Tag Archives: Ashley Paulk

I’m all for openness —Tom Call

The member who hardly ever speaks at board meetings makes a strong case for openness.

Tom Call called me back about the biomass plant, and we talked about a number of other matters. He remarked that he was not an appointed spokesperson for the Industrial Authority, so this is just him talking.

I asked him about Ashley Paulk’s remarks in the 26 April 2011 Lowndes County Commission meeting. Tom Call said VLCIA was not standing behind any other body, and he clarified what had happened.

He said the biomass plant had been brought to the Industrial Authority by Continue reading

Who’s for What at the VLCIA

I don’t like to publish hearsay, but since the Industrial Authority won’t talk, that’s what I’ve got. According to Leigh Touchton, Ashley Paulk told her Tuesday night:
He said that Jerry Jennett took the biomass vote off the agenda at last Industrial Authority meeting (April 19) even though Mary Gooding and Roy Copeland wanted the vote to be taken ( a vote that was to oppose an extension of the biomass contract since the biomass incinerator had not met timeline benchmarks like having a buyer, etc). He said that Allan Ricketts, Industrial Authority attorney Steve Gupton, and Jerry Jennett went up to Atlanta to meet with Wiregrass officials and that’s when he (Chairman Paulk) got a call telling him all this and he said he wouldn’t keep quiet about it. He said the three men asked Wiregrass LLC officials to rescind their letter asking VLCIA for an extension on their contract and to substitute a new letter saying they were withdrawing their request for extension (or not going forward to ask for extension).
This is in addition to what you can see him on video saying during the meeting. More after this picture of the cast of characters: Continue reading

Move on, find other avenues, other projects —Ashley Paulk

Ashley Paulk agrees with my mother about what the Industrial Authority should do.

At the Lowndes County Commission meeting last night, Chairman Paulk discussed the biomass plant with Dr. Noll, and said:

Certain people won’t share it with you, and I don’t think it’s fair.

We were approached … almost three weeks ago by the Industrial Authority and we were asked to … ask them not to extend the contract. Well, it’s not our contract; we could do that, but … we didn’t.

And then last week the Tuesday of their meeting, I received a call … on my way back fromm Atlanta and they had gone up there to talk to Wiregrass Power, because they’d written a letter asking for an extension.

My understanding was that they asked Wiregrass to write another letter to remove that extension request.

These are things, I think should be public knowledge.

There’s more in the video.


Regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 April 2011
Video by Alex Rowell for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

He told me several weeks ago about the commission being asked to vote not to extend. Continue reading

T-SPLOST Executive Committee —Ashley Paulk of LCC at LCDP (Part 2)

He says there’s a lot more to learn, T-SPLOST has got a good regional executive committee, etc., but:
Right now, I do not have a good or warm fuzzy feeling about this. That could change.
And previously he said if it did change, he would come back and tell us about it.

That was Ashley Paulk, Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC), talking at the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP) monthly meeting about T-SPLOST.

Here’s the video:


Ashley Paulk, Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
explains T-SPLOST (HB 277) and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010
at the monthly meeting of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP),
Gretchen Quarterman (Chair), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Next: Questions.

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T-SPLOST has a stick —Ashley Paulk of LCC at LCDP (Part 1)

Gretchen Quarterman, Chair of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP), thanks Corey Hull of VLMPO and says the next speaker will give us some inside knowledge about T-SPLOST. Ashley Paulk, Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC) is not a fan of T-SPLOST. He says:
Y’all know I’m on the executive committee, so I guess I should be a salesman. But I’m sorry. Y’all know me pretty well, I’ve got to really be not just a little bit correct, but it’s got to be good for the people. I think what disturbs me, is when you’ve got to put something in the law that’s a stick, carrot and stick, you don’t do what I’ve said you’re going to get punished.
He made that point at least three times.

He also doesn’t like Continue reading

T-SPLOST Referendum in 2012 —Corey Hull (Part 6)

OK, so the regional executive committee selects from the T-SPLOST lists submitted by the local jurisdications and boomaranged through GDOT. Then what? Corey Hull of VLMPO says:

Public meetings will be held in August and September before the regional transportation roundtable meets before October 15th; that’s what their deadline is to vote….

The referendum will be in the summer of 2012 … July or August 2012….

Then the tax begins January 2013.

Here’s the video:


Corey Hull of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
explains T-SPLOST (HB 277) and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010
at the monthly meeting of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP),
Gretchen Quarterman (Chair), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

  • Part 1: T-SPLOST Explained —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 2: T-SPLOST Business plan —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 3: T-SPLOST Project Lists —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 4: T-SPLOST Penalties and LMIG —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 5: T-SPLOST Projects to GDOT —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 6: T-SPLOST Referendum in 2012 —Corey Hull

Next: Ashley Paulk talks about the T-SPLOST executive committee.

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T-SPLOST Projects to GDOT —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 5)

OK, so local jurisdictions have submitted their T-SPLOST project lists and if their regional roundtable doesn’t have a combined list ready for the voters in time, there are penalties. So what’s the next step?

Corey Hull of VLMPO explains that next they go to GDOT and then back.

On April 13th we have to turn those projects in to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

On June 1st or thereabouts, the executive committee that Chairman Paulk is on is gonna receive the unconstrained project list. It won’t be … constrained to the amount of money the economists say we will receive.

It is that executive committee’s responsibility to go through and select projects and select the projects off that we can afford for the region.

Here’s the video:


Corey Hull of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
explains T-SPLOST (HB 277) and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010
at the monthly meeting of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP),
Gretchen Quarterman (Chair), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Next: Referendum in 2012.

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T-SPLOST Penalties and LMIG —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 4)

What’s your penalty, 50%, 30%, other? Corey Hull of VLMPO continues explaining T-SPLOST at LCDP.
If the regional transportation roundtable does not agree on a list to present to the voters by October 15th of 2011, then each jurisdiction in this region must match their Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant … at a rate of 50%.
That’s Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Program (LMIG). So if they get $100,000 from LMIG they’ll have to match that with $50,000. This will affect smaller communities the most, since they use the most LMIG funds proportionally. And the most likely way to raise the funds to match is to raise property taxes.

So what if there is a list on the ballot but the voters vote it down? Continue reading

T-SPLOST Project Lists —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 3)

The 75% pot of T-SPLOST funds is what the project lists recently submitted by Lowndes County and the City of Valdosta are about, according to Corey Hull, continuing his presentation on T-SPLOST at the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP) meeting.
Those are projects of regional significance that the local jurisdictions want the voters to actually vote on that project.
The other 25% goes to local jurisdictions, like this:
$1,300,000Lowndes County (unincorporated portion)
$600,000Valdosta
$30,000Hahira
$5,000Dasher
$14,000Lake Park
$9,000Remerton

Here’s the video:


Corey Hull of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
explains T-SPLOST (HB 277) and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010
at the monthly meeting of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP),
Gretchen Quarterman (Chair), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Next: penalties if the voters don’t approve.

-jsq

T-SPLOST Business plan —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 2)

Corey Hull continued his presentation on T-SPLOST at the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP) meeting by talking about the statewide business plan for the state of Georgia. It is not a project list; it’s estimates of how much money is needed and how much money can be raised.
The plan identifies $35 billion to meet the needs in Georgia today. However, $72 billion are needed to meet the transportation needs to sustain Georgia’s economy into the future.
Of course, that’s according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), which notoriously is not interested in trains or other mass transit: if it’s not a road or a road bridge, forget it.

Continuing:

And $1 billion is needed here in Lowndes County. Lowndes County’s transportation plan through the Metropolitan Planning Organization has about a billion dollars in projects.
A billion dollars right here in Lowndes County? Continue reading