Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Videos: Day 1 of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03

300x400 Commission and agenda, in Agenda, by John S. Quarterman, 3 March 2015 It’s good the Commission is having these meetings where they can hear directly from the various department heads. And with LAKE’s videos, you the citizens can hear what the departments are asking for.

Also, why are these called budget hearings? The public doesn’t get to speak, so they are not actually public hearings, and they are not the state-required budget hearings before passing a budget: they don’t even have a draft budget yet. And the next time the Commission rushes citizen speakers to finish, remember this 14 minutes of dead air or the several others like it in yesterday’s meeting.

They met in the Commission Chambers, nevermind the address on the Commission’s calendar yesterday, and still says for today’s meeting.

There’s still no agenda posted, except for paper copies in the Commission building, which read as below. Continue reading →

Three days of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03

Billed back in December as “Commission Meets with Constitutional Officers, Elected Officials, and Outside Agencies” and two weeks later than originally scheduled, it’s three days of what is on the County’s calendar now as Budget Hearings, today, Wednesday, and Thursday, all three days at the Lowndes County Governmental Building, 300 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31601.

There’s no agenda posted.

At least these meetings are on the county’s calendar before the last minute, which is an improvement on last year. However, last year they did publish an agenda. Here are videos of last year’s similar hearings.

-jsq

Sabal Trail contractor yard at end of Valdosta Airport runway

300x388 Lowndes County, GA, next to Valdosta Airport, in Sabal Trail Contractor Yards aerial maps, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 20 February 2015 The same company that sued Lowndes County in 2007 to try to put a tall building above the 30-foot height limit in Valdosta’s Runway Protection Zone now appears to want to put a contractor yard for Sabal Trail’s fracked methane pipeline in the same location. Will this involve any tall cranes? What about Moody’s flights off of that runway at Valdosta Airport? And what about those aquifer recharge zones?

Among the contractor yard maps Sabal Trail filed with FERC 20 February 2015, there’s this one: Continue reading →

Videos: 1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23

In the briefest Planning Commission meeting I can recall, Stovall got her rezoning of 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension recommended unanimously Monday 23 February 2015. Ivy Gate subdivision’s second phase to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road at 4088 Cat Creek Road was also recommended unanimously. Nobody spoke for or against either rezoning, and there was no discussion from Commissioners, other than a recommendation by Commissioner Wildes that all lots face interior roads for Ivy Gate.

After the rezonings, Commissioners joked that with a meeting so brief they might catch up with the County Commission. County Chairman Bill Slaughter responded, “Actually, we just showed up to show you how to run a quick meeting.” The difference is GLPC actually does discuss when there’s something to discuss. These cases will show up on the County Commission agenda for March 10th, so we’ll see who takes longer on them then.

Here’s the agenda, and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23

Stovall wants to rezone 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension and Ivy Gate subdivision wants a second phase to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road. The existing Ivy Gate Subdivision is on Bowen Way. The only nearby property on Cat Creek Road is 4088 Cat Creek Road, across the road, owned by James Arthur Kutzli.

Thanks to Lowndes County for starting to post Planning Commission agendas including this one.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Monday, February 23, 2015 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →

REZ-2015-02 Devine packet materials @ LCC 2015-02-24

Gretchen filed an open records request for all the natively-electronic materials from the board packet, especially including the list of the Commission’s own goals, but all we got was the one rezoning item, REZ-2015-02 Devine for the 23 February 2015 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. At least they sent that much by email, but even so it’s missing important information that I wonder if the Commissioners noted wasn’t there before they voted.

New material in here, different from Continue reading →

Videos: Dr. Grow, Devine, VLPRA @ LCC 2015-02-23

Dr. William R. Grow, District Health Director, presented about the state of the Health Department, and County Manager Joe Pritchard reported revisions to both the county’s Solid Waste Ordinance and the franchise agreement for solid waste were in progress. They ended by going into an executive session to discuss real estate.

For Parks and Rec Board, former Lowndes County Commissioner Richard Raines read a prepared statement, while Scott Willis, hearing specialist with Hearing Care Resources, gave an extemporaneous presentation, including that he was formerly on the VLPRA Advisory Board, and he’s been coaching children and working with the elderly. Commissioners had no questions for either applicant.

Tonight they’ll vote on a list of goals that is in their packet but they haven’t shown you the taxpayers.

Perhaps coincidentally, Continue reading →

Devine Subdivision returns @ LCC 2015-02-23

Tabled last time, partly due to opposition from residents of nearby Stone Creek about safety due to increased traffic, REZ-2015-02 Devine Subdivision on Tillman Crossing Rd is back, as is REZ-2015-01 Gramercy 2 in the form of Adopt Resolution accepting infrastructure for its predecessor Gramercy 1.

Also on the agenda for tomorrow morning is Dr. Grow Presentation-Work Session and an open Parks and Rec position has two applicants: former Lowndes County Commissioner Richard Raines and Scott Willis, hearing specialist with Hearing Care Resources.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2015 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

LCC Rezoning items packet materials @ LCC 2015-02-10

Here are the rezoning items from the board packet for the 9 February 2015 Work Session and the 10 February 2015 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. For the maps from the Engineering Department items, see separate post.

The County Clerk once again provided this information only Continue reading →

Maps for Naylor Boat Ramp, Frank’s Creek Bridge, and Deloach Road @ LCC 2015-02-10

300x186 Naylor Boat Ramp aerial, in Maps from board packet, by John S. Quarterman, 10 February 2015 The three maps arrived by email for the engineering items in the Lowndes County Commission Monday Work Session and Tuesday Regular Session. The rest of the response to that Open Records request did not, so I’ll have to go back again to pick up the rest of it on paper. And the other Open Records request, for Continue reading →