Category Archives: Law

Rezonings, Alcohol, public defender, and paving Stafford Wright Road @ LCC 2016-02-08

Monday morning 8:30 AM, the Lowndes County Commission will hear about (they vote Tuesday evening) four well and septic rezoning cases, one of them from R-10 to E-A, and another of 114 acres from E-A to R-A. The usual wine, beer, and liquor licenses, a County Purchasing Card and Credit Card Ordinance, a 2016 Public Defender Contract Renewal and Proposal from Lovell Engineering for Stafford Wright Road Paving Project. I remember residents of that road asking years ago for it to be paved; instead the county paved Quarterman Road. Here’s the agenda. See also the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission Work Session and Regular Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

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

Animals and humans @ LCDP 2015-12-07

The county government is less clear about animals than it asks citizens to be. Tonight the Lowndes County Democratic Party is doing what the county has never done: holding a public forum on animal rights. Apparently there are some human rights involved, too, given recent allegations of a deputy with gun drawn and arson.

Last month two more citizens complained to the Lowndes County Commission about treatment of dogs, including about three dogs that may not have shelter and barking dogs and apparent retaliation through arson. That second speaker, as he said, had already spoken up back in June about animal control taking his grandson’s dog out of a kennel, yet he said when he complained about a barking dog a deputy came out with gun drawn to demand he come out of his house “like a common criminal”. At the time the Chairman asked citizens to be “clear and direct”.

Yet it’s not clear what the county has done about any of this, nor about Continue reading →

Videos: Law, radio, solid waste, busses, and qualifying fees @ LCC 2015-11-10

A month ago, nobody on the County Commission or staff knew how much the extra equipment might cost for the three Sheriff’s pursuit vehicles, but they awarded the bid to Langdale Ford anyway. The automobile dealer on the Commission did have some computations on why the higher bid might be more cost-effective. “We have the bids in the room” said the County Engineer, recommending awarding $1,188,500 to the Scruggs Company for Graded Aggregate Base, Curb-and-Gutter and Asphalt. He also noted “they will come in and place the curb and gutter”. The County Engineer also announced flashing and then regular traffic lights at Tillman Crossing on Old US 41 North.

Two citizens talked about dog problems: three dogs perhaps without shelter and barking dogs and arson.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall is holding a Town Hall December 15th.

Here’s the agenda. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session. Below are links to each of the videos of the Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Meanwhile, they already met again this morning and will vote again Tuesday evening. Continue reading →

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

This morning at 8:30 AM, then for voting Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM, the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) condition changes, the Moody Activities Zones (MAZ) changes to the ULDC, and the Orchard at Tillman Crossing from the previous Planning Commission agenda are on this morning’s very long Lowndes County Commission agenda, along with many other items. Among them, the obscurely named Execution of the Resolution for Hazardous Waste Trust Fund is about the closed landfill at Clyattville.

See also the LAKE videos of the 30 November 2015 GLPC meeting, and this morning’s agenda is below.

-jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, December 7, 2015, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, December 8, 2015, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Law, radio, solid waste, busses, and qualifying fees @ LCC 2015-11-09

The bid on three pursuit vehicles for the Sheriff got a question from Commissioner Scottie Orenstein about maintenance costs for which a staffer from Public Works just happened to be available to answer. Result: not the low bid. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked if they were going to pay $7,000 more per vehicle ongoing. Answer from County Manager Joe Pritchard: case by case. This was Monday morning 8:30 AM. They vote this evening (Tuesday) at 5:30 PM.

There was also a report from County Engineer Mike Fletcher about coordination with the railroad about traffic crossing from Old US 41 N.

Here’s the agenda. Below are links to each of the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Law, radio, solid waste, busses, and qualifying fees @ LCC 2015-11-09

Monday morning 8:30 AM: a million bucks for road paving (Phillips Road, Burkhalter Subdivision, Cannon Drive, and Terracewood Drive), and an unknown (but smaller) amount in a grant re-application for the county’s on-demand MIDS bus system.

$30,534 plus shipping for two “screwpeller aerators” for the county’s Land Application Site (LAS), aka spray field: the county does not have a wastewater treatment plant. I’m pretty sure that’s the county’s LAS just east of Grassy Pond, southwest of Lake Park.

It only costs $360 to qualify to run for Tax Assessor, here in the only Georgia county that elects them.

Here’s the agenda. Continue reading →

Videos: Moody MAZ text amendments to ULDC back again @ LCC 2015-10-26

After the County Commission Work Session shown in these LAKE videos, the Planning Commission met Monday evening, and this evening (Tuesday 5:30PM) the County Commission votes, but will table the ULDC amendments.

In addition to all the other items on the agenda and mentioned in the previous post, they went into an Executive Session about Pending Litigation. Who are they suing now? Or who’s still suing them about for example James Road?

Here are links to the LAKE videos of yesterday morning’s meeting, followed by a video playlist.

Moody MAZ text amendments to ULDC back again @ LCC Regular 2015-10-26

The Planning Commission meets Monday evening to consider those ULDC amendments, MAZ-ULDC-text-amendments-001 so county staff will recommend to the County Commission at their Monday 8:30 AM Work Session that they table the MAZ text changes at their Regular Session Tuesday 5:30 PM evening. Meanwhile, the Air Force wants to maintain the road rights of way for Davidson Road and along Grassy Pond. And the Land Bank Authority wants to appoint some more members, acording to “the attached resolution” which of course we the taxpayers aren’t allowed to see without an open records request.

Elected Probate Judge McDowell can appoint a part-time associate judge, but she needs the county commission to approve funding the salary. The DA wants to continue a Victims of Crime Act Victims Service grant.

Annual renewal of health care service provider and Section 125 Plan Document.

Two more Lift Station (sewage) pumps, at Val-Tech new for $20,076.42 and at Whitewater repairs for $13,353.65.

Finally, bids for Disaster Related Debris Removal Proposals required by FEMA, plus the usual beer, wine, and liquor licenses.

All that in Continue reading →