Category Archives: Georgia

Video: SPLOST Facility Update with boatramp @ LCC 2015-02-05

The Naylor boat ramp might be finished this fall, and here’s a list of other SPLOST expenditures, from yesterday’s Lowndes County Commission Annual Planning Meeting.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked Chad McLeod Project Manager and Mike Fletcher County Engineer to come forward, saying “Turn in your book to that tab….” A book you, the taxpaying public reader, do not have. The county can publish board packets on their new website if they want to.

McCleod presented current facilities for SPLOST VII, after a long introduction by Pritchard, who said McLeod was the county’s liaison with Parks and Rec (VLPRA) and the Sheriff’s Department and other offices. McLeod said VLPRA projects are built by the county and turned over to VLPRA for administration, except for two projects at Freedom Park, which are being managed by VLPRA due to House Bill 489. He listed dollar amounts. I couldn’t catch all of them, but here are some of them: Continue reading →

The rest of the videos @ LCC 2015-02-05

The rest of the videos from Thursday are up, as they meet again this morning at 8:30 AM. The new videos are about Revenue and Tax Update, SPLOST Facility Update (including boat ramp), Budget Management, Solid Waste Management, Litter Control, and an unscheduled Closed Session.

All yesterday’s videos are added now to the original post.

-jsq

Videos: Audit report and finance @ LCC 2015-02-05

Update2 2015-02-06: Why HB 170 is bad –Harrison Tillman
Update 2015-02-06: The rest of the videos from Thursday are up, as they meet again this morning at 8:30 AM. The new videos are about Revenue and Tax Update, SPLOST Facility Update (including boat ramp), Budget Management, Solid Waste Management, Litter Control, and an unscheduled Closed Session.

Videos are already up for the audit report and finance from day 1 of the Lowndes County Commission Annual Planning Meeting. More to come. Meanwhile, see also Gretchen’s notes about the new boatramp on the Alapaha River and illegal trash dumping. Continue reading →

Illegal trash dumping @ LCC 2015-02-05

I’m shocked, shocked, to discover there’s illegal dumping going on in Lowndes County! County staff assured us all two yeas ago that wouldn’t be a problem, while telling us all we had no choice about waste disposal. Yet today at the county’s retreat they showed this map of illegal dumping locations throughout the county.

300x400 Map, in Illegal trash dumping @ LCC Retreat 2015-02-05, by Gretchen Quarterman, 5 February 2015 300x400 Legend, in Illegal trash dumping @ LCC Retreat 2015-02-05, by Gretchen Quarterman, 5 February 2015

(If the county published Continue reading →

Alapaha Boat Ramp progress @ LCC 2015-02-05

They’ve been working with Dr. Acree on land aquisition, and with GA-DNR 300x225 Beach at site of planned Naylor Park, in Alapaha River Outing, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 24 August 2014 on flow levels and ramp placement, as well as anticipation of survey and final designs, they said during the SPLOST agenda item, reports Gretchen from the Lowndes County Commission retreat. No word of when they anticipate completing the boat ramp, and it sounds like they haven’t actually purchased the land yet.

-jsq

Finance report @ LCC 2015-02-05

300x225 Around the table, in Finance, by Gretchen Quarterman, 5 February 2015 Your elected Commissioners and top county staff listening to Finance Director Stephanie Black’s report, around 9:30 AM on the all-day retreat agenda. The seemingly most boring subject, but the key to all the others. Gretchen is there videoing, but apparently nobody else other than the VDT reporter. Continue reading →

County Commission retreats to Lake Park Thursday and Friday @ LCC 2015-02-05

Everything from Animals to ZBOA agenda for the annual Lowndes County Commission retreat, now billed as 2015 Annual Planning Meeting. Unlike the Valdosta City Council, this retreat is in Lowndes County, at the same location as the recent Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner. Gretchen will be there with the LAKE camera. You can go, too: it’s an open meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
2015 Annual Planning Meeting
Quail Branch Lodge
7601 Zeigler Road, Lake Park, Georgia

Thursday, February 5- Continue reading →

Solar financing bill HB 57

You won’t have to mortgage the farm to install solar power if this bill passes, because you’ll be able to get reasonable financing.

Update 2015-02-07: HB 57 was favorably reported out of the House Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee 28 January 2015, first time such a bill has ever cleared that hurdle.

The actual solar leasing bill in the Georgia House as of 14 January 2015 is HB 57 “…to provide for financing of solar technology by retail electric customers for the generation of electric energy to be used on and by property owned or occupied by such customers or to be fed back to the electric service provider”, aka the “Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act of 2015.” It includes the same old generation limits from the 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act (10 Megawatts per individual and 100 MW per company), but it blows a huge hole in the prohibition on power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Georgia Power and the Electric Membership Corporations have reportedly already agreed on this bill. If so, it should sail through the legislature. Still, it won’t hurt to call your Georgia House member and ask them to vote for it, and maybe become a co-sponsor.

Here’s PDF of the bill, and here’s the key provision: Continue reading →

Georgia Power claims credit for solar leasing bill

That antique 1973 law may finally change to greatly facilitate solar financing through power purchase agreements (PPAs), now that Georgia Power has finally realized the good PR it’s getting for its own solar power deployments.

Walter C. Jones, Jacksonville.com, 13 January 2015, Solar access for residences, churches, small businesses could become easier under agreement,

ATLANTA | Homeowners, churches and small businesses would soon have access to the financing available in two-dozen states for the installation of solar panels with little upfront costs based on an agreement announced Tuesday during a legislative hearing.

Coming up with $18,000 or more in cash to install photovoltaic panels on the average home is difficult for most homeowners. But if the agreement becomes law, they could lease their roof to companies that pay them back with free electricity, selling the rest to the utilities.

Or cities or counties. Valdosta or Lowndes County, for instance, might save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on utility bills if they could finance solar power through PPAs.

Georgia has the fastest-growing solar Continue reading →

Board of Elections meeting @ Elections 2015-01-13

Received by email 8 January 2015, with no agenda and no other materials. -jsq

Notice is hereby given that the Lowndes County Board of Elections will conduct a public meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 4:30 p.m., at the Lowndes County Elections office, located at 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, GA 31602.

All interested parties are invited to attend.

For meeting information, please call the Elections office at 229-671-2850 or e-mail elections@lowndescounty.com.