Category Archives: Transparency

Videos: Reappointment to Airport Authority, raise convenience fees, Moody AFB swimming pool @ LCC 2017-05-22

Six minutes and ten seconds yesterday morning to breeze through the agenda for the Work Session; the Lowndes County Commission votes tonight at 5:30 PM. Also, the Chairman announced the Budget Work Session to start at 9AM, which didn’t match the posting about that time put on the county’s website.

Tonight they will very likely reappoint Jeff Sikes to the Airport Authority, increase “convenience fees for online and telephone payments to $2.50 per transaction”, some I-75 exit work, and a swimming pool at Moody Air Force Base. Plus a beer and wine license due to the usual change of ownership, and an HVAC maintenance contract.

Videos: Peace Officers, Public Works GA-EPD request, Regional T-SPLOST, 2 ZBOA appointments, 2 rezonings, surplus, quit claim, lift station pump, and Naylor Community Center bids @ LCC 2017-05-09

The T-SPLOST motion passed, but as a very unusual split vote, two weeks ago in the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, 9 May 2017.

4. Peace Officers Memorial Week Proclamation Presentation,

Vice-Chair Joyce Evans presiding, they spent about five minutes on this item, including a speech by Sheriff Ashley Paulk, in which he said his department would be having a bigger presence. Chairman Bill Slaughter returned from his “good little trip” some time in there and took up the gavel after the minutes to be approved.

6. ZBOA appointments,

They reappointed Continue reading →

Not on calendar and no agenda @ LCC Budget 2017-05-22

Not on their calendar until this morning, no agenda, and only popped up online also this morning, the same day of this Budget Work Session. And even though that says it would start at 8:45, they actually announced in the main Work Session that it would start at 9AM.

Immediately after the Work Session?

If Gretchen hadn’t been there with the LAKE camera, Continue reading →

Reappointment to Airport Authority, raise convenience fees, Moody AFB swimming pool @ LCC 2017-05-22

It probably won’t take them 15 minutes after 8 AM to breeze through this light agenda, including reappoinging Jeff Sikes to the Airport Authority, increasing “convenience fees for online and telephone payments to $2.50 per transaction”, some I-75 exit work, and a swimming pool at Moody Air Force Base. Plus a beer and wine license due to the usual change of ownership, and an HVAC maintenance contract.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Public Works GA-EPD request, Regional T-SPLOST, 2 ZBOA appointments, 2 rezonings, surplus, quit claim, lift station pump, and Naylor Community Center bids @ LCC 2017-05-08

Not on the agenda this morning: Public Works is applying to GA-EPD for a grant for tire disposal amnesty. 11 of 18 counties have voted to hold a Regional T-SPLOST referendum, and Lowndes County now needs to decide whether to support or oppose that: they vote Tuesday at 5:30 PM.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked why all the lift station pump repairs. Utilities Director Steve Stalvey said the county has 114 lift station pumps, all either duplex or triplex, with the duplication very important to maintain service. They typically last about 15-20 years, there were periods when money was short and maintenance was slack, and quite a few of them are coming to end of life, most recently this one at US 84.

They spent the longest time, 3 3/4 minutes, on the Continue reading →

Regional T-SPLOST, 2 ZBOA appointments, 2 rezonings, surplus, quit claim, and lift station pump, and Naylor Community Center bids @ LCC 2017-05-08 @ LCC 2017-05-08

They list the three applicants for ZBOA, Victoria Copeland, Michael Cooper, Mike Elkins, but they do not supply the actual applications. These are for two slots, currently held by Dr. Willie Houseal, who does not wish to be reappointed, and ZBOA Vice Chairman Gretchen Quarterman, who does.

Both the rezoning cases have different applicant names than the Planning Commission listed two weeks ago, this time as REZ-2017-05 Jay Carter rezoning from R-A to R-1 for subdividing for independent sale and REZ-2017-04 Rieffel rezoning to CON and E-A for animals. REZ-2017-04 is located at 3621 SE Johnson Road, which is just north of Mud Swamp Creek, which downstream joins with Grand Bay Creek to form the Alapahoochee River, which flows into the Alapaha, into the Suwannee, into the Gulf.

Parcel 0188 167H
Lowndes County Tax Assessors Parcel 0188 167H

After the regional T-Splost roundtable meeting 1PM Monday, April 17, 2017, in Pearson, the Lowndes County Commission this week votes to Take action to support or oppose Regional T-SPLOST. If I understand correctly, 10 of the 18 counties in the region voted Continue reading →

Videos: Inner Perimeter Overlay Zone, Personal Care, and Estate Agriculture @ GLPC 2017-04-24

The Planning Commission welcomed a new member, Mrs. Vicki Rountree representing Hahira, but neither Valdosta’s nor Lowndes County’s websites have her listed; they both still list Ted Raker for Hahira.

They unanimously recommended a split rezoning to conservation and E-A for REZ-2017-04 Jeffrey Taibl, and they unanimously recommended REZ-2017-05 Cody Califf’s rezoning of agricultural to residential development. Nobody spoke for or against either Lowndes County case, both of which are on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for this Monday and Tuesday.

The front yard was the main concern on the Valdosta case about the CU-2017-02 Personal Care Home on Hollywood Street, which they recommended unanimously after adding a condition to keep staff from parking on the street. The other two Valdosta cases involved the Inner Perimeter Road Corridor Overlay District of Valdosta’s Land Development Regulations. CU-2017-03 Flint Equipment wants to be an additional John Deere dealer, and Planning Commissioners unanimously approved their request, which had already been slightly reduced by city staff. VA-2017-07 Sapelo Sound Investments wants “signage ability like their commercial neighbors” and Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended that.

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

Videos: Juvenile Court, County Extension, Aiport, Tax Appraiser, Budget Requests (3 of 3 days) @ LCC 2017-03-29

The Tax Appraiser finally showed up, and got the longest discussion at half an hour, with County Extension clocking in at 22 minutes, Juvenile Court at 15, and the Airport Authority at almost 13 minutes, in the last of three days of budget requests to the Lowndes County Commission.

Here are links to each of the LAKE videos of this day 3 of 3 budget meeting, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: 911, T-SPLOST details, delinguent subdivision, Juvenile Justice Incentive, GDOT Exits @ LCC 2017-04-11

The Lowndes County Commission did not meet this week (no reason given: the meetings merely marked Canceled on the county’s online calendar), but it did two weeks ago.

On April 11, 2017 we discovered the T-SPLOST meeting would be at the regular SGRC location in Pearson, 1PM Monday April 17, 2017. Michelle Williams of Hahira noted a phenomenon of people not checking for ownership of lost and found pets. The week of 10 April 2017 was Telecommunications Week and the Chairman thanked 911 Center personnel.

The GDOT Mowing Contract includes all the exits in Lowndes County. They unanimously approved that and everything else, The longest item at almost eight minutes was the Tuscan Palms subvision asking to be forgiven paving money the county gave it that never was used. Continue reading →

Inner Perimeter Overlay Zone, Personal Care, and Estate Agriculture @ GLPC 2017-04-24

Two of the three Valdosta cases for tonight involve the Inner Perimeter Road Corridor Overlay District of Valdosta’s Land Development Regulations. The other Valdosta case is about a Personal Care Home on Hollywood Street. The two Lowndes County cases on ‘ the Planning Commission agenda are opposite: REZ-2017-05 Cody Califf wants the usual rezoning of agricultural to residential development, but REZ-2017-04 Jeffrey Taibl wants to return to Estate Agricultural.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Monday, April 24, 2017 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Continue reading →