Public hearings with no details: how is the public to know to show up? Why no description at all for “Rezoning case REZ-2014-15”? And no identifying number for the next case? And why the extra obscurity about “Hahira’s Extraterritorial Request”? This agenda goes beyond brief into opaque. LAKE can answer two of these questions because Gretchen went to the Planning Commission meeting and photographed that agenda that Lowndes County refuses to even publish. But why should the taxpayers be left guessing about what their only elected county-wide government is doing?

Also two appointments: the Planning Commission’s recommendation to replace its departing young black woman member with an old white man and somebody unnamed to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Plus the annual renewal of hiring prisoners from Valdosta State Prison.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor

1. Call to Order
2. Invocation

   Only in the Regular Session, 5:30 PM Tuesday.

3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

   Only in the Regular Session, 5:30 PM Tuesday.

4. Minutes for Approval
   1. Work Session — August 11, 2014
   2. Regular Session — August 12, 2014
5. Appointments
   1. Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC)

      GLPC put up only one name to replace departing young black woman Diondra Nichols: old white man attorney Brad Folsom. The County Commission can instead choose to appoint whoever it wants to.

   2. Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

      Is this for the Region 4 Regional Planning Board (current Lowndes County members Dr. Sheila Crowley Cook and Dr. Linda Floyd) or for the Valdosta Behavioral Health Crisis Center (current Lowndes County members Ms. Cindy Vickery, RPh Pharmacist, SGMC, Ms. Sheila Wakeley Retired LCSW, Chair Mr. Shamb Purohit, Robert Woodward, Lowndes Co. Manager)? Which seat is up? Who is applying?

6. Public Hearing
   1. Rezoning Case REZ-2014-15

      According to the most recent GLPC agenda, this is a request to undo something the Lowndes County Commission previously did:

      REZ-2014-15 GP Investments
      Property Location: Copeland Road, Inner Perimeter Road, and U.S. 41 South, Valdosta, Georgia
      Request to remove rezoning conditions approved by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners

      LAKE video of GLPC item.

      According to the Tax Assessors database, the owner of parcel 0166 008 is GP INVESTMENTS OF VALDOSTA LLC, which is a Lake Park company with agent Giovanni Panizzi, and the GA Sec State’s office says that’s not the same as GP INVESTMENTS, L.L.C., which is an Atlanta company. So even the GLPC agenda is wrong.

      Here’s the beginning of a lengthy item in the 8 February 2005 Regular Session minutes of the Lowndes County Commission, which is presumably the source of the restrictions the current owners want changed:

      Public Hearing – Rezoning Ordinances for Adoption

      #04-1260 – LO-2004-64 – Charles Bennett, A-U and C-H to R-10, 92.684 Acres, Inner Perimeter, Hwy 41 & Copeland — Jason Davenport, Associate Planner, explained that there were actually two issues connected with this request. One issue was to consider the rezoning request and the other was to consider extraterritorial delivery of water and sewer services. Each of these issues would require a separate motion.

   2. ULDC Text Amendments, Zoning Map, & Fee Schedule

      According to the most recent GLPC agenda, this is TXT-2014-2 and is the Lowndes County Commission’s own requst to finish up work it’s been doing on the ULDC:

      TXT-2014-2 Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
      The adoption of the ULDC that completes amendments previously approved by the LCBOC

      LAKE video of GLPC item.

7. For Consideration
   1. Georgia Department of Corrections Contract Renewal

      Maybe we’re not supposed to remember that every year they renew their contract for three prison details from Valdosta State Prison, because they think it’s such a good deal to hire prisoners for cheap even though local people need jobs.

   2. Hahira’s Extraterritorial Request

      On Mars?

8. Reports-County Manager
9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

   Only in the Regular Session, 5:30 PM Tuesday.

-jsq

Short Link: