Once again the big topic was trash, and it wasn’t on the agenda. The Chairman made up a rule to limit citizen speakers to 15 minutes total. After five citizens managed to speak anyway, all to applause, and the owner of Deep South Sanitation got a standing ovation, the Commissioners offered nothing but excuses.

Here’s the agenda, plus links to the videos and a few notes. See also the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor

1. Call to Order
2. Invocation

   Commissioner Page prayed about

   “the freedoms to serve in government, knowing that this government is supposed to be of the people by the people and for the people”.

   But the Commission seems to care more about this part he also said:

   “our decisions and everything be done decently in order”.

   See separate post.

3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
4. Minutes for Approval
   1. Work Session — May 27, 2013
   2. Regular Session — May 28, 2013
5. Appointments
   1. Valdosta/Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority

      County Manager Joe Pritchard said Bob Montgomery had resigned from VLCCCTA and recommended Wild Adventures Vice President and General Manager Molly Deese. See separate post for details.

   2. Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful Board

      County Manager noted the term being finished out by Emily Macheski-Preston was expiring and she had asked to serve again. See separate post for details.

   3. Valdosta/Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

      Paul Alvarado applied to be reappointed to ZBOA. See separate post for details.

6. Public Hearing — REZ-2013-06 Hughes, 3776 White Water Rd. C-G to C-H, LC Water & Septic,~1.59 acres

   Staff recommended this zoning change from general commercial to highway commercial. Applicant Dale Hughes said he bought the property in 2000 and discovered he couldn’t get a business license because of the zoning. He took the issue to ZBOA, but they can’t change zoning, so now he was asking the Commission to do that. Nobody spoke against. Commissioners had no questions. Commissioner Crawford Powell did tack on an amendment prohibiting adult entertainment, lounge bar, or night club. Usually his excuse for that is the property is near a church. This time he didn’t provide any reason. Commissioners approved the rezoning unanimously with that amendment.

7. For Consideration
   1. Force Main Break Repairs

      This was to approve payment for an invoice for repair of the recent county sewer spill into the Withlacoochee River. As is the county way, there was no discussion of a longterm plan, only “a very needed hasty repair” as County Manager Joe Pritchard put it the previous morning. Commissioners unanimously approved payment of the invoice.

   2. Bevel Creek Lift Station Pump Repair

      Unlike the previous morning, Commissioners had no questions. They unanimously approved sending the pump out for repair.

   3. Mem of Understanding w. Evidence-Based Associates, Juvenile Justice grant

      It’s a contract with a company to provide assistance with the grant, both getting it and executing it. See previous morning’s Work Session for more details. They unanimously approved the contract.

8. Reports-County Manager

   No report for this particular meeting.

   See videos of the previous morning’s Work Session for several reports.

9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

   The Chairman made up a rule of 15 minutes total on any one topic, even though 8 people wanted to speak about trash. See separate post.

   • What if we only had one hardware store –Duane Roark

     Beware!
     You are in Lowndes County and
     approaching Valdosta, Georgia
     Don’t get fleeced in a garbage contract.
     Don’t get caught in a business monopoly.

     See separate post.

   • Thanks to the community, and I don’t understand –Cary Scarborough

     The owner of Deep South Sanitation got a standing ovation. The Chairman didn’t like that. See separate post.

   • I want a choice in who I use –Jerome Tucker

     Cary didn’t come to me looking for business. I saw his truck come along and I flagged it down. Because Veolia crushed my trash can, leaves the lid open, dumps trash beside the road… so every time Veolia dumps my trash I have to get out side the road and pick up trash. So I flagged Cary’s truck down.

     Jerome Tucker doesn’t often speak for or against something in public, but when he does, it’s worth listening to. See separate post.

   • Do the right thing –Steve Parker

     You guys have a tough job. You inherited a difficult situation, and I respect that. But you don’t have to live with that decision. There are loopholes in every contract in America….

     I ask that you simply do the right thing and that’s give Cary Scarborough and Deep South Sanitation the right to make money and provide a living for his family.

     See separate post.

   • You’re losing the democratic process –Gary Wright

     But on top that you should allow some sort of response dialog with the citizens, even if it’s short and it’s brief as long as it’s courtesy that prevails. Or some promise of some sort of reply because if you’re losing the democratic process you can’t get the public to support you to vote for you… and expect to have a dialog at some level.

     See separate post.

10. Adjourn into excuses

    Commissioner Page asked for someone to stay behind so he could talk to him. The Chairman adjourned; I didn’t hear or see any motion or second or vote.

    Afterwards various Commissioners made various trash excuses; see separate post.

See also my LTE in the VDT Thursday 13 June 2013, A metropolitan area needs better than trash government –John S. Quarterman

Here’s a video playlist:

Videos: Mostly trash, plus 3 appointments, 1 rezoning, 2 wastewater
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 June 2013.

-jsq

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