Tag Archives: 2016

Videos: Turnberry, Branham, Peterson Road Lift Station, and Commissioner Comments @ LCC 2016-12-13

24 minutes on REZ-2016-19 Turnberry at Thompson E-A to R-21 which changed to R-1 at the last minute, 14 minutes on Bill Branham’s REZ-2016-23 Copeland Road development, 4 on REZ-2016-24 Martin< 3 on REZ-2016-25 Cain’s Creekside RV Park, and 3 on the Peterson Road Lift Station Rehab, plus almost 5 minutes of Chairman and Commission Comments! Real discussion and revealing their opinions in public? What’s gotten into them? Did they see in advance the VDT’s Sunlight on the horizon?

Yet the Chairman said nobody could ask the audience to stand up on REZ-2016-19 Turnberry at Thompson and while they were waiting for the room to clear before the next item could start, Continue reading →

Videos: Health appointment, 7 rezonings, abandonment, Soil Erosion, Wastewater, and alcohol @ LCC 2016-12-12

Bill Branham’s Copeland Road development got six minutes of discussion, the longest in yesterday morning’s Work Session, with others of the seven rezonings also getting discussion, plus, surprisingly, the proposed VOCA grant, because the outgoing DA spoke. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM. I would like to compliment the Commissioners on asking questions and having discussion in the Work Session. Even ever-silent Joyce Evans spoke up about the MIDS on-call bus system grant re-application.

They’re going to reappoint Dr. Randy Smith to the Board of Health. Chairman Bill Slaughter said: “Inside your packets you have a letter from Dr. Grove supporting Dr. Smith.”

But we the citizens, taxpayers, and recipients of health care didn’t get to see that letter. The Chairman went on to recommend Dr. Smith, and I thank him for making that recommendation in public where we could all see and hear it. Dr. Smith is probably a fine board member: that’s not the point. The point is if the public could see these things they might have useful input, not to mention it’s the public’s business the Commission is doing. Similarly Commissioners had a quarterly financial report “before you”, but the public couldn’t see it. If tiny Effingham County can publish its County Commission packets, mighty Lowndes County could to it, too.

Below are links to each of the LAKE videos, with Continue reading →

Lowndes County Soil Erosion, Sedimentation and Pollution Control Ordinance @ LCC 2016-12-12

The soil and water ordinance on the agenda at the Lowndes County Commission this morning: PDF.

It looks to be, as usual, the minimum required by state law. For example, it mentions rivers only in reference to specific state laws, without naming any of the Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, or Alapahoochee Rivers. And its only mention of pipe is that owners of sections of small trout streams can pipe them through their property.

Thanks to Sabrina Denson for returning this document the same day as the request Gretchen made.

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

Health appointment, 7 rezonings, abandonment, Soil Erosion, Wastewater, and alcohol @ LCC 2016-12-12

Longest agenda in recent memory, for this morning’s Work Session and tomorrow evening’s Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

For the rezonings, see also the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting. For the abandonment of unopened right of way on Avenue I, see the LAKE videos of last month’s Lowndes County Commission meeting.

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Service Delivery mismatch between cities and Lowndes County @ LCC 2016-11-29

photo: WALB TV Back in 1999, Lowndes County made AP news for being the only Georgia county to miss the deadline to file a service delivery plan and also not to file an extension. They finally came to an agreement in 2008 after a lot of wrangling, The tradition of local government disagreement about the 1997 HB 489 law requiring lack of duplication of tax-paid services continued tonight, with a Special Called Meeting. Caitlyn Chastain, WALBNews10, 11 November 2016, Valdosta and Lowndes Co. leaders miss deadline for SDS agreement,

Lowndes County leaders are holding a special meeting for citizens to talk about their newest proposal for the city on November 29th.

If I’m not mistaken, they only posted the agenda yesterday. But Gretchen is there with the LAKE video camera. Until they straigten this out, none of them can apply for federal or state grants. Last I heard, Continue reading →

Videos: 3 Hospital Authority appointments, 3 road abandonments @ LCC 2016-11-08

They appointed Ben Copeland to the Hospital Authority. More later on why they seem to be doing it backwards. Nobody spoke in the Public Hearing for abandonment of Excession RoW off Payton Place, so they abandoned it and quit-claimed it to the adjoining landowner. Then they determined to hold a Public Hearing to abandon unopened RoW of Avenue I, although there was an ownership question from Commissioner Clay Griner, which County Engineer Mike Fletcher answered. They approved in this public meeting a list of three elected officals using county-issued credit cards, but they did not reveal to the public who was on the list. The County Manager had no report and there were no citizens wishing to be heard so they adjourned.

Here are links to each LAKE video of the Tuesday 8 November 2016 Regular Session, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Videos: 3 Hospital Authority appointments, 3 road abandonments @ LCC 2016-11-07

Discussion at Monday morning’s Work Session of the Hospital Authority appointment clarified that it’s just for one opening, but didn’t explain why they seem to be doing it backwards to what Georgia law says. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked for resumes for the applicants. The Commissioners vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

New intern, Hampton Rawlinson(sp?), working with Finance and Clerk. Finance reported on credit cards for elected officials. Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker stumped County Engineer Mike Fletcher. County Manager Joe Pritchard had no report.

Here are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

3 Hospital Authority appointments, 3 road abandonments @ LCC 2016-11-07

On this morning’s Work Session agenda, Lowndes County is replacing 3 of its 4 Hospital Authority board members. Of those, 2 of 3 are on the Hospital Foundation board, so how much change is this? And why does the Lowndes County Commission seem to be doing this appointment backward to the way Georgia law requires?

These appointments are especially interesting after the Valdosta City Council’s call for Hospital Authority resignations back in September. The city’s list of Authority board members is out of date, still listing Continue reading →

Wild Tourism Arts @ LCC 2016-10-24

Requested at the work session two weeks ago, and now on the agenda for Monday morning, a resolution for an arts district. That and reappoint Wild Adventures GM Molly Deese to the Tourism Authority, a public hearing on the 2016 updates to the Greater Lowndes Comprehensive Plan (even though they tabled it last time), and the usual Bid, surplus, and subdivision infrastructure sorts of items.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2016,  5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Water, VSU bonds, 3 road abandonments, 1 widening, MIDS bus, Comprehensive Plan @ LCC 2016-10-11

Two weeks ago, County Manager Joe Pritchard announced that Commissioner Joyce Evans is now serving as Vice Chairman, yes, the resolution to approve the VSU bonds was requested by the South Regional Joint Development Authority (SRJDA), and John Stevens is the new VDT reporter. Citizen Shirley Moore said she’d like a connection to county water and sewer. They tabled the Comprehensive Plan update, apparently because the Commissioners wanted to “dig into it deeper”.

The rest was mostly approving what they already discussed the previous morning. They meet again Monday morning.

Below are links to each LAKE video with a few notes, followed by a video playlist.

Continue reading →