Here are LAKE videos of each agenda item of the Monday, July 26, 2021, Regular Session of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), followed by a LAKE video playlist. The big item was 5. VA-2021-16 (pt 1) Uvalde Land Co. Deannex 310 acres from the City of Valdosta.
See also the agenda and Deannexation east of Withlacoochee River linked to subdivision west @ GLPC 2021-07-26. LAKE videos of the following Lowndes County Commission and Valdosta City Council meetings will also be up soon.
What does a big parcel of flood plain property on the east (left) bank of the Withlacoochee River have to do with a subdivision to the west, both on the agenda for this Monday’s Greater Lowndes Planning Commission?
Well, both seem to have been requested by the same person, who is also somehow involved with the owner of the land in between.
What do the various LLCs and people involved want to do with hundreds of acres of floodplain next to the Withlacoochee River? They probably can’t build subdivisions on it, but they could log it, dig sand mines, put a shooting range there, or many other possibilities that might not be good for the river or nearby homeowners.
I have filed an open records request with Lowndes County so we can find out more.
Let’s start with the Valdosta deannexation case:
City of Valdosta Cases:
- VA-2021-16 Uvalde Land Co. (Cherry Creek — Withlacoochee River) Deannex 310 acres from the City of Valdosta
A Valdosta deannexation and a Lowndes County rezoning case seem linked, although that is not obvious by the agenda for Monday’s Greater Lowndes County Planning Commission. See the next blog post for how.
Here is the agenda.
Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~Monday, July 19, 2021 5:30 P.M. Work Session
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Monday, July 26, 2021 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia
Lowndes County, GA, has a budget Public Hearing today at 5PM, and a Special Called Board of Commissioners Meeting on June 29th to approve the budget. It will include the new fire special tax collection district, the one that is causing tax assessment notices to go out again with corrections.
As usual, the draft budget is not on the Finance Department web page. Probably if you go down to the Commission office and wheedle, they will point you to one bound copy you can look at.
Here is the agenda for today’s budget meeting, which is just before the Continue reading
After many years of rising sentiment, the voters in November 2019, approved changing Lowndes County from being one of only two of 159 Georgia counties that elected its Tax Assessors to appointing them, and the legislature agreed. Finally in September 2020 the Lowndes County Commission appointed three new Assessors, and on January 5, 2021, they were sworn in. Their first official meeting is tomorrow.
![[Vote, Swearing, Judge, Assessors]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/assessors/2020-01-05--swearing-in/many.jpg)
Vote, Swearing, Judge, Assessors
Applying for the Board of Tax Assessors according to the agenda for the 21 September, 2020, Work Session and the Tuesday, 22 September Regular Session were Mr. Gene Felts and Mrs. Gretchen Quarterman. The Tuesday voting was a bit more complicated. Continue reading
Here are the answers to these questions from Saturday:
These answers came from JD Dillard, Lowndes County Planning and Zoning Director. I called him yesterday before the Regular Session Tuesday, and he called back with the answers.
How does the Department of Health determine septic system sizes? Partly by Continue reading
A busy agenda for 8:30 AM Monday morning, with voting 5:30 PM Tuesday, includes especially taxes, and alcohol, sewer, twice, education, extension agents, Prison Work Details, and Architectural Services for Lowndes County Fire Station #5 – Bemiss Road Fire Station Alterations and Additions.
![[Aerial Map]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2020-08-24--lcc-packet/August-24--25-2020-Commission-Meeting-Packet-0012.jpg)
Aerial Map for Uncle Carlo’s Italian Ristorante, 1024 Lakes Blvd., Lake Park, GA.
Plus appointment of a new County Clerk, Belinda Lovern, and Deputy Clerk, Sabrina Denson. No posting of the positions is mentioned.
| Cost | What |
|---|---|
| $147,954.00 | Annual Contract Renewal, Georgia Department of Corrections – Prison Work Details |
| $141,841.00 | Contract for Extension Agents and Staff |
| $110,000.00 | Peterson Road Lift Station Emergency Repair |
| $44,400.00 | Architectural Services for Lowndes County Fire Station #5 – Bemiss Road Fire Station Alterations and Additions |
| $41,840.00 | Nelson Hill Discharge Manhole |
| $5,699.35 | Tax Commissioners’ Back Wage Settlement with Department of Labor |
| $-32,000.00 | USDA Building Lease Amendment No. 4 |
| $459,734.35 | Total |
The Lowndes County Commission is Repealing Approvals Authorizing the Tax Commissioner to Waive Penalties and Interest, apparently because of a Tax Commissioners' Back Wage Settlement with Department of Labor.
After last year’s vote of the people to ask the Georgia legislature to make the Tax Assessors appointed, not elected, the legislature did that. Now the County Commission is setting the number of Assessors at three, with initial staggered terms of 3, 4, and 5 years, and after that 3 years for each.
This is after two weeks ago the Lowndes County Commission rolled back the tax millage rate slightly.
Here is the agenda. The entire board packet, together with the Minutes of the meetings of two weeks ago (Work Session, Millage Hearing, and Regular Session) is on LAKE website.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
There was pushback on lowering the millage rate at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday morning. They will decide this evening at 5:30 PM at the Regular Session.
The Commissioners, like some of the public, also wanted to know when there will be a new County Clerk. Answer, from the former County Clerk, Paige Dukes, who is now the County Manager: not yet; maybe next meeting (two weeks from now).
The $0.9 million low bid from Reames for road paving and a box culvert got no discussion from Commissioners.
The Scruggs Company was offered a special exception to the Comprehensive Plan; one that actually makes sense.
Yes, the Copeland property backs up to PCA.
The Verizon tower got no questions from Commissioners.
Below are links to each LAKE video with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and board packet, and the millage rate hearing at 5PM today (Tuesday).
The board packet for the Tuesday Lowndes County Commission Regular Session says, on page 65, which is the agenda sheet for agenda item 6.a. Adoption of Millage Rate:
HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: The Board of Commissioners is required to set the county-wide millage rate for 2020. A public hearing was held prior to this adoption as required. The county-wide millage should be set at 10.851 mills with the County receiving 8.601 mills, the Industrial Authority receiving 1.00 mill and the Parks and Recreation Authority receiving 1.25 mills. This represents a reduction of 0.087 mills.
I wondered: when was this public hearing?
![[10.851 mills, 8.601 County, 1.00 VLDA, 1.25 VLPRA. reduction of 0.087 mills.]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2020-08-10--lcc-packet/August-11-2020-Meeting-Packet-0065.jpg)
10.851 mills, 8.601 County, 1.00 VLDA, 1.25 VLPRA. reduction of 0.087 mills.
According to the county’s online calendar, it hasn’t hapened yet, because it’s 5:00 PM that same Tuesday.
So if you’re going to the Regular Session, might as well show up half an hour earlier for the Millage Rate Meeting. Chances are, you’ll be the only member of the public there.
-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!
$3,200,415.50 was on the agenda for this week, presumably approved by now by the Lowndes County Commission, in which they also appointed Paige Dukes to succeed Joe Pritchard as Lowndes County Manager.
| Cost | What |
|---|---|
| $2,500,000.00 | GEFA Loan Application |
| $289,498.00 | Acceptance of FY 2021 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant |
| $198,775.00 | Fiber Optic to Lowndes EOC |
| $102,762.00 | Judicial System Software Purchase |
| $45,790.00 | Annual Contract Renewal for Mosquito Identification and Testing |
| $40,000.00 | Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Accountability Court Lowndes County DUI Court- State Court |
| $23,590.50 | Approval of Clyattstone Rd.-Simpson Ln. ROW and Easement Purchases (Parcels 26 and 34) |
| $0.00 | Amendment to TPO Agreement FY2021 – Transit |
| $3,200,415.50 | Total |
That’s 2.6% of the $120 million county annual budget.
Curious that they’re willing to spend $198,775.00 for fast, reliabile, Internet connectivity to their own offices but nothing for the rest of the population of Lowndes County.
I’ve lost track of how much they’ve spent on Clyattstone Road to connect Old US 41 N and Val Del Road to promote development in that area.
I commend the county for the GEFA Loan Application for wastewater utilities projects:
HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority offers funding through the State Revolving Fund. Local governments are able to secure low interest loans to be used for utility projects. Lowndes County has identified several lift station and manhole rehabilitation improvement projects.
The loan can be structured to spread repayment over a period of up to 30 years; however, there is no penalty for paying the loan off early. The proposed interest rate will not exceed 1.94% While the total loan amount is $2,500,000.00 it includes a grant component which allows for forgiveness of up to $625,000.00 of the loan amount. Staff recommends approval of the GEFA Loan Application.
The entire board packet is on the LAKE website. Documents received 12:26 PM, Friday, July 10, 2020, in response to a LAKE open records request. LAKE looks forward to these documents being posted on the county’s own website along with the agenda. Continue reading
![[Map: Uvalde Land Company, LLC:]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/glpc/2021-07-26--glpc-packet/map-uvalde.jpg)
![[GLPC Agenda July 2021]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/glpc/2021-07-26--glpc-packet/GLPC-Agenda-July-2021-0001.jpg)
![[Two budget meetings]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-06-21--lcc-budget/many.jpg)
![[Proposed interior sketch]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2020-09-07--lcc-packet/Barn-Floor-Plan-rot.jpg)
![[Table of Costs (by LAKE)]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2020-07-13--lcc-packet/Table-of-costs.jpg)