time Commissioner John Page wanted to know what kind of costs would be\r\ninvolved.\r\nFletcher said he didn’t know about costs in contracts between the developer\r\nand his contractors.\r\nPage clarified whether there would be costs involved in accepting the infrastructure.\r\nFletcher said no.\r\nWell, except for maintenance public works which is already part of the budget.\r\nYet that is a cost.\r\nA cost of sprawl.\r\nWhere is this Barrington subdivision?\r\nSomewhere off of Bemiss Road.\r\nWhere exactly?\r\nUnless you could read that one map they put up on the screen,\r\nyou don’t know.\r\nCommissioner Marshall moved, Page seconded, and it\r\n\r\npassed unanimously<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

        \r\n\r\n\"Barrington<\/a>\r\n

      5. \r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nACCG IRMA Liability Program Renewal<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nThis turns out to be, among other things,\r\nLowndes County’s Directors and Officers insurance;\r\nhere is\r\n\r\na copy<\/a> I obtained through open records request.\r\nSee also\r\n\r\nprevious morning’s Work Session<\/a>.\r\nThis time Commisioners chose the $2,500 deductible.\r\nThe\r\n\r\nminutes<\/a> say:\r\n

        \r\nHuman Resources Director, Kevin Beals,\r\npresented the renewal in the amount of\r\n$556,713.00. Commissioner Page made a\r\nmotion to approve the renewal with a $2,500.00 deductible as recommended, Vice\r\nChairperson Evans second. All voted in\r\nfavor, no one opposed. Motion carried. \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n
      6. \r\n\r\nResolution for ACCG-GEBCorp Retirement Eligibility Amendment<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nCouple of new employees missed being in county’s retirement plan,\r\nand this deals with that.\r\nSee\r\n\r\nprevious morning’s Work Session<\/a>.\r\nThis time Commissioner Marshall moved, Commissioner Joyce Evans moved, \r\nand it passed unanimously.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

      7. \r\n\r\nReports-County Manager<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nCounty Manager Joe Pritchard reminded everyone of the\r\n\r\nMillage Hearing 8:30 AM Friday 26 July 2013<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      8. \r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nCitizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address \r\n

        \r\nIdelle Dear handed Commissioners a thank-you card for increasing\r\nlibrary funding; see\r\n\r\nseparate post<\/a>.\r\n

      9. \r\n\r\n\r\nSPLOST VII presentation<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nResumed from\r\nearlier in the meeting<\/a>.\r\nNote the empty chair for Finance Director Stephanie Black.\r\n<\/a>\r\nAlso the VDT reporter;\r\nsee \r\nStuart Taylor’s VDT article<\/a>.\r\nStaff gave the\r\n\r\nsame slide show as in the Work Session<\/a>,\r\nsuch as\r\n\r\n$26,839,000 Roads, Streets & Bridges<\/a>,\r\nyet the public has never seen a list of named projects for Roads, Streets & Bridges.\r\nWhen I asked County Engineer Mike Fletcher for that list before the Work Session,\r\nhe said he didn’t know exactly which roads and bridges it would be.\r\n

        \r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nThe county did get around to\r\n\r\nposting the slides on its own website between the Work Session\r\nand the Regular Session<\/a>,\r\nbut there’s no detail in there such as which roads and bridges.\r\n

        \r\nCounty Chairman Bill Slaughter then “opened up” the meeting\r\nto public comment.\r\nVery few public showed up to comment, since nobody knew beforehand\r\nthis was going to happen.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      10. \r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\n5. SPLOST VII request from Executive Director of Airport Authority<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nThe one public speaker was Jim Galloway,\r\nExecutive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority,\r\nwho noted SPLOST VII included nothing for the airport from the county\r\nor any of the cities.\r\nSee\r\n\r\nseparate post<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      11. \r\nAnyone else? Adjourn<\/a>.\r\n

        \r\nCounty Chairman Bill Slaughter asked if anyone else would like to come\r\nforward, presumably to speak about SPLOST VII.\r\nI for one, did not, because I like to prepare before speaking,\r\nand I didn’t want to serve as an excuse of “you already spoke”\r\nfor there being no town halls or public hearings about SPLOST VII.\r\n

        \r\nCommission adjourned.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

        \r\nHere’s\r\n\r\na video playlist:<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

        \r\n