1 change order, 2 grants, 3 rezonings, 1 KLVB appointment @ LCC 2014-04-07

A non-competitive no-RFP un-explained change order, this time for Val Del Road, on the agenda for the Lowndes County Commission. Would you like to know why county staff doesn’t want to go out for competitive bids before spending your tax money? We can guess it’s about that shoulder paving they just approved $949,493.85 for to Scruggs Company. But why should we have to guess if that’s it and why they need a change order for a million dollar project at the very next Commission meeting?

We’d be able to see why if the board packets were online with the agenda, as happens in many metropolitan areas, such as Leon County, Florida, or Glynn County, Georgia, or Richmond County, Georgia. Our own Lowndes County Board of Education often links board packet items in with its agenda.

While much smaller Glynn County puts video of its County Commission and both of its Planning Commissions online, Lowndes County is too concerned about “the expense” of web hosting to even put the agendas and minutes of its Planning Commission online, nevermind the board packets. It’s curious how Nash County, North Carolina puts its agendas and minutes online for many local boards, while much smaller Effingham County, Georgia puts its board packets online, but Lowndes, twice Effingham’s size, can’t. Or won’t.

Maybe Lowndes County’s new turnkey government website service can fix this. I bet it can technically. The question is: will the County Commission let it?

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. National County Government Month Proclamation
  5. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — March 24, 2014
    2. Regular Session — March 25, 2014
  6. Appointment
    1. Keep Lowndes-Valdosta Beautiful Board
  7. Public Hearings
    1. REZ-2014-08 Gramercy, 3921 and 3927 Old Pine Rd R-1 and R-A to R-10, Water and Sewer, 7.92 acres
    2. REZ-2014-09 Kinsey, 5724 Dawkins Rd E-A and R-1 to R-A, Well and Septic, 4.23 acres
    3. REZ-2014-10 Bennett’s Tree Service Lot 22 Rezone 2811 US Hwy 41 S, R-21 to C-H, Well and Septic, 1.53 acres
  8. For Consideration
    1. Request from LCSO-GOHS Grant #2015-GA-0071-00(1)
    2. 2014 Homeland Security Grant Application
    3. Change Order for Val Del Road
  9. Bids
    1. Tractor Purchase for Utility Department
  10. Reports-County Manager
  11. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address
  12. Keep Lowndes-Valdosta Beautiful presentation-Aaron Strickland

-jsq