Continue readingLOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Can the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
commit we the local taxpayers to a $150 million bond issue
for a private company like the
Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority just did?
Maybe.
VLCIA has already issued $15 million in bonds for which apparently the Lowndes County Commission has committed the county, that is, we the taxpayers, to pay the debt service. That comes out of VLCIA’s one mil of dedicated tax income. But according to the intergovernmental contract, it’s actually not even just from VLCIA’s current millage:
The current VLCIA millage is one mil, or about $3 million a year, collected by the county in property taxes and handed over to VLCIA.
Section 4.4 Security for Contract Payments and for Bonds.
(a) The obligation of the County to make the payments required pursuant to Section 4.1(a) hereof shall be a general obligation of the County for which its full faith and credit is pledged, and shall be payable from any lafully available funds, subject to the Tax Funding Limit. In particular, the County agrees to levy an annual tax on all taxable property located within its boundaries, as now existent and as the same may be extended, at such rate or rates, as limited by the Tax Funding Limit, as and when it may be necessary to provide the County with sufficient revenues to make all payments required to be made by the County under this Contract.
But VLCIA’s charter says (in Section 5): Continue reading
That’s the Withlacoochee Trickle, er, I mean River, at the Staten Road Bridge in Lowndes County, Georgia.
You have to already know that, since the only sign says Continue reading
According to Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization:
Update: On Monday June 13, Cat Creek Rd will be closed at Beatty Mill Creek for bridge repairs. Repairs should take approximately 3 days, and a detour route will be established. Motorists are urged to use caution and to pay attention to all traffic control devices while traveling on Cat Creek Rd. If there are any questions or concerns please call the Lowndes Co. Engineering Dept. at 229-671-2424.
VLMPO had that on their facebook page hours before lowndescounty.com
got around to posting it on their own website.
And on lowndescounty.com it’s a a PDF, not a webpage.
Maybe the county will get the hang of this web stuff eventually.
-jsq
Update 9:30 PM 6 June 2011: it’s slipped a week. -gretchen
PRESS RELEASE County Engineering Division
327 North Ashley Street P. O. Box 1349 Valdosta, GA 31603 Telephone: (229) 671-2424 Fax: (229) 245-5299
On Monday June 6, 2011, Cat Creek Road (CR 777) will be closed at Beatty Mill Creek for bridge repairs. The construction site is located north of Old Radar Site Road, between the address points of 4916 Cat Creek Road and 4989 Cat Creek Road. These repairs should take approximately three (3) days, and a detour route will be established. Travelling south, the detour route utilizes New Bethel Road to State Route 125 (Bemiss Road). Travelling north, the detour route utilizes Radar Site Road to State Route 125 (Bemiss Road).
Motorists are urged to use caution and to pay attention to road closed signs and all other traffic control devices while traveling on Cat Creek Road. If there are any questions or concerns please call the Lowndes County Engineering Department at 229-671-2424.
Recently, there has been more interest and observation of some
parts of local government by active citizens,
on topics ranging from
the
animal shelter
to
biomass
to
education
to
farmers markets
to
fast food vs. neighborhoods
to
private prisons
to
the Quitman 10
to
solar power
to
T-SPLOST,
all in aid of
transparency.
Engaging elected and
appointed officials in
dialog about the concerns and best interests
of the community
has been challenging.
Yet we can see the sun a little clearer through the smoke.
Ensuring that people who will engage in dialog and seek the benefit of the entire community are appointed to boards lies in the hands of the elected officials. Electing people who engage in dialog and seek the benefit of the Continue reading
Yesterday:
Tomorrow will be a week and I have had no response! Very disappointing.-Jane Osborn
Today:
Continue readingMrs. Osborn,
Thank you so much for your support. The County manager and several county employees interviewed all the workers after a drug screen was conducted on all employees back in late august of 2010. Several (4) employees advised the people conducting the investigation (Joe Prichard, Mickey Tillman, Page Dukes and Suzanne Pittman) of the charges brought to the Department of Agriculture. From the
“It’s no longer a case of an individual making a claim, as it will be evident by the physical evidence provided by the security cameras,” said Pritchard. “The standard operating procedures such as frequency of inspection of the animals and how often an animal will be reviewed or examined, along with the veterinarian care, have been revised to the general procedures set by guidelines of the Department of Agriculture and the animal control ordinance we adopted several years ago.”
“You take that policy, coupled with the updated standard operating procedures, added to the technical verification and I think that addresses the issues,” said Pritchard. “My purpose is to eliminate any problem or potential problem.”
Sounds to me like he’s saying the issues are resolved.
Remember,
“resolved” is the word Chairman Paulk used a few hours before.
If anyone is interested in watching the watchers, the animal control ordinance is online.
-jsq
David Rodock wrote 26 May 2011, Tour of the Lowndes County Animal Shelter
As promised at Tuesday’s Lowndes County Board of Commissioners meeting, the Lowndes County Animal Shelter (LCAS) allowed the public the opportunity Wednesday afternoon to get a behind-the-scenes look at the facility that has recently come under fire.
Employees, both past and present, have accused several shelter employees of inhumane treatment of animals, the mishandling of tranquilizers and illegal operating procedures.
At least two of the speakers at the commission earlier in the day
took the tour:
Jessica Bryan Hughes
and
Judy Havercamp.
One of the visitors summed it up: Continue reading
From: “Schneider, Vincent H”Continue reading
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 12:15:18
To: Schneider, Vincent H,rraines@lowndescounty.com
Subject: Schneider: County Engineer: Foxborough Subdivision StreetsCommissioner Raines,
Sir,
I hope your day is going well. I’m spending half this afternoon with the dentist getting a permanent crown installed and the other half with my wife’s kidney doctor. Life must truck on regardless of the Foxborough McDonalds issue.
Sir, twice I made statements to you in regards to County Engineer, Mr. Mike Fletcher. I now wish to present my position in writing. My first statement was during our first phone conversation on 18 May 2011. During that conversation I rather colorfully stated