T-SPLOST regions are an intermediate level of government in which all the people in the region vote together, not by counties.
Gretchen Quarterman asked:
When the 18 counties vote, is it county by county, say Atkinson votes yes, and Lowndes votes no, and if there were 9 counties that voted yes and 9 counties that voted no, or is it the total of all the voters together, and then we say there were 400,000 voters and it’s a simple majority.
Corey Hull answered:
It’s a simple majority. It’s the latter of how you described it, it’s all the voters together.
How do we vote on T-SPLOST? T-SPLOST Public Meeting, Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC), Corey Hull, Nolen Cox, Gretchen Quarterman, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 September 2011. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Lowndes County would be a T-SPLOST donor county: it would put more money into T-SPLOST than it would get back for projects.
Somebody (I think it was Robert Yost) asked whether Lowndes County would be a donor county for T-SPLOST. Corey Hull said yes, that was the case. Someone else noted:
Atkinson County that’s been coming over here spending our money all these years, gets a little of it back.
And the smaller counties get penalized a lot more if they vote against T-SPLOST, because they depend much more on LMIG.
So T-SPLOST among other downsides is a scheme to pit smaller counties against larger ones in the T-SPLOST region.
Lowndes County donor county T-SPLOST Public Meeting, Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC), Corey Hull, Nolen Cox, Gretchen Quarterman, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 September 2011. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Corey Hull explained what the state of Georgia has in store for us if we vote down T-SPLOST:
If the voters do not approve the referendum, then all local governments must match their LMIG funds a rate of 30%. And then we have to wait 24 months to start the process over again. And when I say start the process over again, I mean start the process over to enact this tax.
Nolen Cox, Chairman of the Lowndes County Republican Party (LCRP), remarked:
Is that commonly called a stick?
Gretchen Quarterman, Chairman of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP), observed:
It looks like a baseball bat.
Now I doubt either were speaking in an official capacity, but I know from talking to them that both individuals oppose this tax, and I’m pretty sure most people in their local parties do, too.
T-SPLOST: stick or baseball bat?
T-SPLOST Public Meeting, Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC), Corey Hull, Nolen Cox, Gretchen Quarterman, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 September 2011. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Please find attached a press release to announcing a public comment period for the Draft Transportation Improvement Program for the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, is the short-range plan approved by the VLMPO Policy Committee that allows federal funds to be spent on various transportation projects in the region. The projects are selected from the 2035 Transportation Plan that was adopted in September 2010. Projects in this year’s draft TIP include: the construction of an overpass on West Hill Avenue, the widening of Forrest Street, from Park Avenue to Bemiss Road, and the purchase of right-of-way at several I-75 interchanges ahead of future construction activities.
VLMPO will be accepting comments by phone, email, or fax all the month of May.
The VLMPO staff will also host an Open House on May 22, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Georgia Regional Commission office located at 327 W. Savannah Ave. in Valdosta. Hull says, “VLMPO staff will be on hand to answer questions from the public about their transportation concerns. The open house format allows people to quickly get their questions answered without having to sit through a long meeting.”
Here are videos of the entire 27 March 2012 Regular Session
of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC).
The audio feed is coming directly from the Commission’s own audio system.
We don’t know why County Manager Joe Pritchard is frequently barely audible,
nor why the microphone at the audience podium sometimes seems hardly to be working, nor why Commissioners ask people in the audience to speak when there is
no microphone pointing at the audience.
Videos
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 March 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
The Lowndes County Commission appointed
Edward Rawls, retired professional engineer and
Blake Waagner, owner of Valdosta Bike Center
to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
Citizens Advisory Committee.
Commissioner Crawford Powell surprisingly said:
I think the perspective from the bicycle group would be interesting
on the MPO.
Interesting development!
Also, the Commission continued the tradition which I believe was
started by Commissioner Joyce Evans of attempting to get all
applicants for appointed boards to introduce themselves.
I think that’s a good thing.
Bicycles noted in appointment to VLMPO Citizens Advisory Committee
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
These are videos of the Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 March 2012. They vote at their regular session tonight, 5:30 PM.
Here’s a playlist of everything except the above two special presentations.
Videos Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 March 2012. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
We know who’s on the Land Bank Authority now:
Burke Sherwood, Frank Morman, James Wright, and Joyce Evans,
because the
Georgia Department of Community Affairs publishes that information
(neither the Lowndes County Commission nor the City of Valdosta does so).
Which slot is up for appointment?
Who is the County Commission considering appointing?
This is tacked onto the end of the agenda:
Immediately following the Work Session, the Commissioners will receive reports from the
Valdosta/Lowndes County Industrial Authority & Valdosta/Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority
So the Industrial Authority reports to the County Commission!
That’s good news.
Also this item:
6.e. Proposals for Groundwater Sampling and Analysis at the Clyattville Landfill
And did you know they had a Special Called Meeting on 15 March 2012?
Approval of minutes for that is on this agenda.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update & Resolution
Rental Agreement for space occupied by the Department of Human Services, Family and Children
Services, located at 206 S. Patterson Street, 2nd and 3rd Floors
Declaration of Copiers as Surplus
Copier Leases
Proposals for Groundwater Sampling and Analysis at the Clyattville Landfill
Abandonment of unopened Right of Way of Fiveash Road
Reports-County Manager
Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address
Immediately following the Work Session, the Commissioners will receive reports from the
Valdosta/Lowndes County Industrial Authority & Valdosta/Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
