Category Archives: Law

Videos: DUI Court, Cyber Security, Road Paving, Water and Sewer, and Budget @ LCC 2022-06-27

Update 2022-06-28: Three Citizens, budget, DUI, water, sewer, paving, cyber security, tractor @ LCC 2022-06-28.

Yesterday morning at their 11-minute Work Session the Lowndes County Commission and staff ran through everything as fast as the items could be read off.

Vice-Chair Scottie Orenstein presided in the absence of Chairman Bill Slaughter.

Items

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16

Update 2022-09-12: REZ-2022-10 The Campus redo because previous decision was illegal: Packet: redo 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water & sewer, $438,537 RR crossing, $2,542,586 Griner Park @ LCC 2022-09-12.

One rezoning was tabled until August 9th, then another was contentiously approved, after which a deputy escorted one opponent out of the room, at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, June 16, 2022.

Debra Tann Presentation, three rezonings

The third rezoning was approved with conditions, followed by another NIMBY walkout. That one had petitions both for and against, now on the LAKE website.

The fourth rezoning was Continue reading →

Construction board appointment, Budget, DUI Court, water and sewer, TIA, and cyber security @ LCC 2022-06-27

Update 2022-06-28: Videos: DUI Court, Cyber Security, Road Paving, Water and Sewer, and Budget @ LCC 2022-06-27.

No rezonings this week, but a board appointment, budget adoption, money shuffling for the DUI Court, and two water and sewer infrastructure adoptions that, as usual, Lowndes County pretends will not cost the taxpayers money. Plus a mower for Public Works and some cyber security stuff. All at the Monday morning Work Session and the Tuesday 5:30 PM Regular Session.

Both pages of the agenda

Here is the agenda. A LAKE open records request has gone in for the board packet.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Request to table, another rezoning withdrawn @ LCC 2020-06-16

Update 2022-06-28: LAKE videos, Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16.

The applicant’s request to table 7.a. REZ-2022-09 Flannigan, James Rd. until August was met with scepticism by Commissioner Scottie Orenstein, who said it sounded like panic after the Planning Commission had unanimously recommended denial. But he said it would be OK since the stated purpose of tabling was for the applicant to talk to the opponents, who are numerous.

Rezonings, Courts, Paving, Water

There is also a petition and letters against 7.b. REZ-2022-10 The Campus Transitional Care Facility, 2193 Howell Rd., and the neighboring property owner opposes, as two Commissioners clarified.

County Planner JD Dillard said there were petitions pro and con the Dairy Queen rezoning, 7.c. REZ-2022-11 Makesh, LLC, 900 Lakes Blvd. We have not seen them, but we have sent in an open records request for them. Update 2022-06-28: for those two peitions, see, Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16.

The fourth rezoning, 7.d. REZ-2022-12 Pittman, Phelps, Leonard, Moss Oak Trail, was withdrawn by the applicant.

The Commissioners vote this evening at 5:30 PM in the Regular Session. Before that, Continue reading →

Packet: Petitions and letters against rezonings @ LCC 2022-06-16

Update 2022-06-16: Videos: Request to table, another rezoning withdrawn @ LCC 2022-06-16.

Many letters and petition signatures against two rezonings REZ-2022-09 Flannigan, James Rd. and REZ-2022-10 The Campus Transitional Care Facility, 2193 Howell Rd.

I hear there’s actually a petition for the Dairy Queen of REZ-2022-11 Makesh, LLC, 900 Lakes Blvd. However, that petition is not in the packet as sent by Lowndes County in response to a LAKE open records request.

The Commissioners vote this evening at 5:30 PM in the Regular Session. Before that, at 5:00 PM, is a Budget Public Hearing.

Rezonings, Courts, and Water

The packet is on the LAKE website. See also the agenda. And for the rezonings, the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

-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!

4 rezonings, 2 xourts, 1 appointment, and a big ARPA-funded water project @ LCC 2022-06-16

Update 2022-06-16: Packet: Petitions and letters against rezonings @ LCC 2022-06-16.

For some reason, the Lowndes County Commission is holding both its Work and Regular Sessions on this Thursday, June 16, 2022. I hear they are in DC lobbying the federal government on Monday and Tuesday.

They are also holding a 5 PM Budget Public Hearing before the 5:30 PM Regular Session.

Rezonings

Here is the agenda. For the rezonings, see also the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Mayor announces first trash trap, committees for ARPA funds @ VCC 2022-05-19

Update 2022-06-23: Videos: Process for non-profit applications for ARPA funds 2022-05-27.

Update 2022-06-21: Valdosta Watergoat installed in Sugar Creek 2022-06-21.

Council Sonny Vickers was welcomed back warmly after abscence due to illness (I welcomed him before the meeting). Later, he thanked staff and council for their assistance.

Collage

Mayor Scott James added two council members each as observers to each of the ARPA fund disbursment committees, for non-profits and for for-profit businesses.

After Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman asked for action about trash, Council Andy Gibbs and Mayor James vied for who would get to announce what the city had already done. Mayor James in Council Comments announced the city had ordered Continue reading →

Audit, Crime Lab Hydrogen Generator, 2 ARPA Grant Selection Committees @ VCC 2022-05-19

Update 2022-05-20: Videos: Mayor announces first trash trap, committees for ARPA funds @ VCC 2022-05-19.

In a very light agenda for tomorrow evening’s meeting, the Valdosta City Council nonetheless will contemplate $1,978,502.40 in spending. They will also hear an audit report.

Amount	What
$33,502.40	Consideration of a request to purchase a Hydrogen Generator for the Valdosta-Lowndes Regional Crime Laboratory.
$945,000.00	Consideration of appointments for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Non-Profit Grant Selection Committee.
$1,000,000.00	Consideration of appointments for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Small Business Grant Selection Committee.
$1,978,502.40	Total

The Hydrogen Generator for the Crime Lab will come out of $36,000 from the General Fund. “This is the equipment that is used for drug identification and blood alcohol testing.”

The two Grant Selection Committees will dispense funds from the $16,254,692 allocated to Valdosta by the federal government in an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant, of which $8,127,346 has been received to date. The City Council previously allocated $945,000 for nonprofits and $1,000,000 for small businesses. These Committees will decide which organizations get the funds. You probably recognize many of the names on the committee candidate lists.

Selection Committees

Here is the agenda. The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, May 19, 2022
CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Continue reading →

Videos: One Valdosta-Lowndes funding, Hayden Park rezoning @ LCC 2022-04-26

At their Regular Session, Chairman Bill Slaughter pulled 7.a. One Valdosta Lowndes Community-Wide Initiative up front on the Lowndes County Commission agenda, because at least one of the OVL VIPs had another meeting: One Valdosta-Lowndes Co-Chairs VSU President Dr. Richard Carvajal and Georgia Power’s Scott Purvis, as well as Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber President Christie Moore. At least one of them left immediately after the Commissioners approved $200,000 total over five years to the Chamber to support OVL.

The County’s audio feed in the back of the room was again not working, so audio is whatever the LAKE video camera could pick up.

OVL, Hayden Park rezoning

Commissioners discussed the one rezoning, Continue reading →

Videos: $9 Million Courthouse renovations, Subdivision at N. Valdosta Road & Val Del @ LCC 2022-04-25

Update 2022-05-02: One Valdosta-Lowndes funding, Hayden Park rezoning @ LCC 2022-04-26.

At the Lowndes County Commission Work Session this morning, by far the longest at six minutes: 7.i. Historic Lowndes County Courthouse Rehabilitation Project GMP.

Courthouse, Hayden Park, OVL, TEqBID

Second longest at four minutes was the back-again contentious 6.a. REZ-2022-07 Hayden Park, ~149 acres, from R-1 to C-G, P-D, and R-10.

Third at two minutes was the $200,000 to 7.a. One Valdosta Lowndes Community-Wide Initiative, presumably mostly for hiring an Executive Director, though one hopes also some funding towards projects like the Troupville River Camp that was top of the list OVL presented to the County Commission back in November. Not clear whether the $200,000 is per year or for the entire five-year project. Vice-Chair Scottie Orenstein said VSU President Dr. Carvajal and Georgia Power’s Scott Purvis will be present at the Regular Session tomorrow evening. Nothing was said about the Chamber, to whom OVL is being handed, being present tomorrow evening.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein chaired the meeting in the absence of Chairman Bill Slaughter. If the Chairman is back at tomorrow evening’s Regular Session, let’s hope Commissioner Orenstein recuses himself on the appointment of his wife to 5.a. Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) Board. This morning Commissioner Orenstein appeared to speak for the developer on 6.a. REZ-2022-07 Hayden Park, ~149 acres, from R-1 to C-G, P-D, and R-10. Meanwhile, answering a question from Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, Orenstein said nobody had met with the opposition.