Lowndes County Commissioners and staff are meeting for two days to discuss strategy, as they do every year.
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
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
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
Not on Valdosta’s online calendar yet, but we got this email notice from City Council Tim Carroll, indicating Valdosta wastewater is first on his list to discuss. His number 4 about Internet speed and access is also of interest throughout the county and beyond. As are his other items.
All,
I hope each and everyone of you are having a great start to 2019. As we kick the year off, it is time to begin preparing for the cities annual Mayor and Council retreat.
It will be held March 15 & 16 at the Women’s Building.
When: All day, Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, 2019
Where:
The Woman’s Building,
1409 N. Patterson St.,
Valdosta, GA 31602
What: Annual Retreat, Valdosta Mayor and City Council
My current list includes: Continue reading
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.
Map:
Lowndes County Tax Assessors,
Parcels 0145B 042 and 0145B 043, Old Pine Road.
Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Continue reading
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
The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) picked a new Chair and Vice-Chair at their November 2018 meeting. They meet again this evening.
3. CU-2018-13 Scintilla Charter Academy 2171 East Park Avenue,
Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, of New GLPC Chair Vicky Rountree.
Their longest item was 3. CU-2018-13 Scintilla Charter Academy‘s request to expand from an Elementary School to add a Middle School. GLPC recommended approval unanimously, as they did for all other such items.
Below are Continue reading
A brief agenda was handled quickly by Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Tooley last night at the Valdosta City Council, even with two Citizens to Be Heard and a bunch of Council Comments.
The longest item, at almost six minutes, was 4.b-i) Bids for vehicles, because it was eight items rolled into one.
Second longest, at almost four minutes, was Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, who came from Florida to speak in CBTH about Florida effects of Valdosta Sewage. Ms. Tooley stopped her precisely at three minutes, but City Manager Mark Barber took most of a minute thanking her for coming to speak. Council Tim Carroll and Ms. Tooley also thanked the Florida speaker in Council Comments.
Third longest was probably me (jsq) inviting them to paddle and discussing sewage. City Manager Barber before the meeting said he would be sure he would get to Council the information I presented about Valdosta spills over time.
Council Vivian Miller-Cody spoke about a Continue reading
The longest single item in the one January Valdosta City Council meeting was unscheduled: the surprise statewide Georgia Parks and Rec Volunteer Award and Council Andy Gibbs responding with thanks.
The most contentious rezoning was 4.b. CU-2018-13 Scintilla Charter Academy Conditional Use Permit, to add a Middle School to an Elementary School.
The most-discussed general topic on the agenda was water, with Utility Director Darryl Muse speaking about 5.b. Bids for 10 emergency standby generators for Utilities, 5.c. Bids for water treatment chemicals for Utilities, and 6.b. Purchase SCADA system for Lift Stations and Water Treatment Plants, with frequent questions from Council members. They did bring up the recent major spill at the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In Citizens to Be Heard, I told them what Valdosta Utilities hadn’t.
Also in CTBH, John Robinson spoke about how small businesses need to thrive and another speaker said he had been attacked physically by a local business man. Renaming Forrest Street was discussed by Continue reading
A brief agenda for the Valdosta City Council, mostly consisting of bids for equipment, mostly for the Police Department, plus some for Utilities, Engineering, Fire, and Public Works.
AGENDA
Continue reading
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, January 24, 2019
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
They vote 5:30 PM this evening on what they discussed this morning. Longest at two minutes was 5 g. Abandonment of McLeod Road, followed by 5 i. Speed Zone Ordinance (apparently something was not right at exit 2), and then at just under a minute: 6 a. Paving on Parker Road and Simpson Road. Will Scruggs or Reames get the $2 million-plus contract for paving? (Hint: Reames is the low bidder.)
Oops, sorry: the unscripted 7. Reports – County Manager actually came in second at 1 minute and 44 seconds.
Finally, after 9. Adjournment, there was a reminder of some mystery swearing in at 5PM.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading
Due to Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, both the Work Session and the Regular Session will be on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, at 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM. Last time they approved paying for right of way on Simpson Road. This time they’re approving Paving on Parker Road and Simpson Road. Why does Simpson Road get this exception to their decade-long custom of never paying for road right of way? Will Scruggs or Reames get the $2 million-plus contract for paving? (Hint: Reames is the low bidder.)
Simpson Road in Lowndes County Tax Assessor Maps.
Meanwhile, the county apparently borrowed money for paving, and is tinkering the Special Assessment Rate for 2019 from 6.5% to 7.5%.
Hm, the county “currently receives $32,770 annually” Continue reading
