Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Thanks for CHIP and lower monitors; also solar just to the south —John S. Quarterman @ LCC 27 Sep 2011

I thanked the Commission for doing the right thing about the CHIP grant. And for at least three people sitting up front (Evans, Paulk, and Pritchard) lowering their monitors so citizens (and even cameras) could see their faces.

Then I relayed the news about the $1.5 billion investment in Gadsden County, Florida for a 400 MW solar project. Plus ongoing jobs, expanded education, private sources of investment, and customers for the electricity. Unlike the failed local biomass project, National Solar Power’s Gadsden County project already has Progress Energy signed up as a customer for its electricity. I recommended that the Commission go on record as being in favor of such projects locally.

Here’s the video:


Thanks for CHIP and lower monitors; also solar –John S. Quarterman @ LCC 27 Sep 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 September 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Thanks for accepting the CHIP grant —Carolyn Selby @ LCC 27 Sep 2011

Carolyn Selby stood up to thank the Commission for accepting the Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP) grant.
This grant will serve people who are in the 80% or below median income bracket. These people probably would not be able to afford purchasing a house without down payment assistance. And especially in today’s economic times these people need a hand up. Instead of renters, they become taxpayers, and that certainly helps our economy.

Here’s the video:


Thanks for accepting the CHIP grant –Carolyn Selby @ LCC 27 Sep 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 September 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Stray dogs and the law @ LCC 27 Sep 2011

A citizen (didn’t get his name; sorry) stood up to remark on the stray dogs that kept getting loose in his neighborhood, and how when animal control came they just took the dogs back to their owners, who let them loose again. Chairman Ashley Paulk had no hesitation in saying the sheriff should be called on the owners.

Here’s the video:


Stray dogs and the law @ LCC 27 Sep 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 September 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

CHIP Grant: Twice Ashley Paulk Broke the Tie @ LCC 27 September 2011

Twice Tuesday Ashley Paulk broke a tie to vote for assistance state-funded assistance for poor people for affordable housing. Joyce Evans made the motion, Crawford Powell said nothing, Richard Raines was absent, and Paulk seconded and broke the tie for.

Tuesday the Lowndes County Commission considered a routine acceptance of a Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP) grant. The previous morning at the work session, Commissioner Raines had (according to the VDT) said he was against it. (This is the same Richard Raines who thought NOAA Weather Radios were “wasteful spending” back in March.) However, Raines was not at the regular session Tuesday; presumably he was on one of his many sales trips. Twice, Commissioner Evans made a motion related to CHIP, and Commissioner Powell did nothing. Twice, Chairman Paulk exercised his privilege in such a case and broke the tie, seconding and voting for the CHIP grant.

The first CHIP vote was 9.a. Resolution of Intent to Submit a 2012 CHIP Grant Application and Commitment Letter

Here’s Part 1 of 2: Continue reading →

Commission votes to subsidize saddle club

Tuesday the Lowndes County Commission voted to renew a land lease contract with a saddle club for I’m pretty sure they said $100 a year. Commissioner Powell made the motion. Yet he said nothing at all a few minutes before and after when two votes came up about routine acceptance of a Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP) grant to help relatively less affluent people afford housing. Commissioner Raines, who grandstanded about CHIP the previous morning at the work session, apparently had no problem with the saddle club subsidy. He didn’t show up Tuesday to vote for or against either.

Now I have nothing against the saddle club; I know little about it. It’s the double standard that bothers me.

If you have trouble hearing what is said in this video, thank the Commissioners for the award they gave LAKE.

Here’s the video:


Commission votes to subsidize saddle club
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 September 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Farm Day Recognition —Mara Register @ LCC 27 Sep 2011

Mara Register from the Mayor’s office of the City of Valdosta came to the Lowndes County Commission to speak about Valdosta Downtown Farm Days, May through September.
One of the wonderful things about this event is it highlighted our beautiful historic courthouse. It highlighted our local growers and producers, and our historic downtown. But also went further to help promote healthy eating in our community.

…bringing people together to the downtown area to take advantage of the products that were produced here locally. The sense of conviviality was just wonderful, bringing the community together. It’s very exciting actually to see several of our vendors here this evening.

Ashley Paulk, on his very best behavior that day, recognized his neighbors the Quartermans Continue reading →

Lowndes County Commission: presentations, appointment, resolutions, and contracts

No rezonings but a nomber of other things. Too bad this one is only in the work session; sounds interesting:
6. Community Wildfire Protection Plan Presentation (Buck Kline) — Work Session Only
Here’s a writeup about Chief Senior Ranger Buck Kline.

There’s an appointment to a relatively new (1994) board:

7. Appointment for Introduction – South Georgia Community Service Board-Sheila Wakeley

Here’s the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

WordPress blog on animal protection problems

Susan Leavens has branched out from her facebook page, Georgia’s Regulatory Animal Protection Division the truth behind them, and has now created a WordPress blog, Georgia Department of Agriculture Animal Protection Problems

Among other things, she’s reposted a bunch of LAKE posts about animal shelter issues. That’s kosher, as long as there’s attribution, which she has included. I applaud Susan for starting her own blog!

-jsq

Notice regarding videoing or photographing

Through a chain of emails yesterday we received this item originating at the County Clerk’s office.

This may or may not be what the Commission voted on Tuesday. It’s not signed by any of the voting Commissioners or the County Clerk.

It says it’s a NOTICE. Is a Notice an ordinance?

It’s still not on the County’s website list of ordinances.

So many questions!

Cynics might have still other questions.

-jsq

News so good, there’s a law against it!

I’d like to thank the Commission for the award!

Louis XIV handing down an award
at Versailles
I and LAKE will wear it proudly. The VDT doesn’t have one of these. WCTV doesn’t have one; WALB doesn’t have one. Only LAKE posts news so good, there’s a law against it!

It’s now been a week since the Lowndes County Commission passed an ordinance for no stated reason, not on the agenda, and not read to the public. It’s still not on the county’s online list of ordinances. Gretchen was covering an event Friday at which she saw Commissioner Crawford Powell; she asked him to send her a copy of the ordinance. Five days later, nothing has arrived.

So, our only clues are Commissioner Raines’ remarks that it had something to do with videoing and photographing. And his remarks that he believed that the Chairman could do it on his own, but he’d like to make a motion for the Commission to approve it.

So we have to guess it had something to do with Ashley Paulk’s outburst of the previous morning, in which he flattered me by addressing me and only me by name, even though there were at least two video cameras recording the meeting. This is what he was going on about:

The County Commission wishes from this day forward that any filming be done from the media area in the back corner of the room.
He didn’t say anything about still photography, or for that matter about digital videoing, so I don’t know whether what he said had anything to do with whatever it was that Commissioner Raines moved Tuesday and the Commission approved. Nor does anybody else know.

Now a cynic might say, Continue reading →