Category Archives: Government

Videos: Why Emergency bridge fixes? Appoint Tax Assessors? Rush Project Max? @ LCC 2016-01-12

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 →

Videos: Why Emergency bridge fixes? Appoint Tax Assessors? Rush Project Max? @ LCC 2016-01-11

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 →

Agenda Item for Project Max before County Commission @ LCC 2016-01-11

Here’s the item summary for the hush-hush REZ-2016-01 Project Max Summary on Monday morning’s the Lowndes County Commission agenda, after the rush-rush Special Called Planning Commission meeting. -jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM

SUBJECT: Rezoning Case REZ-2016-01

DATE OF MEETING: January 12th 2016

Regular Meeting (x)
Work Session (x)
Recommendation (x)
Policy/Discussion ( )
Report ( )

BUDGET IMPACT:

FUNDING SOURCE:
( ) Annual ( ) SPLOST ( ) Capital (X) N/A

REZ-2016-01 Project Max, Rocky Ford Rd
E-A to M-2, County Water and Sewer, ~123 acres

ACTION REQUESTED ON:
 

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: Continue reading →

Appoint Tax Assessors? Rush Project Max? @ LCC 2016-01-11

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
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

Continue reading →

Valdosta election results and oaths @ VCC 2016-01-07

Tonight, election results, a homeland security thermal imaging grant, and bench placement on streets. And a church food bank, already heard by the Planning Commission 30 November 2015.

Here’s the agenda.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, January 7, 2016
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Continue reading →

Videos: Heavy Manufacturing politics @ GLPC Special 2016-01-05

Even the Planning Commissioners weren’t told what company “Project Max” is, because the Development Authority is still bidding the location as one of two being considered by the company. See also the agenda the previous update. Planning Commissioners did have quite a few questions about expansion, appropriate zoning, any potential pollution or contamination, etc. Naturally, the Planning Commission recommended approval, so the actual decision will be before the County Commission next Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, here are links to the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Update: Heavy Manufacturing site provided by Langdale @ GLPC Special 2016-01-05

We still don’t know what company might locate on Rocky Ford Road, but we’re told it’s clean, Site location needs water to cool its boiler which will be fired by natural gas, that it rejected Bassford Business Park because of air quality (too near Sterling Chemical?), and we have the location of the new site, which turns out to be on land owned by Langdale Capital Assets, Inc.

Speaking for the rezoning from the Development Authority were Executive Director Andrea Schruijer, Industry Coordinator Stan Crance, and Chairman Tom Call. Every Lowndes County Commissioner was present. When asked how an agenda the same day was enough notice, Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport said the Special Called Meeting was actually announced in the Valdosta Daily Times last week. Also that the rezoning will only take effect if the Development Authority buys the land first. Gretchen asked a few questions about parking: if the business is going to expand, will there be enough? Someone told Gretchen that the company would have solar power.

We shall see. And you will be able to see this meeting by tomorrow in the LAKE videos Gretchen took. Continue reading →

Heavy Manufacturing rezoning on special called Planning Commission agenda @ GLPC Special 2016-01-05

Update 7:30 PM 5 Jan 2016: The land is owned by Langdale, and why not Bassford Business Park.

Henry Manufacturing (the one in Oregon? Decatur, GA?) on the agenda for a Special Called Meeting of the Planning Commission, just announced today, for 5:30 PM today. Apparently the Development Authority thinks it’s landed a big fish and wants a rezoning for it. Which 134 acres on Rocky Ford Road is not clear: there’s no such size tract according to the Tax Assessors’ map.

Map of properties on Rocky Ford Road

All the large tracts are owned either by Langdale Company or a Langdale investment corporation. Or it could be out of the 219.99 acre tract owned by the Paine Clarence M. Family Trust or the 187.76 acre tract owned by Griffin LLC. As usual, we the taxpayers are left guessing. Tonight at 5:30 PM maybe we’ll find out. -jsq Continue reading →

Videos: Surprise boat landing, MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste @ LCC 2015-12-08

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked the Lowndes County Commission to spend the funds the citizens of Lowndes County approved on the SPLOST VII referendum for the Naylor Boat Ramp:

Motion by Commissioner Demarcus Marshall We are proposing for the purchase of 4.35 acres of property on the Alapaha River designated for the purpose of a boat ramp. You have the documentation there before you, the warranty deed. And as you are aware, this also reserves for an easement by the current owner, a proposed easement, and the appraisal is for $24,000, as is the purchase price, and that is the consideration for the proposed easement.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein asked: Continue reading →

Videos: MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste @ LCC 2015-12-07

Here are videos from Monday morning’s Work Session. They already met again to vote this evening. See also the previous Planning Commission agenda with the packet materials obtained by LAKE for the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) condition changes, the Moody Activities Zones (MAZ) changes to the ULDC, and the Orchard at Tillman Crossing and the LAKE videos of that meeting.

Here’s the Lowndes County Commission agenda, which also includes many other items, such as the obscurely named Execution of the Resolution for Hazardous Waste Trust Fund, which is about the closed landfill at Clyattville.

Here’s a video playlist:


Videos: MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 December 2015.

-jsq