\n
\nLOST talks set to begin: County, cities to meet Monday<\/a>,<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/a>
\nAs required by state law, Lowndes County issued a letter to the
\nmayors of all the municipalities in the county, requesting they
\nattend a renegotiation meeting Monday, April 9 to discuss LOST
\n(local option sales tax) distributions.<\/p>\n\n“This has to be done and approved by the end of the year in
\norder to stay in place, so we have to start the process now,”
\nsaid Commission Chairman Ashley Paulk.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nWell, that’s interesting.
\nWhen is this meeting?
\nAh, the time of day wasn’t included in the article.<\/p>\n\nThere’s a clue in
\nDavid Rodock’s 31 March 2012
\n
\nwriteup about the Commission retreat,<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nFinancial analyst Harrison Tillman discussed SPLOST funding,
\nincluding when negotiations would be held. At the end of the day,
\nCommissioners agreed upon meeting with area Mayors on April 9, after
\nan upcoming Lowndes County Board of Commissioners work session.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nWell, Monday’s work session is
\nat 8:30 AM<\/a>.
\nRumor has it the negotiation session is at 9:30 AM at the county palace.<\/p>\n\nHm, “commissioners agreed”: looking forward to the list of which
\nCommissioners voted each way on that decision, as required by the
\nrecent Georgia Supreme Court decision.<\/a><\/p>\n\nAlso, if the entire Commission is meeting with the mayors,
\nthat makes it an open meeting of the County Commission.
\nYet there’s nothing on the county’s website about this
\n(nor on any of the local cities’ websites as near as I can tell).<\/p>\n\nDo the articles in the newspaper that don’t say a time of day
\nor a place for this meeting count as official notice?
\nOr maybe it appeared in the official notices?
\nNope, road abandonment hearings, beer and liquor licenses,
\nbut nothing about a meeting with mayors, or a retreat, for that matter.<\/p>\n\nOf course, the Georgia open meeting law only says the county has to
\nnotify the newspaper of record, not that the newspaper has to publish
\nthe information.
\nPerhaps the VDT, like the county government, doesn’t want citizens
\nto see the county commissioners, or the city mayors, in action?
\nEven when what’s being negotiated is how they will share around $22 million
\nof our tax dollars?<\/p>\n