Some of our elected officials wonder few people ever speak up around here.
It’s simple: they owe their soul to the company store.
If you don’t go along, you don’t get business.
As Tennessee Ernie Ford sang in that old Merle Travis song:
Continue readingYou load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store
They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.
At yesterday’s Work Session, there were two unscheduled reports.
Mark Stalvey of the county Housing Authority
said they’re working together with Habitat for Humanity
to form a nonprofit for collecting funds for rehabilitating
housing, and they’re asking for $5,000 each from Valdosta and Lowndes County
to get the nonprofit up and running, in return for which each would get
to appoint some board members; the rest would be elected by the nonprofit board.
Last, Tina Folsom with Lowndes Associated Ministries to People (LAMP) said their executive director left, so they don’t need their space in the Leila Ellis building. They’d like to be let out of their lease and have the funds applied to another county building they’re also renting space in.
See previous post for context and the agenda. Below are links to each LAKE video of the Work Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
The Lowndes County cases
are the ones the County Commission is reviewing
this morning in their Work Session.
GLPC recommended approval for all of them, with conditions on one,
REZ-2016-03 Jacob Eckwahl on US 41 South.
See also the GLPC agenda and the LAKE videos of the 19 Jan 2016 GLPC Work Session. Below are the LAKE videos of the 25 Jan 2016 GLPC Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
Not on
the agenda,
they started with
a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan.
Expecting from
the email announcement about the Comprehensive Plan
that this would be a typical SGRC tables-and-easels mill-about meeting,
I didn’t show up on the dot and was quite surprised to find
the Planning Commission and staff in their usual spots.
See separate post.
Here are the LAKE videos with some notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
Monday morning 8:30 AM, the Lowndes County Commission
will hear about
(they vote Tuesday evening)
four well and septic rezoning cases,
one of them
from R-10 to E-A,
and another
of 114 acres from E-A to R-A.
The usual wine, beer, and liquor licenses,
a
County Purchasing Card and Credit Card Ordinance,
a
2016 Public Defender Contract Renewal
and
Proposal from Lovell Engineering for Stafford Wright Road Paving Project.
I remember residents of that road asking years ago for it to be paved;
instead the county paved Quarterman Road.
Here’s
the agenda.
See also the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission Work Session and Regular Session.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Continue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Suing local businesses
helps run up fees to the county attorney, says County Manager Joe Pritchard.
He didn’t mention that continuing to promote sprawl for example through the county’s thoroughfare plan also runs up fees that property taxes will never meet.
Commissioners seemed
very concerned about “stakeholders” whom they said were “the development community, the real estate community” and “the construction and homebuilder industries”.
Maybe somewhere they mentioned the agricultural and forestry industries,
or sales tax payers even if they don’t own real estate; if so I missed it.
At least they’re thinking about the Comprehensive Plan
and the general direction of the county in a public forum.
And the County Planner did talk about quality of life.
Plus it seems business prospects bringing that up got the attention of the County Manager.
They said they have a responsiblity to set the direction of the county.
How about instead of continuing to drive sprawl outwards,
which is a fiscally (and environmentally) irresponsible path,
turn to directing development to be more dense in already-developed areas?
They continue this morning at 8:30 AM, and Gretchen is there again with the LAKE video camera.
Here’s the agenda followed by links to each LAKE video with a few notes. See also two previous pictures.
We are looking forward to the improved communication that was touted in the VDT headline. Jason Stewart, VDT, 4 February 2016, Slaughter wants to strengthen communication, Continue reading
Plenty of observer seats available.
They were waiting on Demarcus Marshall. He arrived shortly with his own food. Can being the lone vote be worrisome? Here’s the agenda.
-jsq
Turns out they did post an agenda for the Planning Meeting this morning and tomorrow,
just not on
the county calendar nor in their agenda section.
Hm, Accountability Court: will they have to go to that?
Gretchen is there with the LAKE video camera at
Quail Branch Lodge, 7601 Zeigler Road, Lake Park, GA.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMSSIONERS
2016 Commlssion Plahning Meeting Agenda
Quail Branch Lodge
7601 Zeigler Road, Lake Park, GeorgiaThursday, February 4-
0:00 a.m. Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Audit Report — Henderson & Godbee, LLC 9:15 a.m. Finance — Stephanie Black 10:15 a.m. Break 10:30 a.m. Speclal Purpose Local Option Sales Tax — Harrison Tillman Continue reading
County government and local issues: change orders, sole-source contracts, suing local companies, meetings with little notice, going back on their own resolutions, can’t see what they are voting on, and what are their ordinances?
If you want to help, we have a little list of tasks you can do.
And two County Commission seats and the Chair are up for election this year,
plus county school board, sheriff, and a bunch of other offices.
What: LAKE Meeting
When:
6:15PM Tuesday 9 February 2016
after the
Lowndes County Commission meeting
Where:
Michael’s Deli
1307 N Ashley St.
Valdosta, GA 31601
If you’re on Facebook, please Like the LAKE facebook page. You can sign up for the meeting event there, Or just come as you are.
-jsq