Category Archives: VLPRA

Sunshine for local government

We’ve got a little list, a spreadsheet as a list,
please don’t take this as a diss, we think they have been missed….

Unlike Ko-Ko’s in the Mikado, this list is of things previously missed that are slowly being found (or created), so local governments can tell the citizens what fine things they’ve been up to, and so citizens can decide what they need to deal with and what topics they can provide input on. Here’s the LAKE sunshine list for local government.

The Lowndes County Commission just got some additions, with its new website, by posting videos of its own meetings, and by posting agendas and minutes for the Planning Commission.

The Valdosta City Council does pretty well, with its website, its agendas and minutes, and the agendas and summaries and minutes for ZBOA. Valdosta does not (yet) video and post its own meetings, but it does have what appears to be a complete list of its ordinances with links to their text. Dasher also has its ordinances online.

Meanwhile the Lowndes County Commission has only Continue reading →

State of District 4 Address –Demarcus Marshall @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15

Text published by Demarcus Marshall (PDF) and LAKE video of his address at the Town Hall Meeting 15 December 2014. -jsq

For those unaware, Super District 4 was a newly created district in Lowndes County two years ago. I assumed this office without a predecessor to this district seat. It was my understanding of this district to compliment the other districts by adding more responsiveness and accountability for the citizens of Lowndes County.

Upon being elected and occupying the seat, I inherited a wonderful staff; however, the county faced several challenges. The economy was Continue reading →

Videos: Pipeline, agriculture, lighting, appointments, and parks @ LCC 2014-11-11

300x111 Full house, in Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, by Gretchen Quarterman, 11 November 2014 Update 2014-11-17: board packet.

Three citizens spoke against the unnecessary and hazardous Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline. Several Commissioners even spoke up in Other Business, turning it into de facto Commisioner Comments. But none of them called for a resolution or ordinance against the pipeline.

The subdivision rezoning still got no objections, while the rezoning for agricultural use got massive objections and a compromise solution.

The emergency security monitor replacement is, you guessed it, Continue reading →

Videos: 9 consideration, 6 tax lighting, 4 appointments, 2 rezonings, 1 proclamation @ LCC 2014-10-27 LCC 2014-11-10

REZ-2014-17 Grand Bay Estates, in Lowndes County Commission Work Session, by John S. Quarterman, 10 November 2014 They vote tonight on what they discussed yesterday morning in these videos. A subdivision rezoning gets no objections while a rezoning for agricultural use gets massive objections. Also few if any of those objectors have said anything about the Sabal Trail pipeline. Do priorities around here seem odd?

The emergency security monitor replacement is, you guessed it, a no-bid contract with the same company that originally installed them. Which fits with the no-bid Alapaha Water Plant Expansion, back this time for property acquisition after twice failing to get a setback variance at ZBOA.

The state changed the qualifications Continue reading →

9 for consideration, 6 special tax lighting, 4 appointments, 2 rezonings, 1 proclamation @ LCC 2014-11-10

Only one emergency expense this time, and it’s not for a road or water treatment! It’s for security video monitors for their own palace. Presumably those are different from the big monitor behind their podium that very rarely we see in use.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Alapaha River Water Trail @ VLCIA 2014-08-19

I talked about the Water Trail that WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. is developing on the Alapaha River with a tiny grant from the Georgia River Network, and how that was a plus for local economic development that wouldn’t cost VLCDA a dime. They seemed to like that, at the 19 August 2014 Regular Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority.

Here’s the video, followed by some pictures, links, and notes:

Continue reading →

Videos: a few appointees spoke @ LCC 2014-07-08

The Commission awarded no-bid contracts to Lovell Engineering (for Zipperer Road and Boring Pond Road) and ASA Engineering (for Coppage Road). Three of the seven board appointees showed up and spoke: Sam Allen and Penelope Schmidt for Library Board, and and Russell Mast for VLPRA. The Commission appointed all of them unanimously, including no-shows Terri Lupo to VLCIA, Martha Cunningham and Matt Lawrence to Library Board, and Susan Prince to VLPRA. Chairman Bill Slaughter consistently omitted the “Valdosta” from the names of all these boards, even though the reason VLCIA and VLPRA exist is a state law requirement for no overlap between uninincorporated and incorporated area taxation for such services.

There was no public hearing for Whitewater Road because the applicant withdrew it, and half of Nelson Hill was withdrawn while the other half was tabled.

Four of the nine contracts were approved all at once. Mr. Anti-Grant Commissioner Richard Raines actually made the motion to approve the EPMG grant request.

They finally posted an agenda after the Work Session. And they added another item to an amended agenda between the Work Session and the Regular Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Here are links to the videos in the order they actually held the meeting. See the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session for more detail on many of these items.

Here’s a video playlist:


Videos: a few appointees spoke
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 8 July 2014.

-jsq

Videos: opaque appointments @ LCC 2014-07-07

Terri Lupo (Georgia Power regional VP) for the Industrial Authority; Martha Cunningham, Sam Allen, Penelope Schmidt, Matt Lawrence for the Library Board, and Dan Deaver, Susan Prince, and Russell Mast (Chairman) for two positions on Parks and Rec. Apparently the public was supposed to guess about the two public hearings (one about the frequently-staff-varianced subdivision Nelson Hill) or the nine contracts, since the county didn’t post an agenda before the meeting. Commissioner Joyce Evans did ask if the applicants would be at the Regular Session Tuesday evening, and was told they would. Will they speak this time, unlike the applicants two weeks ago?

They finally posted an agenda after the meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Valdosta boards and authorities openings

Remember, you don’t even have to live in Valdosta to apply to serve on one of the many appointed boards or authorities (you do have to live in Lowndes County). Details:

CITY OF VALDOSTA
APPOINTMENTS FOR BOARDS, COMMISSIONS,
AUTHORITIES & ADVISORY COMMITTEES

In accordance with the City of Valdosta’s Appointment Policy and to provide an opportunity for qualified citizens to be made aware of opportunities to serve on various Boards, Commissions, Authorities, and Advisory Committees, the City of Valdosta announces the following openings: Continue reading →

Board appointments by Lowndes County

Here’s Lowndes County’s list of Boards, Agencies & Commissions. Unfortunately, unlike Valdosta’s list, most of the names in the county’s list have no links to further information, and there’s no indication of which positions might be open or how to apply for them.

Update: 4:30 PM 24 April 2014: And there’s the Board of Elections which is decided by a completely different process with a quicker deadline of 28 April 2014.

We do know there’s a vacancy on the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA), which presumably will be filled after the upcoming Special Election May 20th, but the county has given no indication of when. The only way the county usually announces open positions is when they appear on the County Commission’s agenda, which usually shows up online Friday for voting on Tuesday. For example, the county has appointed: Continue reading →