Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Budget, Surplus, Abandonment, Evidence, Workers Comp, Manhole @ LCC 2015-01-26

Update 25 January 2015: Additional item #5 Anti-Chaining Ordinance Request – Dr. Amanda Hall;
see separate post.

Lowndes County won

an award
for its budget as “a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device.”


All good except: as a communications device?
They’d probably have to publish drafts of it before they passed it for
that to be true.
Unless they mean as in a public telling, not a public hearing.
They won last year, too,

along with 45 other winners in Georgia
,
including Valdosta.
Award, or passing grade?

No rezonings, but

surplus computing devices
,
abandonment of
Deloach Road E (CR 95),
more on the
never-ending juvenile justice Evidence Based Associates topic,
and

sewer gasses corrode manhole covers
. I wonder how much gases
corrode pipelines?

The agenda (PDF) still doesn’t give the dates; just Monday and Tuesday, so I’ve inserted them in [brackets].
But congratulations on having the agenda online a week in advance!

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, [January 26th] 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, [January 27th] 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Expanded agenda, VLDA appointment, jail, taxes, water @ LCC 2015-01-12

Whose terms are up and who’s being considered for
appointment (Teri Lupo for VLDA again),
who
bid and how much (including



showers
and

roofing

for the jail),
and some detail about

two

tax

rates
:
these are all big improvements to the agenda!
I do wonder where the agenda item for the Water Trail resolution is.

However, there’s room for improvement.
Even though you get this same extended agenda when you select “packet”
for download, it is not the complete board packet.
For example, each agenda item has a one or more page agenda item
form, and each proposed agreement or contract typically is include
in the paper packets the Commissioners get.
There are no rezoning cases on this agenda, but when there are,
those always contain several maps in the board packet, and often
other information.
There’s an HTML version of the agenda, in addition to PDF:
that’s another big improvement!
The HTML code includes this at the end of each item:


<div class="documents"> </div>

So it looks like the website software the county is using is prepared
to include such documents.
Maybe the county will actually include them soon.

Here’s the agenda
in HTML
and in PDF on the county’s website,
and I’ve also included it inline below. Continue reading

Sunshine for local government


We’ve got a little list, a spreadsheet as a list,

please don’t take this as a diss, we think they have been missed….



Unlike Ko-Ko’s in the Mikado,

this list
is of things previously
missed that are slowly being found (or created),
so local governments can tell the citizens what fine things they’ve
been up to, and so citizens can decide what they need to deal with
and what topics they can provide input on.
Here’s the

LAKE sunshine list for local government
.

The Lowndes County Commission just got some additions,
with
its new website,
by

posting videos of its own meetings
,
and by

posting agendas and minutes for the Planning Commission
.

The Valdosta City Council does pretty well, with its website,
its agendas and minutes,
and
the

agendas and summaries and minutes for ZBOA
.
Valdosta does not (yet) video and post its own meetings, but
it does have what appears to be

a complete list of its ordinances with links to their text
.
Dasher also has
its ordinances online
.



Meanwhile the Lowndes County Commission has only Continue reading

Housing, paving, appointments, solar, packets, wells, pipeline, and trash! @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15



Very respectable turnout and impressive interaction
at the first-ever Town Hall by an individual Lowndes County Commissioner:

Demarcus Marshall, Super District 4, 15 December 2014
.
See and read his

State of District 4 address
.
You can read his

summary of issues and concerns
,
and you can watch citizens express those concerns in
the

LAKE video playlist:
Continue reading

Topics and Highlights @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15


There were overwhelming complaints about Advance Disposal Sanitation

customer service.” Many other issues and concerns are listed in this text published by Demarcus Marshall (PDF)
of feedback received and
and
LAKE videos
of the Town Hall Meeting 5 December 2014. -jsq

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall

Super District 4


Post Office Box 1349 ● Valdosta, Georgia 31603-1349 ● Phone (229) 671-2400 ● Fax (229) 245-522

Super District 4 and Concerned Citizens,


300x388 Thanks to those who came, in Topic and Highlights @ Town Hall Meeting, by Demarcus Marshall, 15 December 2014

I want to thank those who came to my Town Hall Meeting on December
15, 2014. It was a pleasure to hear from you. Your presence made the
event a success and I look forward to another one in the near
future. I have listed the “Topics and Highlights”
addressed at the Town Hall Meeting below for your review. As well, I
have released my State of the District Address for the public. It is
my sincere hope that you will remain actively involved in our local
community. In the meantime, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays
and a blessed New Year!

Sincerely,

[signed] Demarcus A. Marshall Continue reading

State of District 4 Address –Demarcus Marshall @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15



Text published by Demarcus Marshall (PDF)
and LAKE video of his address at the
Town Hall Meeting 15 December 2014. -jsq

For those unaware, Super District 4 was a newly created district in
Lowndes County two years ago. I assumed this office without a
predecessor to this district seat. It was my understanding of this
district to compliment the other districts by adding more
responsiveness and accountability for the citizens of Lowndes
County.

Upon being elected and occupying the seat, I inherited a wonderful
staff; however, the county faced several challenges. The economy was Continue reading

Videos: Swearing Commissioners this morning @ LCC 2014-12-19



Here are videos of
swearing in the new Commissioners,
Commissioners, Mark Wisenbaker (District 3) and Scott Orenstein (District 2),
and also the re-elected Commissioner, Demarcus Marshall (District 4),
by
Senior Superior Court Judge, H. Arthur McLane, at 10 AM this morning,
19 December 2014. Continue reading

Swearing Commissioners this morning

On the county’s website under News Flash aka Spotlight
(but not in the county’s calendar),

New County Commissioners scheduled for ceremony
,

On December 19, at 10:00 a.m., Senior Superior Court Judge, H.
Arthur McLane, will swear in newly elected Commissioners, Mark
Wisenbaker (District 3) and Scott Orenstein (District 2). The new
Commissioners will officially take office effective January 1, 2015.
You are invited to attend this event to be held in the Commission
Chambers, Lowndes County Administrative Building, 327 North Ashley
Street, Valdosta, Georgia.

-jsq

Lowndes County’s own videos @ LCC 2014-12-09

Paige Dukes told us about this Monday, but why steal her thunder
about

the county’s new website
and the videos on it?

Joe Adgie, VDT, 17 December 2014,

Lowndes County website goes live
,



County residents can pay bills, read county ordinances, search for
real estate and read meeting agendas on the new site.

In addition, a first for the county government, videos of the
Lowndes County Commission meetings are also available through the
site and on YouTube.

“Due to schedules, Continue reading

Town Hall meeting tonight with Demarcus Marshall, Lowndes County Commissioner District 4



A commissioner who represents half the county wants to listen
to all of the county tonight at the Civic Center, 6PM.
facebook event.

6PM Monday 15 December 2014

Lowndes County Civic Center


2102 E Hill Avenue

Valdosta, GA 31601

An evening to address community concerns, solicit ideas and feedback, and have an opportunity for your voice to be heard by your elected county commissioner!

Dr. Demarcus Marshall

Lowndes County Commissioner

Super District 4

-jsq