{"id":5626,"date":"2013-09-09T15:29:59","date_gmt":"2013-09-09T19:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=5626"},"modified":"2013-09-09T15:32:33","modified_gmt":"2013-09-09T19:32:33","slug":"videos-splost-vii-resolution-and-mystery-proclamation-and-appointment-lcc-2013-09-09","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/videos-splost-vii-resolution-and-mystery-proclamation-and-appointment-lcc-2013-09-09.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos: SPLOST VII Resolution and mystery proclamation and appointment @ LCC 2013-09-09"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\n\r\n\"Charlie<\/a>\r\nThe big surprise in the eleven-minute meeting\r\nwas they called up former\r\nCounty Engineer Charlie Clark<\/a> to explain the Utility Director’s\r\ncomment about making a profit on wastewater to Lake Park Elementary School.\r\nYes,\r\n\r\nthe SPLOST VII Resolution is to put it on the ballot in November<\/a>,\r\n“to reimpose the tax”.\r\nSo much for those\r\n\r\ntown halls that never happened<\/a>.\r\nYep, it’s Mac McCall for\r\n\r\nreappointment to ZBOA<\/a>.\r\n\r\nNo Proclamation this morning, so\r\nit could still be for\r\n\r\nSouth Georgia Pride<\/a>\r\nlike\r\n\r\nValdosta Mayor John Gayle refused to proclaim last year<\/a>.\r\nAnd they vote tomorrow night at 5:30 PM.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nHere’s\r\n\r\nthe agenda<\/a>, with links to the videos and a few notes.\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nLOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS \r\n
\r\nPROPOSED AGENDA \r\n
\r\nWORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2013, 8:30 a.m. \r\n
\r\nREGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 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\r\nCall to Order<\/a>\r\n
  2. \r\nInvocation \r\n

    \r\nThat’s only in the Work Session, tomorrow at 5:30 PM.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

  3. \r\nPledge of Allegiance to the Flag \r\n

    \r\nThat’s only in the Work Session, tomorrow at 5:30 PM.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

  4. \r\nMinutes for Approval \r\n

    \r\nNo changes were mentioned.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      \r\n
    1. \r\nWork Session — August 26, 2013 \r\n
    2. \r\nRegular Session — August 27, 2013 \r\n<\/ol>\r\n
    3. \r\n<\/a>\r\nProclamation \r\n

      \r\nStill a mystery; presumably tomorrow at 5:30 PM.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

    4. \r\n\r\nAppointment — Valdosta\/Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals<\/a>\r\n

      \r\nYes, the ZBOA appointment is for the finally-expired term\r\nof Dave Kirk;\r\nthey appointed\r\n\r\nJohn “Mac” McCall last December to the unexpired part of Kirk’s term<\/a>,\r\nand McCall is the only candidate for re-appointment.\r\nHe showed up to answer questions, but the Commissioners had none.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

    5. \r\n\r\nResolution – SPLOST VII Resolution<\/a>\r\n

      \r\nCounty Attorney Walter Elliott said the expected total over six years is\r\n$150 million, and\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      \r\nThis is the resolution that follows the agreement of the county and the cities\r\nto reimpose the tax.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

      \r\nCommissioner Crawford Powell pointed out it reimposes the tax only if\r\nthe citizens vote it in.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      \r\nCommissioner Richard Raines wondered if one of the cities didn’t approve;\r\nwhat would the county need to do?\r\nThe Attorney said Valdosta was the only city that mattered, because\r\nit was the only one with 50% or more population.\r\nHe didn’t add that Valdosta voters favored the vote for SPLOST\r\nlast year, and are likely to do the same this year.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

    6. \r\nFor Consideration \r\n
        \r\n
      1. \r\n\r\nGEMA Performance Partnership Agreement (FY 2013)<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nEmergency Manager Ashley Tye reminded the Commissioners that this was\r\nan annual renewal, reiterating responsibilities, and serving as a conduit for\r\n$32,770 per year from GEMA.\r\nPlus by having this agreement in place, the county can get financial\r\nand other resources from GEMA during a disaster.\r\nCounty Manager Joe Pritchard added something unintelligible.\r\nApparently it was about local matching, judging by Tye’s answer,\r\nwhich was that the county meets the annual match through its\r\nnormal budget.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

      2. \r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nSewer Service Requested for Lowndes County Board of Education<\/a>\r\n

        \r\nUtilities Manager Mike Allen said LCBOE wants sewer service for\r\nLake Park Elementary to help out their failing septic tank.\r\nHe said he had met with them, and they were willing to pay an\r\nincreased sewer fee and to install a county-spec meter.\r\nSo he offered an updated option, which was for the county attorney\r\nto draft an inter-governmental agreement for a\r\nvariance for a sewer-only connection.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

        \r\nCommissioner Demarcus Marshall wondered who would pay for extending\r\nthe service.\r\nAnswer: LCBOE.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

        \r\nMarshall wondered how far county water service goes into Lake Park.\r\nHe also wondered what would happen “when” Lake Park develops its\r\nown sewer system.\r\nAnswer: not at all, and this agreement is only for sewer, not water.\r\n

        \r\nThey will pay a differential to make sewer a profitable endeavor.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

        \r\nNow I’m all for the county making ends meet, but why is it wanting\r\nto profit off of the county school system?\r\n<\/p>\r\n

        \r\nCounty Manager Joe Pritchard, who had already pre-empted several\r\nof Mike Allen’s answers, then said:\r\n

        \r\nCharlie Clark is in the audience and represents the Board of Education.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

        \r\nPritchard asked Clark to come forward to explain\r\n

        \r\nthe difference in the addition of the water line versus the added payment\r\nMike referenced.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

        \r\nClark’s explanation:\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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

        \r\nOf course the City of Lake Park has a water service, but they do not\r\nhave any sanitary sewer treatment facilities.\r\nThe campus is already a customer of the City of Lake Park for water.\r\nAnd as of Friday’s meeting what we’re proposing to change out the water meter\r\nfor the campus so that it’s a Lowndes County-readable water meter\r\nand then use that to determine what the usage is.\r\nI know that the way the enterprise fund operates is it of course\r\nhas to operate as a self-supporting unit.\r\nIt makes money on water, loses money on sewer.\r\nAnd in this case since we requested to be a sewer-only customer…\r\nthe sewer rate would be a little bit higher,\r\nI think by roughly a third than the normal sewer rate.\r\nThat way the county would be in a break-even position as far as\r\nreceiving the sewer flows and paying for the treatment of that.\r\nOtherwise we’d have to extend a water main roughly a little bit more than\r\nhalf a mile, roughly the same distance as the force main.\r\nI say we; the school system would extend.\r\nAnd they’re just looking to avoid that cost.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

        \r\nThere were no more questions; after all, Charlie Clark had spoken.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

        \r\nThis is the same Charlie Clark who used to be County Engineer,\r\nand then a year or two later\r\n\r\nin 2006 proposed the Nelson Hill development<\/a>,\r\nthe one for which\r\n\r\ncounty staff made waivers<\/a>\r\nand other promised features just didn’t happen.\r\nThe Nelson Hill in the neighborhood of the\r\nMoody Family Housing in the aquifer recharge zone\r\nand with a sinkhole next door<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

      3. \r\nCitizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address \r\n

        \r\nThat’s only in the Regular Session, tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM,\r\nwhen they also vote.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

        \r\n\r\n\"Adjourn<\/a>\r\n\r\nThey didn’t even have Reports on the agenda; they adjourned at 8:41.<\/a>\r\nThat’s eleven (11) minutes.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

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

        \r\n