Tag Archives: Economy

Precinct budget finger-pointing @ LCC Millage 2014-07-16

It’s still not clear why the Board of Elections couldn’t afford to keep precincts open, instead of closing more of them every year. But after several days of finger pointing this week, it looks like there will be funding to keep all the current precincts open. That’s good news, but if the fix was so easy, why was there ever a problem?

Oldest first, here’s a timeline of highlights.

Back on 10 March 2014, Deb Cox spoke to the Lowndes County Commission about the Board of Elections budget. I just listened to that video again. She did ask for more money for poll workers, and there were comments about how early voting wasn’t revenue-neutral. But I don’t see that she asked for money to keep precincts open, or ever mentioned precincts closing.

27 June 2014 I happened to see Continue reading →

Sparsely attended millage hearing @ LCC Millage 2014-07-16

To raise or not to raise, that is the millage question, and what to spend it on, but not many people showed up to ask.

This 6PM Wednesday 16 July 2014 millage hearing was one of the most lively, juding by his report, from which you can see that VDT political reporter Matthew Woody’s report on both hearings of last Wednesday, and that’s not saying much. In this evening hearing, Dennis Marks spoke for res publica, the rule of the public, for the public good. The other three commenters seemed to be against the millage increase.

One more milllage hearing (8:30AM) and an adoption meeting (9AM), both Wednesday 23 July 2014. Continue reading →

New place, new member, new officers, new name? @ VLCIA 2014-07-15

Six years in the making! Finally VLCIA meets in its new office near the hospital. Georgia Power VP Terri Lupo was just appointed to VLCIA by the Lowndes County Commission (without ever showing up and speaking). On this VLCIA agenda is the annually expected officer nominating committee report. Plus “Proposed VLCIA Name Change”. How about SolarTown?

Hm, this move uptown leaves their old building to Sabal Trail and its proposed fracked methane pipeline. Has VLCIA ever developed an opinion on that boondoggle?

Here’s the agenda. Continue reading →

Millage Hearings for Lowndes County

Even though the County Commission already voted on the budget for spending your tax money (and still hasn’t published that budget), it will have public hearings on the millage before final adoption of that number that decides how much tax you pay. While the proposed millage rate is still low compared to other counties it’s curious that while the Lowndes County Board of Education has published at least a summary of its new budget the Lowndes County Commission has not.

According to the county’s online calendar and Current Events (but not its Public Notices nor the VDT’s online public notices), these meetings are scheduled: Continue reading →

Solar Power Hot Topic on LAKE blog

Some like pithy posts, and others like long historical summaries: see the Solar Hot Topic for the latter. I’ve just added links about solar parking lots, Oakland, CA, Dublin, GA and Lowndes High Schools, and super-lobbying group ALEC’s efforts in every state legislature to oppose solar power.

Solar will win, simply because it’s already cheaper than anything else and the prices keep going down. The fossil industry will delay as long as possible to suck up more profit, but even Wall Street has turned against fossilized utilities that aren’t doing renewables yet. We the people will win. We just need to stop the fossil junkies from doing more damage before they lose. The sun is already rising.

-jsq

Videos: budget, baords, and approvals @ LCC 2014-06-24

None of the appointees spoke, but all were appointed unanimously, and they unanimously approved a landfill expansion item without ever seeing a site plan. Ray Devery and Barry Barr to the Library Board, Sheila Wakeley to the South Georgia Community Service Board, and John Sineath to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals, even though Valdosta’s web page says he’s a city appointee.

They also unanimously approved everything else: a grant for help getting a grant, re-evaluation of all rural agricultural tax assessments, the annual mosquito testing contract with VSU, and the landfill public hearing clarification item about the hearing of the public notice already posted for 17 July 2014.

Here’s the agenda, with some notes, and links to the videos.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: second and final budget hearing @ LCC Budget 2014-06-24

The Chairman refusing to publish a draft of the budget before the hearings didn’t get any more people to show up. Only a handful of people where there who didn’t work for the county, and no citizens spoke. I still don’t see the budget on the county’s website, two weeks later. I guess you can look at the LAKE video of Finance Director Stephanie Black’s presentation and hope it has the parts you want to see.

We didn’t know about the first budget hearing on 17 June 2014, but here are videos of the 24 June 2014 budget hearing.

Continue reading →

Lowndes School Board raises millage, balances budget, publishes summary

Not two, but three public hearings on the LCBOE higher millage rate, 10 AM and 6 PM on July 15, 6 PM on July 22. That rate still puts Lowndes in the middle of school millage for counties statewide. And they published a budget summary before the hearings.

Kristin Finney wrote for the VDT today, Lowndes schools approves budget: System ups millage rate, picked up by AP as Lowndes schools approves budget, Continue reading →

Videos: 5 board appointments, budget, and 4 For Approval @ LCC 2014-06-23

The county’s response to the weekend storms (straight-line event, not tornado) was less confused than its proposed board appointments. They vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM, including on the budget.

Likely return of Ray Devery to the Library Board as Chairman, and reappointment of Barry Barr. Sheila Wakeley for the South Georgia Community Service Board, but even the Commissioners had no bio for her. John Sineath for Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals, even though Valdosta’s web page says he’s a city appointee. None of the applicants spoke.

A grant for help getting a grant, re-evaluation of all rural agricultural tax assessments, the annual mosquito testing contract with VSU, and the landfill public hearing clarification item apparently is about the hearing of the public notice already posted for 17 July 2014.

Here’s the agenda, with some notes, and links to the videos.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

5 board appointments, budget, 4 For Approval incl. Landfill @ LCC 2014-06-23

The second and last Budget Hearing is 5PM Tuesday 24 June 2014, just before the Regular Session.

But first, at the Monday morning Work and Tuesday evening Regular Sessions, 4 appointments to 3 boards, and four obscure For Consideration items about a grant, a schedule, a contract, and a landfill public hearing that may or may not be the one of the public notice already posted for 17 July 2014.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →