Category Archives: Transparency

Videos: Emergency road repair bids! Appointments: Library Board, Development Authority, millage @ LCC 2017-08-22

The added agenda item 6e. Emergency Repairs to Rocky Ford Road got a couple of bids (unusual procedure; different from their usual no-bid emergencies) passed. The Chamber sent Gary Wisenbaker to speak in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard to ask for (after a very long preamble by John Page) apparently money from GDOT for a long list (in a letter the taxpayers did not get to see) of transportation projects to help “the business community”, apparently including the truck bypass.

They only appointed six of the seven members of the Development Authority of Lowndes County, although a Commissioner did ask about that. It’s also curious they said all the terms expired right then, since the Wayback machine has a snapshot of 4 April 2017, which shows three expiring in June 2017 and four already expired in December 2016. Apparently they just didn’t bother to appoint anybody to the four slots that expired in December 2016 until eight months later, and then they didn’t appoint anybody to one of the 2017 slots.

Below are links to Continue reading →

Nydia Tisdale should be emulated, not punished: LAKE to Judge 2017-12-17

You can also write a letter of support. Please send it today before the sentencing hearing 9AM December 18, 2017.

Nydia Tisdale

Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange
3338 Country Club Road #L336, Valdosta, GA 31605
www.l-a-k-e.org
lakesubmissions@gmail.com
229-242-0102

December 17, 2017

Hon. Senior Judge Martha Christian
Dawson County Judges Office
25 Justice Way, Suite 4202
Dawsonville, GA 30534
C/o Catherine Bernard
catherine@bernardlawoffices.com

Your Honor,

Nydia Tisdale is an inspiration for everyone who is in favor of the First Amendment, especially citizen journalists such as ourselves. Her years of educating local governments about Georgia’s open meetings laws by handing out materials, and of shining a light on local government activities by videoing their meetings, are exemplary and should be emulated, not punished.

With attorney Bruce Harvey inside AJC
Photo: John S. Quarterman for LAKE, 14 October 2016.

The misdemeanor conviction of Nydia Tisdale makes no sense, since Continue reading →

Videos: Tucker Rd, West Ridge Business Park, Appointments VLCCCTA, VLCIA @ LCC 2017-12-11

They vote this evening on what you can see them discussing yesterday morning in these LAKE videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. The longest business item was not even a minute and a half on REZ-2017-12 West Ridge Business Park.

By far the longest item was not on the agenda: 11. Reports – County Manager a. Steve Gupton- LODAC Presentation, about a local drug counseling organization, originally private, but for long now funded by Valdosta and Lowndes County plus grants. As one of the presenters noted, probably only Commissioner Joyce Evans was thoroughly familiar with LODAC.

Below are Continue reading →

Tucker Rd, West Ridge Business Park, Appointments VLCCCTA, VLCIA @ LCC 2017-12-11

A very busy agenda this morning, including the controversial REZ-2017-14 Cothron, Tucker Rd rezoning.

They’ll probably reappoint Commissioner Joyce Evans and Gerone Anderson to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority, although Robert Jefferson and Ellen Hill have also applied.

Mary Gooding is retiring from the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development (Industrial) Authority, and four people have applied: Ed Hightower Jr., Brad Folsom, John (Mac) McCall (currently on ZBOA) and Giovanni Panizzi.

Mary Gooding, VLCIA

Nevermind the REZ-2017-12 West Ridge Business Park rezoning had nothing to do with the Industrial Authority that I know of.

No meeting would be complete without Continue reading →

Videos: Cothron on Tucker Road and second West Ridge Business Park rezoning @ GLPC 2017-11-27

Twenty five minutes on 7. REZ-2017-14 Cothron 5310 Tucker Road 5 acres from E-A to R-A to split out two 2.5 acre house lots and a home business office (is there a deed restriction?), fourteen minutes on a storage building in 3. VA-2017-16 220-224 Myddleton Road 0.58 acres from R-6 to M-2 (probably will be at ZBOA for a variance later), and six minutes each on 5. REZ-2017-12 West Ridge Business Park 1.2 acres from C-G to C-H and 4. VA-2017-17 City of Valdosta LDR text amendments. Everything else sailed through.

They nominated the same Chair and Vice-Chair as currently: Franklin Bailey and Jody Hall. County Planner Jason Davenport pointed out traditionally they rotate every two years, but the Commission could decide to keep the same officers, and they did.

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

Videos: Office in the woods, B&B, Church @ GLPC 2017-10-30

Well, it wasn’t all that brief, because 3. REZ-2017-11 Dasher Johnson & Howell Roads for an office far away from any similar zoning was contentious and almost 40 minutes long, with a split vote against, although later the Lowndes County Commission passed the rezoning anyway.

Second longest was 4. CU-2017-05 206 East College Street (B&B) at almost nineteen minutes. Everything else sailed through.

Below are Continue reading →

Second West Ridge Business Park rezoning in two months @ GLPC 2017-11-27

Second rezoning in two months at West Ridge Business Park, which does not appear to be among the eight Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority business parks, none of which appear to be on the agenda for today’s Planning Commission meeting.

Parcel 0059 140B, 2812 Cameron Road
Lowndes County Tax Assessors, Parcel 0059 140B, 2812 Cameron Lane

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission Continue reading →

Videos: Office rezoning, Georgia Power, Alcohol, and road abandomnent @ LCC 2017-11-14

They added and agenda item for 7.p. Solicitor-General’s VOCA Grant Renewal; yes, really, the agenda was so long that’s sub-item letter P and the meeting was 51 and a half minutes long.

Longest at seven minutes was 6a. REZ-2017-11 Arrow Engineering, in which the County Commissioners ignored the Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny, and the County Planner’s observation the previous morning that the applicants would accept one acre. Instead they approved 2.5 acres with no conditions as Office Institutional (OI) in an area with no other instances of that.

At six minutes, 7.n. Georgia Power- VisionFirst was about putting $25,000 to hire an unnamed consultant for a joint project for unspecified results.

Update 2017-11-22: According to Chairman Bill Slaughter, the consultant is VisionFirst Advisors out of Tallahassee.

Did they mean the sinkhole-infested Mission Creek instead of 7.k. Grant of Easement for Utility Right of Way Moody-Mission Point?

Five minutes included questions from the Chairman and resulted in a split vote and a stern warning on 7.i. Beer, Wine & Liquor License – Liquor Barn, 3990 N. Valdosta Rd.

One of the two road abandonments, 7.a. Abandonment of Lane Road and a Portion of Sheavette Road, got a very rare split vote, with Commissioner Clay Griner voting alone against.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Board of Health and an office in the woods @ LCC 2017-11-13

Quite a long Work Session yesterday morning, more than half an hour. Surprisingly, the longest was Liquor Barn’s Wine & Liquor License; apparently their state and county licenses don’t match. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, in their Regular Session.

Below are links to each LAKE video, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda in the previous post, especially about 6a.REZ-2017-11 Arrow Engineering, R-A and E-A to O-I, ~2.5 acres, which is now apparently really for 1 acre. Continue reading →

Board of Health and an office in the woods @ LCC 2017-11-13

Stafford Wright Road is getting its 12″ water main, connecting all the way from Spring Creek subdivision off of Studstill Road to Val Del Road. That’s Nelson Hill on the center left and Foxborough lower left: subdivisions like that are what to expect on Stafford Wright Road soon.

Spring Creek Blvd. E. to Val Del Rd., VALORGIS
Map: VALORGIS. Green is Lowndes County sewer line; blue is water mains.

This appears to be another no-bid contract, this time for Continue reading →