{"id":7250,"date":"2013-12-23T12:03:17","date_gmt":"2013-12-23T17:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=7250"},"modified":"2013-12-23T12:08:55","modified_gmt":"2013-12-23T17:08:55","slug":"secret-meeting-of-lowndes-county-commission-and-state-reps-lcc-2013-12-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/secret-meeting-of-lowndes-county-commission-and-state-reps-lcc-2013-12-20.html","title":{"rendered":"Secret meeting of Lowndes County Commission and state reps @ LCC 2013-12-20"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n
\n\"Dexter<\/a>
\nThe VDT report doesn’t say when or where, and doesn’t say whether
\nDexter Sharper (District 177) wasn’t invited or chose not to attend.<\/p>\n

\nThere’s nothing about this meeting in the online
\n
\nagendas<\/a>
\nor
\n
\ncalendar<\/a>,
\neven though that calendar lists
\n
\nPictures with Santa at the Historical Courthouse (12\/19\/2013)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nThere is this undated
\n
\npublic notice<\/a> with no agenda:<\/p>\n

\n

\n
\n\"Paige<\/a>
\nThe Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will meet with members of
\nLowndes County’s Legislative Delegation on Friday, December 20,
\n2013, at 4:00 p.m. in the Commissioner’s Conference Room located on
\nthe 3rd floor of the Judicial-Administrative Complex, 327 North
\nAshley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.\n<\/p>\n

\nK. Paige Dukes, County Clerk<\/p>\n

\npdukes@lowndescounty.com 229-671-2400\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n\"Tim<\/a>
\nMatthew Woody wrote for the VDT 22 December 2013,
\n
\nCommissioners host local delegation<\/a>,
\noddly omitting the when and where and much of the why from
\nthe traditional
\n
\nwho, what, when, where, and why<\/a> of journalism.<\/p>\n

\n

\n
\n\"Amy<\/a>
\nThe Lowndes County Commission hosted Sen. Tim Golden and House
\nRepresentatives Amy Carter, Ellis Black, and Jason Shaw to discuss
\nthe needs of the county in preparation for the next Georgia
\nLegislative session.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n\"Jason<\/a>
\nThe Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) and the earlier qualifying and
\nprimary dates for Georgia representatives were among the items
\ndiscussed.\n<\/p>\n

\nCommissioners requested that the representatives help to re-enact
\nthe original LOST referendum where the revenues would be based upon
\npopulation and to show the reduction of property taxes on the bill
\nas a credit against the amount of property taxes owed.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n\"Ellis<\/a>
\n“It’s a struggle between the Association of County
\nCommissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and the Georgia Municipal
\nAssociation (GMA),” Ellis Black said. “It should be
\nbased on the value of the property, not the population.”\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nThat article includes a long list of items “the Lowndes County Commission wants the representatives to look at”, including
\nThe Motor Fuel Excise Tax Exemption,
\nBridges and Off-system Bridges,
\nSPLOST VII (buried in the item on bridges),
\nLibraries,
\nAnnexation\/De-annexation,
\nAlcohol Beverage Tax,
\ntaxing online purchases,
\nand no less than four items related to incarceration:
\nInmate Heath[sic] Care,
\nJuvenile Justice Reform,
\nMagistrate Court Fees,
\nand Assume Full Financial Responsibility for State Prisoners.
\nYet there’s no publicly-visible agenda.
\nAnd that list does not include anything about
\n
\nthe proposed Sabal Trail methane pipeline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nThis one is pretty rich:<\/p>\n

\n