Longest at four and a half minutes on November 12, 2019, was 6.e. Grant Re-Application for the Rural (5311)Transportation Program, in other words, the MIDS on-demand bus system; follow the link for more notes, including a question about where have the county funds for this been coming from.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall about the MIDS bus system.

Let’s hope the Arglass project doesn’t turn out like the James Road project a decade ago, with massive road paving and road and utilities rerouting, and nothing else, given that the county just approved a grant and VLDA match of more than a million dollars for road repaving for Arglass.

The truck bypass through downtown Valdosta had some discussion about when the bypass would happen and why the county is passing an ordinance now.

Um, it’s actually a generator for emergency management that took two minutes. 6.j. Hart Road Lift Station Pump took half a minute.

And another big item at three minutes: 7.a. Bids Lowndes County Judicial / Administrative Complex Roof Cleaning. Follow the link for why.

Everything else sailed through with rote reading and explanation of the item, call for speakers for and against in the public hearings, and nobody speaking either way, before the motion and the vote.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session, the agenda, and the board packet.

• 1. Call to Order 2. Invocation 3. Pledge

  Video.

• 4. Minutes for Approval

  Video.

• 5 a. Revision of the County Occupation Tax Ordinance

  Video. Revision of an old ordinance written in the 1990s, apparently mostly by fiddling with caps on various occupations.

• 6 a/b. Solicitor-General’s VOCA andn VAWA Continuation Grants

  Video.

• 6c. Approval of DA’s Federal VOCA Grant Application Renewal

  Video.

• 6d. GaDoT Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant (LMIG)

  Video.

• 6e. Grant Re-Application for the Rural (5311)Transportation Program

  Video. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall On-call to urban areas is currently scheduled to cease in December 2020. However, GDOT may allow urban to urban trips to continue, said Chairman Slaughter. County Manager Pritchard added that the question seemed to be where supplemental funding would be come from, such as both the county and MIDS, or SGRC, or even GDOT; for 2.5 years MIDS has been losing money and the county has been making up the difference.

  Chairman Slaughter reiterated the same information in more words, adding that MIDS wants to stop urban to urban.

  Commissioner Clay Griner wondered about the date. The Chairman said MIDS had wanted to stop end of this month, but the current end date is end of next year.

  Gretchen wonders: I’m curious what pot of money this has been coming from. Has it been exclusively from taxes paid by urban dwellers or have rural monies been being used too.

• 6f. CDBG-EIP Grant Application for Arglass paving and drainage

  Video. Grant amount the county is applying for is $750,000, with “the remaining amount” (presumably meaning a match) of $325,591 to be supplied by Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority.

  Gretchen asks: I hope the Arglass project doesn’t end up being another James Road. (lots of local tax dollars for nothing).

• 6g. Resolution Supporting Eliminating Tractor Trailer Truck Traffic

  Video. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know when the truck bypass would become effective. At least seven years. Meanwhile, the county is being asked by GDOT Board member Tim Golden to pass a resolution.

• 6 h. Transfer of Chitty Park to Parks and Recreation Authority

  Video.

• 6i. Greater Lowndes Planning Commission Joint Ordinance

  Video. Includes adding city of Remerton to GLPC Board.

• 6 j. Hart Road Lift Station Pump

  Video.

• 7a. Bids Lowndes County Judicial / Administrative Complex Roof Cleaning

  Video. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if the cleaning chemicals would be environmentally friendly. Project Manager Chad McLeod said it would be a low solution of detergent, from Firestone roofing, the manufacturer of the roofing.

• 7 b. Bids for a New Generator for 911

  Video. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know what the differences between the bids was. EMA Director Ashley Tye said the bid selected was because Caterpillar has a local store for repair.

  Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wanted to know how long the old one lasted. Answer: 26 years.

• 8. Reports (none) 9. CWTBH (none) 10. Adjournment

  Video.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist:

Videos: MIDS bus system, roof cleaning, truck bypass, new lift station generator
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 2019-11-12.

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

Short Link: