What will you do? —John S. Quarterman @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Before I started, the mayor noted that many people needed to go to an event at 7PM
(he didn’t name it, but it was the
100 Black Men Annual Dinner.)
He offered to proceed with scheduled business and re-open Citizens to be Heard at the end of the meeting.
Nobody objected.
I had already waited until nobody else seemed to want to speak.
d. Consideration of an Ordinance to rezone 0.75 acres from
Single-Family Residential (R10) to Single-Family Residential
(R-6) as requested by Martha Rock, represented by Ken Garren
(File No. VA-2011-07). The property is located at 1 Brookwood
Circle. The Planning Commission did not review this request at
their March Regular Meeting because the case had been
withdrawn.
e.
Consideration of an Ordinance for a Conditional Use Permit for
a townhouse (SingleFamily Attached) development in a
Single-Family Residential (R-6) Zoning District as requested
by Martha Rock, represented by Ken Garren (File No.
CU-2011-02). The property is located at 1 Brookwood Circle.
The Planning Commission did not review this request at their
March Regular Meeting because the case had been withdrawn.
f. Consideration of a request to change the name of a portion of
Jackson Street Lane to Bivins Lane.
5.c) Consideration of an Ordinance for Text Amendments to the Land Development
Regulations (LDR) for Section 106-1(C), Definitions, and Section 218-13 (TTT)
Temporary Use – Commercial Retail as requested by the City of Valdosta (File No. VA2011-04). The Planning Commission reviewed this request at their March Regular
Meeting and recommended approval (8-0 vote).
5.c) LDR changes @ VCC 7 April 2011 Part 1 of 2
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
The mayor prefaced a comment that he’s read (apparently in this blog)
that he’s been criticized for not paying attention while people are speaking.
He clarified that he’s often taking notes.
Then Dr. Mark P. George spoke, wondering when people would get answers
to their more substantive questions.
I have an attorney.
These folks have an attorney.
He’s sitting right there.
Dr. Mark P. George @ VCC 7 April 2011 Part 1 of 3:
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Dr. George amplified the not paying attention comments
by adding in body language,
and saying he did appreciate taking notes.
He asked if the meeting is recorded.
Mayor Fretti answered yes.
Dr. George remarked:
It seems to me you are now cloaking the lack of response
in legalities.
…
Legality does not equal morality.
Council Sonny Vickers remarked that he
already told everyone he is for the biomass plant.
Dr. George recommended conversation,
following up on new information.
The mayor asked Dr. George to wrap up.
Dr. George responded:
Dr. Mark P. George @ VCC 7 April 2011 Part 2 of 3:
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
More back and forth between Dr. George and the mayor
about how or whether or when he or somebody might answer
questions, followed by interchange between Dr. George
and the audience.
Dr. Mark P. George @ VCC 7 April 2011
Part 3 of 3:
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Why does it take someone paid $24.23 an hour to convert agendas and minutes
to PDF?
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, VLCIA, Open Records Request,
Bobbi Anne Hancock asked Allan Ricketts why
a bunch of agendas and minutes should cost $125.09?
She received back this itemized invoice:
The reporter who conducted the interview with Industrial Authority Project
Manager Allen Ricketts has been subsequently repeatedly contacted by
Ricketts for what he deems “false reporting.” According to Ricketts,
the timeline was never official and was only something the Industrial
Authority threw together to appease the Times when given an official Open
Records Request. Ricketts is apparently unaware that legally he cannot
produce a document that does not exist to comply with said request. If
he knowingly did so, as he now claims, that is a clear violation of the
Open Records Act.
Presumably that would be the “Project Critical Path time-line is attached”
that wasn’t actually attached to
documents returned for an open records request of 17 February 2011.
Hm, since VLCIA did supply such a document to the VDT,
presumably it is now a VLCIA document subject to open records request,
even though it was not what VLCIA told VDT it was.
Susan Hall Hardy says that in most places industrial authority executives
don’t interact with their communities.
Well, paraphrasing what Yakov Smirnoff used to say,
in Lowndes County, community interact with officials!
Not to be rude, although honesty is very often perceived that way
these days, but, the industrial authority executives rarely thank their
communities. In the six states I’m most familiar with, these fellows
see themselves as beholden only to their employers. After all, they work
with their directors, elected officials, a few bankers and city/county
department heads. Rarely do they come in direct contact with the average
voter, employee or homeowner, although all those people often pay a large
part of their salaries and office operating expenses. Despite the public
funding, these groups are usually tight lipped about how they do business
and rarely provide the public with records or audits. We’ve all put up
with that manner of doing business for so long we now see it as just
that — the way you do business. We’d never accept that from a nonprofit
organization, a charity group or most elected officials. Shame on us all.
Susan, you’re helping by reading, and you’re helping more by posting.
Many local officials have noticed LAKE and this blog because
they know people read it.
Anyone who wants to help still more,
you, too, can go to a meeting.
The Industrial Authority is a good one to attend,
but I hear the Tree Commission isn’t trying as hard to enforce things,
and does anybody know anything the Hospital Authority does?
The Airport Authority?
Continue reading →
ATLANTA, March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Georgia Power expects to request
approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission to decertify two
coal-generating units totaling 569 megawatts, the company announced
Wednesday.
The request to decertify units 1 and 2 at Plant Branch in Putnam Co. will
be included in Georgia Power’s updated Integrated Resource Plan filing
with the commission in late summer. The company expects to ask for
decertification of the units as of the effective dates of the Georgia
Multipollutant Rule, which are currently anticipated to be Dec. 31,
2013 for unit 1 and Oct. 1, 2013 for unit 2.
The decision to decertify the units is based on a need to install
environmental controls to meet a variety of existing and expected
environmental regulations.
“After an extensive analysis of the cost to comply with environmental
regulations, we have determined the continued operation of these units
would be uneconomical for our customers,” said Georgia Power President
and CEO Paul Bowers. “This decision is in keeping with our focus to
provide affordable and reliable electricity for our customers.”
Worried about mercury or other toxic chemicals?
Ask EPA what they’re going to do about it.
Join Administrator Jackson for a special White House live chat on the
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards tomorrow, Thursday, March 17 at 10:55
a.m. EDT. Administrator Jackson will be joined by young people who
are passionate about this issue and the discussion will be moderated by
Kalpen Modi of the Office of Public Engagement.
I wanted to know what the council and the protesters will do
when the biomass plant is canceled.
I still want to know: what will you do?
