Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Packet: AB Motorsports withdrawn, Wild Adventures glamping @ GLPC 2023-04-24

The rezoning request for AB Motorsports has been withdrawn by the applicant, and the rezoning is still live for the Wild Adventures Safari Campground, for RVs, cabins, and glamping, at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting tonight.

We know this because, a day late and a dollar short, Lowndes County late yesterday supplied most of the board packet.

[Maps, rezonings @ GLPC 2023-04-24]
Maps, rezonings @ GLPC 2023-04-24

Just after I posted the agenda and sent them email reminding that it had been four working days sent LAKE sent the open records request and that the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) requires a response in three days, as their own County Clerk web page says: “Once a request is received, Lowndes County will notify the requesting party within 3 days regarding the availability of the information”; a few minutes later the county sent the agenda packet materials for the two rezonings.

But once again they did not satisfy this part of the request: “Including the minutes of the previous GLPC meeting (those are NOT on the lowndescounty.com website).”

Considering that the planners for Dasher, Lake Park, Hahira, and Valdosta responded the same day as the request (saying they had no items), I really do not see what is so difficult for Lowndes County to respond in a timely manner according to state law. They have to have the same materials already available for GLPC, so all they need to do is email a few PDFs.

Even better, why can’t Lowndes County put board packet materials on their own website, as many counties smaller and larger in Georgia and Florida have been doing for years? Why do you, the taxpayers and voters and other interested parties, have to depend on a third party to find out what an elected government is doing?

The materials thus far received from Lowndes County for tonight are on the LAKE website.

-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!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Agenda: Rezonings for AB Motorsports and Wild Adventures @ GLPC 2023-04-24

Update 2023-04-24: Packet: AB Motorsports withdrawn, Wild Adventures glamping @ GLPC 2023-04-24.

Two sports-related rezonings will be considered by the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) Monday evening, for a recommendation by GLPC and a later decision by the Lowndes County Commission (LCC).

[Agenda and rezonings @ GLPC 2023-04-24]
Agenda and rezonings @ GLPC 2023-04-24

Here is the agenda.

LAKE has no board packet to show, because Lowndes County has not responded to a LAKE open records request of 8:00 AM Tuesday, four working days ago, even though the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) requires a response within three working days.

As a placeholder, I’ve stuck in a couple of maps of the rezoning areas from the Lowndes County Tax Assessors maps.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, April 17, 2023 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, April 24, 2023 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Agenda: Lowndes County Commissioners Planning Meeting 2023-04-12

In Lowndes County’s annual Planning Retreat, these items seem especially interesting, for today and Friday:

Wednesday- 2:00 p.m. Unified Land Development Code Ordinance Update

Friday- 8:30 a.m. Ordinance Update Discussion

It’s hard to tell what will be discussed in the other agenda items, since they have labels like “Finance” or “Departmental Updates”.

[Agenda]
Agenda
PDF

Not sure when this was posted, but it is under Lowndes County News: 2023 ANNUAL PLANNING MEETING AGENDA. Continue reading →

Videos: Recognitions, Extension Office, Raise waste collection rates, Howell Road halfway house rezoning, appointments to 3 boards @ LCC Work 2023-04-10

Update 2023-04-24: Videos: Howell Road Halfway House approved in split vote @ LCC Regular 2023-04-11.

Yesterday the Lowndes County Commissioners had no discussion about what Chairman Bill Slaughter referred to as “One public hearing item that just will not go away.” That’s 7.a. REZ-2022-10 Campus Transitional Care, 2193 Howell Road, E-A to P-D. The Commissioners vote at the Regular Session this evening at 5:30 PM. They can make it go away for at least a year by denying the rezoning.

[Collage @ LCC 10 April 2023]
Collage @ LCC 10 April 2023

On 8.b. Amend 2015 Solid Waste Ordinance, Gretchen remarked: “In my mind, it seems super inconvenient to shorten the hours of the collection sites on Monday and Friday. If someone works 8-5, then getting their recycling there by 6 is not possible.

“Oh, but this isn’t for the health, safety and well being of the citizens, Continue reading →

Packet: Raise waste collection rates, appointments to 3 boards, crop sprayer for wastewater sprayfield @ LCC 2023-04-10

It’s back: the Howell Road halfway house rezoning, after being tabled last time, waiting for a full Commission. The Lowndes County Commission will vote on it tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM.

All the same opposition letters and petition signatures are included in the board packet. Staff still recommends approval, although the Planning Commission recommended denial by 7:3.

[Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10]
Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10

The Letter of Intent from Redeemed Living includes this: “Redeemed Residents are required to maintain full time employment, attend weekly recovery meetings, and become an active member at a Church of their choosing.” Is that establishment of religion? Continue reading →

Packet: Raise waste collection rates, appointments to 3 boards, crop sprayer for wastewater hayfield @ LCC 2023-04-10

It’s back: the Howell Road halfway house rezoning, after being tabled last time, waiting for a full Commission. The Lowndes County Commission will vote on it tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM.

All the same opposition letters and petition signatures are included in the board packet. Staff still recommends approval, although the Planning Commission recommended denial by 7:3.

[Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10]
Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10

The Letter of Intent from Redeemed Living includes this: “Redeemed Residents are required to maintain full time employment, attend weekly recovery meetings, and become an active member at a Church of their choosing.” Is that establishment of religion? Continue reading →

Videos: James Road rezoning and three water projects @ LCC 2023-03-14

The contentious James Road rezoning passed by 3:2, on March 14, 2023. After speakers for and against, and questions from Lowndes County Commissioners, Commissioner Clay Griner made the motion, and Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker seconded. They and Commissioner Scottie Orenstein voted in favor. Commissioners Joyce Evans and Demarcus Marshall voted against.

[Collage @ LCC 14 March 2023]
Collage @ LCC 14 March 2023

Everything else passed unanimously, including the $1.2 million for three water projects, two for subdivisions with golf clubs, and the most expensive one to run a watermain up Val Del Road, enticing more subdivisions up that way.

Cost What
$980,051.00Val-Del Water Main Extension
$225,910.30Francis Lake Sewer Rehab
$26,585.50Kinderlou Offsite Well Emergency Repair
$1,232,546.80Total

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also Continue reading →

Packet: James Road rezoning and three water projects @ LCC 2023-03-13

Update 2023-04-04: Videos: James Road rezoning and three water projects @ LCC 2023-03-14.

The board packet for the March 13 and 14, 2023, sessions of the Lowndes County Commission is on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

[Collage, Board Packet, LCC 2023-03-13]
Collage, Board Packet, LCC 2023-03-13

It is still mysterious why the county does not put its board packets on its own website. Under Agenda Center for each County Commission agenda there is even a pulldown slot for “Packet”. That currently has only the agenda and the one-page agenda sheets. There is no reason it could not instead have the PDF of the entire board packet.

See also the LAKE videos of the Regular Session, the LAKE videos of the Work Session, the agenda, the minutes, and the preceding 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!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Videos: Howell Road Halfway House tabled @ LCC Regular 2023-03-28

Update 2023-04-10: Packet: Raise waste collection rates, appointments to 3 boards, crop sprayer for wastewater hayfield @ LCC 2023-04-10.

As suggested by Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker yesterday, the rezoning was tabled until the next Lowndes County Commission meeting: 6.a. REZ-2022-10 The Campus Transitional Care Facility, 2193 Howell Road. It was tabled before the Public Hearing, so I would guess that means they have to send out notice again for a Public Hearing. The motion to table was by Commissioner Wisenbaker, second by Commissioner Scottie Orenstein, and it passed unanimously by the four voting Commissioners present. Commissioner Clay Griner was not there, which was the purpose of tabling: wait until all five Commissioners are there.

Interestingly, most of the people who came for the Howell Road public hearing stayed to the end. They didn’t leave when the item was tabled. This was very unusual.

[Collage @ LCC 28 March 2023]
Collage @ LCC 28 March 2023

The Land Bank Authority appointment was also tabled until the first meeting in April, due to lack of nominations.

Everything else passed unanimously.

On the waste collection franchises by Continue reading →

Packet: Howell Road rezoning, Trash colleciton centers, Windstream Broadband map @ LCC 2023-03-27

Update 2023-03-30: Videos: Howell Road Halfway House tabled @ LCC Regular 2023-03-28.

The Lowndes County Commission board packet for this week’s meetings contains no letters supporting the Howell Road halfway house rezoning. It does contain eleven opposition letters plus 31 pages of opposition petition signatures, which at about a dozen a page comes to somewhere around 372 signatures. Commissioners will decide tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM, after a Public Hearing.

[Howell Road rezoning, Trash colleciton centers, Windstream Broadband map @ LCC Packet 2023-03-27]
Howell Road rezoning, Trash colleciton centers, Windstream Broadband map @ LCC Packet 2023-03-27

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

See also the agenda and the LAKE videos of this morning’s Work Session.

-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!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate