Maybe Georgia should fund mental health facilities instead of
local jails having to act as mental hospitals.
On a positive note,
Agriculture is an $81M industry in Lowndes County.
Law, taxes, and education, in the second day which was only in the morning,
of the
three days of
“Budget Hearings” which aren’t really hearings because nobody from the
public can speak and they don’t have a budget to hear yet.
See yesterday for
the agenda.
Here are links to videos of each item with some notes by Gretchen,
followed by a video playlist.
And one more day to go today. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Economy
Videos: Day 1 of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03
It’s good the Commission is having these meetings where they can
hear directly from the various department heads.
And with LAKE’s videos, you the citizens can hear what the departments
are asking for.
Also, why are these called budget hearings? The public doesn’t get to speak, so they are not actually public hearings, and they are not the state-required budget hearings before passing a budget: they don’t even have a draft budget yet. And the next time the Commission rushes citizen speakers to finish, remember this 14 minutes of dead air or the several others like it in yesterday’s meeting.
They met in the Commission Chambers, nevermind the address on the Commission’s calendar yesterday, and still says for today’s meeting.
There’s still no agenda posted, except for paper copies in the Commission building, which read as below. Continue reading
Three days of Budget Hearings @ LCC Budget 2015-03-03
Billed
back in December as “Commission Meets with Constitutional Officers,
Elected Officials, and Outside Agencies”
and two weeks later than originally scheduled, it’s
three days of what is on the County’s calendar now as
Budget Hearings,
today, Wednesday,
and
Thursday,
all three days at the Lowndes County Governmental Building,
300 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31601.
There’s no agenda posted.
At least these meetings are on the county’s calendar before the last minute, which is an improvement on last year. However, last year they did publish an agenda. Here are videos of last year’s similar hearings.
-jsq
LCDP Cash Mob at Stan’s Quality Meats 2015-03-03
At 12:30 PM Tuesday (tomorrow)
LCDP Chair Tom Hochschild will be there with signs and supporters,
he tells me.
Plus in addition to supporting this local business he recommends
people make a small donation to the Lowndes County Food Bank
for those less fortunate. -jsq
LCDP PR 26 February 2015, LCDP Cash Mob at Stan’s Quality Meats & Grocery Outlet,
The Lowndes County Democratic Party’s first-ever Cash Mob! 8AM to 8PM next Tuesday March 3, in line with our March Monday 2 meeting topic, “Democratic Party Values: Supporting Local Business”. facebook event.
For this Cash Mob, we are asking Continue reading
Videos: ESPLOST V kickoff meeting @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24
Co-Chair Jerome Tucker emphasized that ESPLOST helping
public schools also helps economic development.
See below for who we now know are the
committee members for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST).
It’s mysterious why that information wasn’t in
the PR before the meeting,
but now we know, since Gretchen went and took the videos
and collected the flyers you’ll find below.
Early voting already started that same day and continues through March 13th, with the final Election Day 17 March 2015.
Lowndes/Valdosta Citizens for Excellence in Education
Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
For Lowndes County Schools and Valdosta City Schools Continue reading
Videos: 1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23
In the briefest Planning Commission meeting I can recall,
Stovall got her
rezoning of 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension
recommended unanimously Monday 23 February 2015.
Ivy Gate subdivision’s second phase
to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road
at
4088 Cat Creek Road
was also recommended unanimously.
Nobody spoke for or against either rezoning,
and there was no discussion from Commissioners,
other than a recommendation by Commissioner Wildes that all lots
face interior roads for Ivy Gate.
After the rezonings, Commissioners joked that with a meeting so brief they might catch up with the County Commission. County Chairman Bill Slaughter responded, “Actually, we just showed up to show you how to run a quick meeting.” The difference is GLPC actually does discuss when there’s something to discuss. These cases will show up on the County Commission agenda for March 10th, so we’ll see who takes longer on them then.
Here’s the agenda, and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
1 commercial, 1 subdivision @ GLPC 2015-02-23
Stovall wants
to rezone 5.84 acres to General Commercial on Oak Street Extension
and
Ivy Gate subdivision wants a second phase
to rezone 10.33 acres to R-10 on Cat Creek Road.
The existing Ivy Gate Subdivision is on Bowen Way.
The only nearby property on Cat Creek Road is
4088 Cat Creek Road, across the road,
owned by James Arthur Kutzli.
Thanks to Lowndes County for starting to post Planning Commission agendas including this one.
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
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Monday, February 23, 2015 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
What does conversion of the Land Bank Authority mean? @ ESPLOST VLCLBA 2015-02-25
What does “conversion of the Land Bank Authority” mean? What are they converting this Authority to? Or do they mean the Authority is voting on converting some real estate from non-taxable to taxable?
Valdosta News, City of Valdosta, 23 February 2015, In The City This Week, Feb. 23-28,
Feb. 25: Land Bank Authority Meets. Members of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Land Bank Authority will hold a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9 a.m., in the Neighborhood Development Conference Room (Room 202, Valdosta City Hall Annex). This meeting is being held to vote on the conversion of the Land Bank Authority. The Land Bank Authority exists to foster the public purpose of returning property which is in a non-revenue generating, non-tax producing status to effective utilization status in order to provide housing, new industry and jobs for citizens. For information, call (229) 671-3617.
Even the state doesn’t have up to date information about this board. According to the Continue reading
ESPLOST V kickoff meeting today @ ESPLOST 2015-02-24
A committee of unknown members is holding a kickoff meeting today
for the Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax.
Various local news media carry the announcement below,
but none of them seem to have the names of the committee members
beyond one co-chair.
I guess we’ll find out from the videos Gretchen is going there now to take.
In the City of Valdosta’s In The City This Week, Feb. 23-28,
Feb. 24: ESPLOST V Campaign. The ESPLOST joint committee will host a campaign kickoff on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m., in the Valdosta City Hall Annex Multi-Purpose Room. At the meeting, committee members will share proposed projects for Lowndes County and Valdosta City Schools with citizens. Early voting runs Feb. 23 through March 13. The final opportunity to vote will be on the official Election Day, March 17. For more information, email Co-Chair John Eunice at jleunice@yahoo.com.
-jsq
Minnesota follows Austin with Value of Solar Tariff: better than net metering, or not?
Yes, it’s better than the unequal “net metering” Georgia has now, where your one-and-only utility pays you a rate they determine, typically their “avoided” rate of not generating energy by some other means, which is usually a lot less than what you pay your utility. Is it better than real one-to-one net metering? That’s a harder question, because even if it pays more now, it’s less predictable. In any case VOST has spread from Austin to Minnesota.
Herman K. Trabish, GreenTechMedia, 10 April 2014, A Rising Tension: ‘Value-of-Solar’ Tariff Versus Net Metering,
Source: Institute for Local Self Reliance
The Alliance for Solar Choice, a group made up of Continue reading