Category Archives: Government

Conference Center, Branham subdivision, Trash, RR crossing @ LCC 2018-03-12

On the agenda for Monday’s Work Session, the agenda a word from the new-as-of-January CEO (not Executive Director) of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority. On the agenda for both Monday and Tuesday evening’s Regular Session, Bill Branham’s Copeland Road subdivision, back for at least the third time in four calendar years, plus an ordinance that would further favor Advanced Disposal Services (ADS) over Deep South Sanitation (DSS). Better news: bids for a Portable 65 KW Generator to keep lift stations from leaking.

Chris Hamilton
Photo: Chris Hamilton via Valdosta Daily Times.

See also the LAKE videos of the most recent Planning Commission meeting for all three rezoning cases, and that post also has links to videos of most of the previous appearances of the Branham Project.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Chris Hamilton- CEO, Valdosta- Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority (Work Session)
  5. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session- February 26, 2018
    2. Regular Session- February 27, 2018
  6. Public Hearing
    1. REZ-2018-04 Lyons, 1350 Old Clyattville Rd, R-A to C-H, Well and Septic, 8.05 acres
      GLPC Recommendation: Approval
      TRC Recommendation: Various

      Documents:Rezoning Case REZ-2018-04.pdf

    2. REZ-2018-05 Killeen, 1228 S Main St, R-A to M-1, 27.5 acres

      GLPC Recommendation: Approval with 1 Condition (Paving)
      TRC Recommendation: Various


      Documents:Rezoning Case REZ-2018-05.pdf

    3. REZ-2018-07 Branham Project, 2480 Copeland Rd, R-1 to R-10 Water/Sewer, 18.04 acres

      GLPC Recommendation: Approval with 4 Conditions
      TRC Recommendation: Various   


      Documents:Rezoning Case REZ-2018-07.pdf

  7. For Consideration
    1. Transportation Safety Improvements Agreement
      Execute Agreement

      Documents:Transportation Safety Improvements Agreement.pdf

    2. Ordinance Amending 2015 Solid Waste Disposal Ordinance
      Approval of ordinance

      Documents:Ordinance Amending 2015 Solid Waste Disposal Ordinance.pdf

    3. Water Meter and Register Replacement
      Approval of water meter and register replacement

      Documents:Water Meter and Register Replacement.pdf

    4. Beer License- Marilyn Lewis of Palak Corporation DBA Bigfoot #908 – 1255 Lakes Blvd., Lake Park, GA
      Approval of Beer License

      Documents:Beer License- Marilyn Lewis of Palak Corporation DBA Bigfoot 908 Lakes Blvd, Lake Park, GA.pdf

  8. Bid
    1. Portable 65 KW Generator
      Bids solicited for a 65 KW portable generator to service smaller lift stations that do not have backup generators. Staff recommends awarding bid to Cowart Electric for $49,750.00

      Documents:Portable 65 KW Generator.pdf

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

-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!

Used cars, manufacturing, and subdivision @ GLPC 2018-02-26

A longish agenda led to a quite long GLPC meeting.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Monday, February 26, 2018 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Continue reading →

Videos: subdivision, manufacturing, and used cars @ GLPC 2018-02-26

Third time was the charm for William Branham and his Copeland Road subdivision, which the Planning Commission recommended 6:1.

Below are links to each LAKE video with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda.

Continue reading →

Videos: Branham subdivision, Bemiss Knights Academy, Lake Park @ GLPC 2015-09-28

Almost half an hour on the Bill Branham subdivision on Copeland Road resulted in a split denial: the only denial in this Planning Commission Regular Session.

Slightly less time on the Charles Bennett accessory dwelling unit on Green Meadown Drive got unanimous approval with staff conditions.

Ten minutes on the Clint Joyner’s request for Knight’s Development’s 30-acre subdivision rezoning on Bemiss Knights Academy Road got unanimous approval. About the same on Tim Blanton’s rezoning of 45+ acres to residential agriculture passed unanimously. Ditto rezoning for Richard Bonner’s rezoning for a fast-growth corridor between Highway 84 and Interstate 75. Less time for Jon Nijem’s expanded parking on Baytree Road to pass unanimously.

Keith Sandlin’s Lake Park case did sail through, as did John Thomas’ rezoning for a showroom for his show car business.

Commissioner Willis’ term was coming up for reappointment.

Below are links to each LAKE video with a very few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the Continue reading →

Consent agenda, DBHDD appointment, utilities trucks, executive session @ LCC 2018-02-27

The previous morning they invented a consent agenda, such as Hahira and many others use all the time, but the Lowndes County Commission didn’t call it that. As expected, they appointed Kelley Saxon to DBHDDB. And they adjourned into an executive session.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Retreat was good, DBHDD appointment, computers * 4, utilities trucks @ LCC 2018-02-26

Chris Yarborough resigned from the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities Board (DBHDD) and Kelley Saxon has applied; she spoke about her qualifications. There are For Consideration four computer purchase items and only one bid for two 1 Ton Dual Wheel Truck with Service Body for the Utilities Department.

Below are links to each LAKE video of yesterday morning’s Work Session, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda. Gretchen is on her way with the LAKE video camera to the 5:30 PM voting session. Continue reading →

Agenda: DBHDD appointment, computers * 4, utilities trucks @ LCC 2018-02-26

The missing agenda finally showed up sometime around when the Work Session started yesterday.

Chris Yarborough resigned from the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities Board (DBHDD) and Kelley Saxon has applied. There are four computer purchase items and one bid for two 1 Ton Dual Wheel Truck with Service Body for the Utilities Department.

LAKE videos of the Work Session will follow shortly, and Gretchen is on her way with the LAKE video camera to the 5:30 PM voting Regular Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, February 26, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, February 27, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

No agenda and no Lowndes County Commission website @ LCC 2018-02-26

They published no agenda for their recent planning session, and today their website is down before their 8:30 AM Work Session, so if there’s an agenda on it, nobody can see it. Gretchen is going there anyway, to see if they are doing anything.

no logo

Five years ago, Industrial Authority Executive Director Andrea Schruijer said:

It’s not that we’re saying we don’t have broadband. We have connectivity; that’s not the issue. We have great partners that help us with that.

The next week, February 25, 2013, lowndescounty.com was down. Just like today.

In October 2013, County Chairman Bill Slaughter said,

We have broadband!

One year ago, he said:

We can’t wait on someone else to do something, we are going to have to move forward.

So far this forward motion is hard to see.

-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!

Videos: Day 2, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-20

These videos are for those of you who have jobs, or responsibilities, which prevent you from taking random days or hours off at a time. Commissioner Marshall was absent from the second day of the retreat because he has a job which does not allow him the flexibility of daytime hours off. (The first day of the retreat was on Presidents Day.)

The topics of discussion ranged from the ever popular litter and trash collection, to special tax districts, fire and emergency response, animal control and the animal shelter, and one of my favorites, electronic records. Most presentations were made either by the county manager or clerk but the current Deep South Solid Waste Authority Chairman Kevin Beals was first up to talk trash.

Below are links to each LAKE video of Day 2, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of Day 1 and Continue reading →

Videos: Day 1, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-19

The 2018 Lowndes County Commission Retreat was just about the exact opposite of a commission meeting, except that same group of people are present (almost). There was discussion, disagreement, laughing, sighing, interrupting, listening, inside jokes, outside jokes, and general exchange of views. Those things don’t happen in a commission meeting. This year’s retreat was particularly different because there was no time frame attached to any agenda item and they didn’t discuss topics in exact order, and some topics got covered repeatedly. Commissioner Evans said to me during a break that the previous format of having departments just give a report can “get boring” and she had suggested that they have a different format with more discussion about communications.

The agenda was available on-line but was hard to find and the link I followed to find it is gone now. I did manage to download it before it went away. Find it here: 2018 LCC Annual Planning Meeting Agenda (plus searchable text). There were paper copies available at the meeting after the first break.

I sometimes think that the commissioners may be getting used to me but then, no, don’t be silly.

At the lunch hour, the Commissioners stepped outside to take a group picture and as County Clerk Page Dukes suggested that they get closer and not have so much “space” between them, Commissioners Orenstein and Griner (I live in their districts) huddled together.

Commissioners Gather Group Photo Close Group Photo
  Commissioners Orenstein and Griner

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes followed by a LAKE video playlist. Continue reading →