Insolvent taxes, Fender Road Improvement Project, air conditioning, VLPRA @ LCC 2021-06-07

The agenda for tomorrow morning’s Work Session and voting Tuesday evening doesn’t actually list the $437,823.30 insolvent tax writeoff as “BUDGET IMPACT” but it seems like it must affect the budget of Lowndes County, Georgia.

What would you guess would be the biggest insolvency for business closed, things moved somewhere else, etc.? Mobile homes? Paving? Real Estate?

Cost What
$618,767.14Fender Road Improvement Project
$437,823.30Insolvent List – Tax Commissioner
$28,842.00Agreement for HVAC Service for Additional Lowndes County Buildings
$1,085,432.44Total

Nope.

[Insolvent tax writeoffs, Fender Road Improvement]
Insolvent tax writeoffs, Fender Road Improvement

On page 21, Personal Property, GANDER MOUNTAIN COMPANIES has three lines of base + interest + Penalty + FIFA and in one case they actually paid the base tax. So the nets for each of the three lines add up as $16,917.55 + $82,256.20 + $74,203.57 = $173,377.32. That’s just shy of 40% of the $437,823.30 total. Maybe big box stores are more of a risk than the county and cities have been taking into account.

[Personal Property]
Personal Property

The other big expense is, as usual, a road project, Fender Road.

[BUDGET IMPACT: $618,767.14]
BUDGET IMPACT: $618,767.14

They’re accepting quit claim deeds for part of private road Gaines Lane to “be added to the Lowndes County Road Inventory for maintenance.” I’ve heard that road scraping and ditch pulling costs money, but there’s no “BUDGET IMPACT” in this agenda item.

They’re also going to reappoint Bubba Highsmith to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA).

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website:
https://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-06-07–lcc-packet

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session – May 24, 2021 & Regular Session – May 25, 2021
  5. Appointment
    1. Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority

      Documents:Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority -.pdf

  6. For Consideration
    1. Agreement for HVAC Service for Additional Lowndes County Buildings

      Documents:Agreement for HVAC Service for Additional Lowndes County Buildings.pdf

    2. Acceptance of Quit Claim Deeds for a portion of Gaines Lane

      Documents:Acceptance of Quit Claim Deeds for a portion of Gaines Lane.pdf

    3. Insolvent List – Tax Commissioner

      Documents:Insolvent List – Tax Commissioner -.pdf

  7. Bid
    1. Fender Road Improvement Project

      Documents:Fender Road Improvement Project.pdf

  8. Reports – County Manager
  9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard-Please State Your Name and Address
  10. Adjournment

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-jsq