Category Archives: Taxes

Packet: Two rezonings, Pictometry, Lift Station quit claim, Val Del Estates subdivision infrastructure 2022-10-10

Update 2022-10-31: Videos: Rezonings, pictometry, lift station @ LCC 2022-10-10.

The two subdivision rezonings won’t cost anything, according to the Lowndes County Commission, even though on the same agenda there’s a resolution to adopt infrastructure for another subdivision that the county will then have to maintain, and a quitclain of a sewage lift station in another subdivision.

The only thing for which they do detail costs is aerial mapping of the county as requested by the Tax Assesssors’ office.

Cost What
$39,979.33 years 1-3Eagleview Pictometry Agreement between the Lowndes County Board of Assessors and Pictometry International Corp.
$40,310.67 years 4-6Eagleview Pictometry Agreement between the Lowndes County Board of Assessors and Pictometry International Corp.
$80,290.00Total

All that plus a beer license at the Work Session this morning, to be voted on in the Regular Session at 5:30 PM Tuesday.

[Maps, LCC Packet 2022-10-10]
Maps, LCC Packet 2022-10-10

Here is the agenda. The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. For the two rezonings, see also the Continue reading →

Videos: LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26

Update 2022-10-24: Videos: LAS, TIA, Facilties, Emergency @ LCC 2022-09-27.

A report on Hurricane Ian by EMA Director Ashley Tye (could be here by Wednesday) took eight minutes of the eighteen minutes of yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.


[LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26]
LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26

Nonetheless, there was a surprising amount of discussion of other items, especially on 5.c. Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Old Clyattville Road Widening and on the $1,364,736.00 5.d. Comprehensive Facilities Energy Savings Project Amendment, which everybody agreed should not have needed so much fixing so soon.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also agenda and board packet. Continue reading →

Videos: Redo rezonings and a citizen paving request @ LCC 2022-09-13

Two weeks agao the Lowndes County Commission at its Regular Session recognized Fire Chief Lloyd Green for finishing second in his age class in a recent road race.

Then they unanimously approved the previously-rejected O’Neal James Road rezoning, after applicant’s attorney Bill Langdale pointed out the code infractions would have to get fixed regardless of the rezoning decision.


[Rezonings and Citizens To Be Heard, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2022-09-13]
Rezonings and Citizens To Be Heard, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2022-09-13

On the previously-decided Campus Howell Road rezoning, they voted twice to invalidate their previous vote. because first they forgot to hold the public hearing. Twice because the Chairman first forgot to hold the Public Hearing. In the Hearing, several citizens spoke against the rezoning. The actual rezoning decision will be taken somewhere between six and nine months later, after the other Public Hearing held just after this Public Hearing.

In the other Public Hearing, they took no vote, since the vote will be sometime between March and May 2023. The rezoning may also go before the Planning Commission again before then. One citizen spoke against, asking why bother going through the Planning Commission again considering that the County Commission rejected the previous GLPC recommendation. County Chairman Bill Slaughter said GLPC will be asked if that is required for due process. Joshua Knight and Brent Moore spoke for.

All the extraterritorial water and sewer extensions passed, but both the Valdosta ones by split votes.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker voted against the Griner Park work, saying it is not a top priority and later they might get more than one bid. It passed anyway.

Everything else passed unanimously.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Packet: Sewage LAS expansion testing, Old Clyattville Road widening, Replace county palace chiller @ LCC 2022-09-26

Update 2022-09-27: Videos: LAS, TIA, Chiller, Ian @ LCC 2022-09-26.

This week the Lowndes County Commission will spend $1.4 million, mostly on fixing faulty chillers on their meeting building, but also $45,460 on the South Lowndes Land Application Site (LAS) which handles the county’s sewage.

Their Work Session is 8:30 AM this morning. They vote at their Regular Session, 5:30 PM tomorrow evening, September 27, 2022.

Cost What
$1,364,736.00Comprehensive Facilities Energy Savings Project Amendment Resolution
$45,460.00South Lowndes LAS Expansion Assessment and Testing
$1,410,196.00Total

Plus some amount of previously-authorized funds to widen Old Clyattville Road.

And there’s a beer and wine license.

[Collage Lowndes County Commission Packet 2022-09-26]
Collage Lowndes County Commission Packet 2022-09-26

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. Here is the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Millage, tax assessment, 3 utilities, ZBOA, Juvenile Justice @ LCC 2022-08-23

They approved all the utilities items, radios, building, and manholes, at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session of Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

They adopted the FY2022 millage rate (slightly lowered), including the fire district millage rate (same as last year), and they approved a software module for the Tax Assessors to use to facilitate citizen appeals to appraisals.


[Collage, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2022-08-23]
Collage, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2022-08-23

They reappointed John “Mac” McCall to the Valdosta Lowndes Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA), they approved a Juvenile Justice grant, and they approved a subdivision decorative lighting district.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein is also Chair of the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA).

County Manager Paige Dukes said the Commission’s year-end retreat would be Friday, November 18, 2022, and they would hold it in their offices (not on Jekyll Island this time). The Lake Alapaha drinking water treatment plant is still not finished, and there are ARPA funds available for that and other water projects. Utilities Director Steve Stalvey reported on a sinkhole problem near a lift station that they were dealing with. It was apparently caused by a lightning strike, for which they are seeking insurance reimbursement.

The whole thing took nineteen minutes.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Videos: GA Forestry, $3 million, redoing 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water and sewer @ LCC 2022-09-12

Update 2022-09-26: Videos: Redo rezonings and a citizen paving request @ LCC 2022-09-13.

Update 2022-09-21: Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29.

Other than the seven-minute not-on-the-agenda Georgia Forestry presentation by Lowndes County Chief Ranger Mike Williford, the highest-dollar item got the most discussion: Griner Park, at the corner of Webster and Ashley Street.

There was no discussion of the items about redoing their botched rezoning decision.

They did kvetch about each of the extraterritorial jurisdiction items for water and sewer, alleging it was all somebody else’s fault. But why did the county not catch these earlier?

That was at the Work Session yesterday morning. The Lowndes County Commission voted this evening at their Regular Session.


[Videos and a picture]
Videos and a picture

Some Commissioners seemed unclear on why they were spending so much on Griner Park. Here’s Gretchen’s take: Continue reading →

Packet: redo 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water & sewer, $438,537 RR crossing, $2,542,586 Griner Park @ LCC 2022-09-12

Update 2022-09-21: Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29.

Update 2022-09-13: Videos: GA Forestry, $3 million, redoing 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water and sewer @ LCC 2022-09-12.

Update 2022-09-13: County rehab center vote invalid –Valdosta Daily Times 2022-09-12.

Update 2022-09-13: Videos: slides @ LCC Millage 2022-08-23.

Lowndes County will approve spending almost $3 million this week, on a downtown Valdosta park and a railroad crossing, but you wouldn’t know that from the agenda.

[Maps]
Maps

Fortunately, the board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

Maybe Lowndes County could put board packets on its own website, like other counties large and small in Georgia and Florida have been doing for many years.

Cost What
$2,542,586.00 Griner Lot Improvements
$438,537.00 Briggston Road Paving Project Agreement with Valdosta Railway, L.P.
$2,981,123.00Total

The county will also redo two rezoning decisions for which the the Chairman previously decided split votes.

Plus three extraterritorial jurisdiction water and sewer requests, one from Hahira for a sprayfield, and two for commercial properties by Valdosta.

And the county is accepting infrastructure for a subdivision, while as usual pretending that won’t cost the taxpayers anything.

Here is the agenda. See also: Continue reading →

Packet: Juvenile Justice, Manholes, Tax Appeals Module, Subdivision lighting @ LCC 2022-08-22

Update 2022-08-23: Videos: Juvenile Justice, Manholes, Tax Appeals Module, Subdivision lighting @ LCC 2022-08-22.

That’s a lot of subdivisions in the Basic Decorative Lighting District.

[Grove Pointe Phase V and Basic Decorative North West Lowndes County 2 Revised]
Grove Pointe Phase V and Basic Decorative North West Lowndes County 2 Revised

The board packet for this week’s Lowndes County Commission Work and Regular Sessions is on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

The County wrote, “There is no meeting packet for the Millage Rate Meeting.” They did send an agenda for that meeting, which consisted of this:

  1. Call To Order
  2. Public Hearing—Millage Rate
  3. Adjournment

See also the LAKE videos of the Work Session and the agenda.

-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!

Notice: Special called meeting about LOST @ LCC 2022-08-26

Notice appeared yesterday of a meeting at 8:30 AM this morning. A very rudimentary agenda was provided.

[LOST]
LOST

Special Called Meeting

Friday, August 26, 2022

Date: August 26, 2022

Time: 8:30 AM

Location: Board of Commissioners Administration Building

Address: 327 N. Ashley Street
2nd Floor
Valdosta, GA 31601

The agenda: Continue reading →

Videos: Juvenile Justice, Manholes, Tax Appeals Module, Subdivision lighting @ LCC 2022-08-22

Update 2022-09-14: Videos: Millage, tax assessment, 3 utilities, ZBOA, Juvenile Justice @ LCC 2022-08-23.

Update 2022-09-13: Videos: slides @ LCC Millage 2022-08-23.

A Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant was the longest item at yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, followed by manhole improvements. The manholes will cost $439,836.00, but the grant will provide money to the county.

The two millage items taking no more than 18 seconds each, with presentation deferred to the 5PM Public Hearing today. They vote on all these items at 5:30 PM this evening.


[Stills]
Stills

Two technical items took Continue reading →