Category Archives: Transparency

Videos: Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) Meeting: Lowndes County and cities @ SDS 2019-02-04

The longest topic was water and wastewater, when elected officials from Lowndes County and its cities, Valdosta, Lake Park, Dasher, and Hahira (but apparently not Remerton), gathered on neutral ground to discuss tax revenue allocation, in a public meeting. Curiously, the Chairman and the Mayors were not invited. It’s not clear whether omitting them helped or not. There was actually mention that growth close to existing services is better than sprawl.

Below are links to each WWALS video Gretchen took, with a few notes, followed by a WWALS video playlist. See also the meeting announcement.

Videos: Fire, Library, rezonings, water main, road abandonments @ LCC 2019-02-11

The longest item was not on the agenda: Special Recognition of Fire Rescue.

Special Recognition of Fire Rescue

Second longest at two minutes was 7d. MOU with City of Remerton for Fire Inspection and Plan Review Services.

They’re adding to the agenda for voting Tuesday evening Carter Way emergency access. Maybe by then they’ll know Continue reading →

Library, rezonings, water main, road abandonments @ LCC 2019-02-11

On the agenda for this morning, with voting Tuesday evening, $18,250.00 of $73,000.00 to bore under US 84 for a water main to we don’t know who (see also LAKE videos of previous Regular session), and $7,500.00 paid in full by GDOT to close the CSX railroad crossing at Dasher-Johnson Road and to improve the crossing at Good Hope Road. Also final Public Hearing to abandon part of McLeod Road (see also previous Regular Session), first consideration of Abandonment of Doyle Kelly Road. Plus reappointment of attorney Karl Osmus to the Lowndes County Library Board, the three rezonings from the recent Planning Commission meeting, an MOU with City of Remerton to provide Fire Inspection and Plan Review Services, and Lowndes County Historic Courthouse Architect Selection, 4.5 years since the Courthouse Preservation Committee Meetings.

Historic Lowndes County Courthouse

Gretchen is heading to the Commissioner meeting now with the LAKE video camera.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Old Pine Road and Madison Highway rezonings @ GLPC 2019-01-28

In her first meeting as Chair, Vicki Rountree moved right along, even getting the opening reading of the set script down to barely four minutes, even including invocation and pledge.

GLPC Chair Vicki Rountree

All the rezonings considered that Monday by the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) are in Lowndes County, not in any of its incorporated cities. The two on Madison Highway appear to be coincidence. REZ-2019-01 Jerry Stoker is apparently for one or both of the two Stoker Development LLC parcels on Old Pine Road. This is part of the general development of what Lowndes County staff refer to as “Central Lowndes County”, as in their preferred development area.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Scottie Orenstein swearing in for District 2 @ LCC 2019-01-22

As mentioned in the morning Work Session, at 5PM before the evening Regular Session, they had a swearing-in ceremony for re-elected County Commissioner Scottie Orenstein, District 2.

Nevermind he already voted in a previous Regular Session after being elected.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist:

Continue reading →

Videos: All aye, Simpson Road paving, taxes, alcohol, emergency, roads, and law @ LCC Regular 2019-01-22

They approved everything that Tuesday evening that they discussed that same morning, including a special tax assessment rate.

Special Assessment Rate

No item took as long as two minutes. There were no special reports and no citizens wishing to be heard. The whole thing took 16 minutes and 44 seconds.

See also Continue reading →

Videos: Annual Planning @ LCC Plan 2019-02-07

Here are the LAKE videos of the first day of the two day Annual Planning Meeting of Lowndes County Commissioners and staff. Gretchen is back down there today, videoing the rest.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each item, with a very few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also previous post for the agenda (which was not posted publicly) and a few previous comments.

Annual Planning @ LCC Plan 2019-02-07

Lowndes County Commissioners and staff are meeting for two days to discuss strategy, as they do every year.

Commissioners and senior staff, Participants

They didn’t post an agenda on lowndescounty.com, but Gretchen photographed the one they had at Chairman Bill Slaughter’s pond house, so here it is:

Lowndes County
Georgia
lowndescounty.com
Annual Planning Meeting
6926 Simpson Road ~ Hahira
February 7-8
8:30 a.m.

Agenda
Audit Continue reading →

Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) Meeting: Lowndes County and cities @ SDS 2019-02-04

Update 2019-03-04: WWALS videos.

At least some elected officials from at least Lowndes County and Valdosta will be gathering Monday on neutral ground to discuss tax revenue allocation. Apparently this is a public meeting which anyone can attend.

In its usual laconic manner, this is all the county says in its online calendar:

SDS Meeting

Date: February 4, 2019

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: Valdosta- Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority Offices

Address: 1901 North Forrest Street
Valdosta, GA 31601

Street View, Image
Google Street View, VLPRA, 1901 N. Forrest Street, Valdosta, GA 31601

A usually reliable source says this meeting is for voting Council and Commissioners, and the Mayor and Chairman were not invited. I don’t know if elected members of Council would only be from Valdosta, or also from Remerton, Lake Park, Hahira, and Dasher. If a quorum of any Council or Commissioners for any of these elected bodies is present, Georgia law requires it to be an open meeting which the public may attend. I can’t imagine the county would have posted it publicly if it wasn’t.

The offices of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) are neutral ground, because Continue reading →

Old Pine Road and Madison Highway rezonings @ GLPC 2019-01-28

All the rezonings on the GLPC agenda for tonight are in Lowndes County. The two on Madison Highway appear to be coincidence. REZ-2019-01 Jerry Stoker is apparently for one or both of the two Stoker Development LLC parcels on Old Pine Road. This is part of the general development of what Lowndes County staff refer to as “Central Lowndes County”, as in their preferred development area.

Parcels 0145B 042 and 0145B 043, Old Pine Road
Map: Lowndes County Tax Assessors, Parcels 0145B 042 and 0145B 043, Old Pine Road.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Monday, January 28, 2019 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Continue reading →