The main Work Session took six minutes this morning,
followed by an executive session,
which turned out to be about
easements for the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline,
which they’re adding to the agenda to vote on tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM.
See also the agenda. Below are links to each video, followed by a video playlist.
Continue reading
Did you know there were openings on three boards?
Probably not, since the county didn’t post anything in public.
Now the day before they’re appointed, we learn
“Dr. Lynne Feldman resigned from the Hospital Authority, leaving a vacant seat on the board.
Dr. Steven Brian Dawson, Dr. John W. Devine, and Dr. John D. Roan have all been recommended for the position.”
County Manager Joe Pritchard did not say who recommended them, or how they knew to apply.
Similarly, on the
Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services Board (DFCS),
somebody unnamed didn’t want to be reappointed, and “Elsie C. Napier has been recommended for the position.”
And on the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority Board,
David Motley wants to be reappointed.
At least we know how he knew.
There’s more on the agenda.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Citizen Billy Rowland complained about poor road grading,
his dogs being shot, and misuse of Knights Ferry Landing on the Withlacoochee River.
Maybe the Commission will listen to what he said this time, at last Tuesday’s Lowndes County Commissioner Regular Session.
Apparently G. Norman Bennett wants Hall Web Road paved for the mile to his house at the Little River, but
Julia Bass,
Ralph Niehenke,
and
Diane Guess
spoke up saying they don’t want it paved.
Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker tried to ask them questions,
but Chairman Bill Slaughter cut him off.
Slaugher did have time earlier fo
an extra announcement of a joint governmental meeting Tuesday morning.
It’s not clear citizens will even get to speak there, much less get questions answered.
See
separate post.
They passed the resolution to ask the legislature to start the proecess to appoint rather than elect Lowndes County Tax Assessors.
They already did emergency repairs to Clyattville Nankin Road Bridge (problem discovered by a local citizen) and Jumping Gully Road Bridge (found by GDOT), and the Commissione approved payment after the fact. So two more no-bid contracts were let, this time without even a Commission vote before the work was done.
They agreed to the North Lowndes Park Quitclaim and Custodial Agreement by which Valdosta-Lowndes Parks & Rec. Authority (VLPRA) takes charge of some land west of I-75 north of Hahira for a soccer field.
A few citizens spoke about rezoning for the mysterious Project Max, but of course they passed the rezoning anyway, even though apparently none of the Commissioners know who the prospective tenant is.
The Lowndes County Commission agenda contained quite a few other items as the Commission caught up after the holidays. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session. Below are links to each LAKE video of the Tuesday evening 12 January 2016 Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
Why did
bridge repairs turn up on the agenda for yesterday morning’s Work Session and tonight’s Regular Session only after problems were reported by citizens (Clyattville Nankin Road) or
GDOT (Jumping Gully Road)?
Also, “>neither GDOT restriping nor county road resurfacing
take into account the complete streets initiative for bike lanes or sidewalks, even though two Commissioners asked about that.
Hm, three Commissioners could vote to require it.
County Clerk didn’t have the minutes of December’s Work Session ready, so Lowndes County Commissioners will get very little time to review them before voting this evening.
This is the only county in Georgia that does not appoint its Tax Assessors, and the County Commission is considering a resolution to ask the General Assembly to start the process to change that. For hush-hush Project Max, the big-fish container manufacturing plant proposed for Rocky Ford Road, next to the protected watershed of Mud Swamp and near Valdosta Airport, see separate post for what little the public (or the Planning Commission) is allowed to know. Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday morning and voting Tuesday evening, are quite a few other items as the Commission catches up after the holidays.
Below are links to each LAKE video of yesterday morning’s Work Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
Appointing
Tax Assessors will take an act of the legislature and a local referendum to repeal
the 1972 state law that made Lowndes County the only county in Georgia to
elect them, but the Lowndes County Commission Monday morning will consider
a resolution to ask the General Assembly to start that process.
in Lowndes County, subject to approval by voters, so after 1 January 2021 they’d be appointed, not elected.
This is the only county in Georgia that does not appoint its Tax Assessors,
and after
the extremely unusual rural land revaluation last year,
it does seem something needs to be changed.
For hush-hush Project Max, the big-fish container manufacturing plant proposed for Rocky Ford Road, next to the protected watershed of Mud Swamp and near Valdosta Airport, see separate post for what little the public (or the Planning Commission) is allowed to know. Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday morning and voting Tuesday evening, bridge repairs on Clyattville Nankin Road and Jumping Gully Road, and quite a few other items as the Commission catches up after the holidays.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Continue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, January 11, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, January 12, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
After the County Commission Work Session shown in these LAKE videos,
the Planning Commission met Monday evening,
and this evening (Tuesday 5:30PM) the County Commission votes,
but will table the
ULDC amendments.
In addition to all the other items on the agenda and mentioned in the previous post, they went into an Executive Session about Pending Litigation. Who are they suing now? Or who’s still suing them about for example James Road?
Here are links to the LAKE videos of yesterday morning’s meeting, followed by a video playlist.
The Planning Commission meets Monday evening to consider
those ULDC amendments,
so county staff will recommend to the County Commission at their Monday 8:30 AM Work Session that they table the MAZ text changes
at their Regular Session Tuesday 5:30 PM evening.
Meanwhile,
the Air Force wants to maintain the road rights of way
for Davidson Road and along Grassy Pond.
And the
Land Bank Authority
wants to appoint some more members, acording to “the attached resolution”
which of course we the taxpayers aren’t allowed to see without an open records request.
Elected Probate Judge McDowell can appoint a part-time associate judge, but she needs the county commission to approve funding the salary. The DA wants to continue a Victims of Crime Act Victims Service grant.
Annual renewal of health care service provider and Section 125 Plan Document.
Two more Lift Station (sewage) pumps, at Val-Tech new for $20,076.42 and at Whitewater repairs for $13,353.65.
Finally, bids for Disaster Related Debris Removal Proposals required by FEMA, plus the usual beer, wine, and liquor licenses.
All that in Continue reading
They meet again Monday morning; here are videos from when they voted two weeks ago.
There was a
brief update on the Shiloh Road sinkhole,
adding to
the previous morning’s report;
see also
news reports.
The rest of the meeting was rather predictable Continue reading
New County Extension Agent
Jenna Kicklighter will introduce herself at Monday morning’s Work Session,,
they’ll consider a
a
Beer and Wine License for Dollar General,
a
new secondary
Internet Bandwidth Contract
with
Mediacom,
and the US 41 N widening has already spawned
further road paving
to promote development:
Lowndes County Engineering has received a proposal Continue reading
Here are videos of yesterday morning’s Work Session.
This morning, the same day as tonight’s voting Regular Session,
we got a few answers to some of yesterday’s questions about the
Nuisance Abatement Ordinance:
What 1992 ordinance? Which state law? Where’s the new draft?
Here’s the old ordinance and the new draft. And the memo wrapping the new draft refers to O.C.G.A. §§41-2-7 through 41-2-17. The memo doesn’t seem to say when that Georgia law was updated.
Here’s the
agenda.
See also the Continue reading