Appointments to 3 boards, a rezoning, and more: Video Playlist Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 June 2012. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
The Lowndes County Commission continues to make decisions about waste disposal at meetings to which the public is not invited.
County Manager Joe Pritchard said at yesterday morning’s Work Session:
Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, I’d like to give you an update
concerning the sales of the trash cards for use for access to the convenience centers. As we discussed in our retreat as well as in consideration of the budget staff will be having, will have these cards ready by this Friday for sale to the public. Cards will be for a six month period. The cost will be $50 for that six month period. We will not be able to allow those cards to be [interjection from unknown commissioner: “prorated”] as we did the previous ones. This will enable us to complete the process that Commissioners asked us to do concerning evaluation of several RFQs and RFPs that we will be presenting to you in the next weeks or months. This will be available this Friday. A notice will be placed [inaudible].
So apparently waste disposal was decided at the 4 June 2012 stealth meeting or at their April retreat at an undisclosed location. We don’t know where our elected officials made this decision about a matter that directly affects us. Apparently what they’ve decided so far is they’re going to buy time to pick one or more waste disposal pickup contractors (“RFQs and RFPs”) by issuing trash collection center cards for only six months at a time instead of a year at a time. And oh by the way they won’t prorate any time if you don’t happen to buy yours Friday. So the Commission continues to move towards privatizing the profits of trash pickup and socializing the losses onto landowners (who have to pay for fences and gates), onto the general public (who have to pay for law enforcement to catch dumpers), and onto those who can’t afford to pay for private dump fees (who will get stuck with fines instead).
Waste disposal has been decided: when? Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 June 2012. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Commissioners met briefly Monday morning to review the 2013 county budget proposal, which addresses waste management and cost of living increases for county employees.
The whole story is well worth reading, especially since it seems to be the only public record of that public "open" meeting. It includes this paragraph:
“Commissioners also plan to outsource waste management services to a private contractor in the next year. Currently, county residents purchase a card for $100 that allows for annual usage at collection centers. This year, citizens will be able to purchase a six-month card for $50. No firm commitment has been made concerning when the waste management Request for Proposals will be issued, but it's expected before the year's end.”
When did the Commissioners decide this? There's been no such vote recorded in any minutes I've seen. Did they vote at this unannounced and unminuted meeting? If not then, when did they?
Better late than never, I suppose; yesterday there was no agenda posted; this morning it’s there: the agenda for this morning’s work session. It does not appear to have anything about waste management. It does have appointments to there boards, a rezoning, and a bunch of for considerations.
-jsq
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2012, 8:30 a.m. REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2012, 5:30 p.m. 327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Call to Order
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Minutes for Approval
Work Session — May 7, 2012 (May 21, 2012, Work Session cancelled)
An appointment, a road abandonment, three rezonings, and a bunch of for considerations: they did take longer than five minutes.
Here are videos of the entire Tuesday 8 May 2012 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. Here’s the agenda. Here are videos of the previous morning’s work session.
Video Playlist Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 8 May 2012. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
The second of two meetings on the Lowndes County Commission According to the calendar for Monday morning, 11 June 2011, is about SPLOST, and also involves all the cities in the county.
SPLOST Meeting/ (6/11/2012)
The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners along with the City of Valdosta, City of Hahira, City of Dasher, City of Lake Park and City of Remerton will be holding a SPLOST meeting on Monday, June 11, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room on the 2nd floor of the Administration Building.
SPLOST is not to be confused with LOST (created by the legislature), nor with ESPLOST for educational purposes, and certainly not with T-SPLOST for transportation.
As of July 1, 1985, Georgia law enabled local jurisdictions to use SPLOST proceeds for capital improvement projects that would otherwise be paid for with General Fund or property tax revenues. SPLOST stands for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. This is a one-cent sales tax, which the State of Georgia allows counties to collect to fund specific improvement projects. SPLOST must be approved by voters in a general referendum in order to be enacted and last for a maximum of 60 months (five years) or until the total amount of revenue specified in the referendum is reached. The SPLOST projects and the amount of money raised by SPLOST were identified prior to voting on the SPLOST referendum. The proceeds of the tax must be spent for capital (non-operating) items by the county government and participating municipalities within the county.
That page also includes a list of SPLOST projects completed by January 2010.
According to the calendar for the Lowndes County Commission, there are two meetings scheduled Monday morning, 11 June 2011. There's no agenda posted for either of them.
Lowndes County Work Session (6/11/2012)
Lowndes County Board of Commissioners 327 N. Ashley St – Commission Chambers, 2nd Floor Administration Building Valdosta, GA 8:30 a.m.
This is the first time in a long time there's been no agenda up less than a day before a County Commission Work Session. Rumor has it that they're going to talk about one of the most contentious and ill-planned issues around: solid waste disposal. Is rumor how we the citizens and taxpayers should hear about that?
The other meeting on the calendar for tomorrow is about SPLOST; see other post.
Here are videos of the entire February meeting of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC). I would post their agenda, but they didn’t publish one.
Regular Session, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 February 2012. Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
How did conservation zoning get put on part of Robert Dinkins’ property at Lake Alapaha? County records conflict on that point. Was it important to keep that conservation zoning? Staff thought so, but the Planning Commission thought otherwise, and the Lowndes County Commission decided to agree.
The second county case in the 27 February 2012 Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting was
REZ-2012-02 Dinkins, Southern Shore, 0264 007 A&B, ~97 ac., R-21 & CON to R-A, well/septic. They spent 8 1/2 minutes on it, mainly listening to the requester, Robert Dinkins, wonder how any part of the subject property was zoned for conservation. Staff recommended the conservation zoning remain. GLPC voted to recommend removing it.
Here’s a video playlist of this rezoning item in all three meetings (GLPC, LCC Work Session, and LCC Regular Session):
Conservation at Lake Alapaha: REZ-2012-02 Dinkins Regular Session, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 February 2012. Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 March 2012. Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 March 2012. Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Housing, driveway width and possible change to the ULDC, conveyance to relatives, number of housing units, and other issues: the Planning Commission discussed all these and recommended a rezoning with a few conditions (limit of 2 houses). The County Commission zipped through making a decision.
Time isn’t everything, and staff did visit the site and clarify some points and Commissioners did ask a few questions in the Work Session, but the Planning Commission spent much more time examining this case.
Here’s a video playlist of REZ-2012-02 in all three meetings (GLPC, LCC Work Session, and LCC Regular Session):
Width, houses, and inheritance: REZ-2012-01 Whitehead/Black Regular Session, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 February 2012. Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 March 2012. Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 March 2012. Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Here are videos for the 11 June 2012 Lowndes County Commission Work Session. Including a speed zone ordinance they plan to pass this evening; we the public have no idea what's in it. Here's the agenda.
