Here is the agenda and a few pictures of the first Valdosta City Council meeting of 2020, including the installation of new Mayor Scott James Matheson and new Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Carroll.
A few City Council members were re-elected and took the oath of office again; none are new. LAKE videos will follow. Continue reading
The one case at ZBOA last month, a duplex on Eager Road in Valdosta, was quite contentious, because of its potential intended use.
The first speaker against, Deb Cox, wanted to know if it would be used as a halfway house for felons. The applicant, Lawton White, said, “stated he rented some properties to Greenleaf for folks who were attending Alcoholics Anonymous, and while this was not one of those properties, two people who are licensed for such treatment wanted to rent a property for similar type folks.”
Ms. Cox came with many facts and figures, not surprising, since she also happens to be the Lowndes County Supervisor of Elections. Much discussion ensued.
Deb Cox speaking against APP-2019-09 Lawton White (318 Eager Road) at ZBOA 2020-01-07.
However, “Mrs. Quarterman stated that ZBOA’s concern was land use, not who lives in them. Mrs. Quarterman stated that if it had not become nonconforming, it would not be on the agenda. Mrs. Quarterman asked Continue reading
Will the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) require a property owner, in order to convert a neighborhood clubhouse into a residence, enclose a porch?
We’ll post the LAKE video soon, and then we’ll know.
Here is the agenda. See also the ZBOA board packet, courtesy Continue reading
The Lowndes County Regular Session is also Monday (tomorrow), at 5:30 PM after the 8:30 AM Work Session.
The agenda is only a page long, but the agenda packet is 109 pages. Most of that is 66 pages for a $99,700 jail software change order, of which about half the pages are duplicated. Makes you wonder if anybody reads this stuff. Continue reading
The annual Lowndes County retreat, er, Planning Meeting, is in the middle of this week, starting tomorrow morning.
When: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Tuesday – Thursday, February 4-6, 2020
Where:
Quail Branch Lodge, 7601 Zeigler Road, Lake Park, GA 31636
The
lowndescounty.com calendar item says
“Board of Commissioners Administration Building”,
but nevermind that.
Agenda: They never post an agenda in advance for these retreats.
Yes, LAKE will be videoing this meeting.
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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!
Maybe it was “custom fit” that caused Commissioner Clay Griner to ask for postponement of approval of purchase of firefighting equipment until after the county’s retreat. All five Commissioners voted for tabling. More detail below in the notes on that item.
Bob Dewar has discovered the county wants an 80-foot right of way to pave Clyattstone Road, “What we do not want is a highway. It’s a quaint county road.” Well, that’s not why the county paves roads. More in the item notes below.
Everything else was passed with little or no discussion.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the Continue reading
Update 2020-02-10: Videos: Verizon Country Club tower, halfway house, and Providence Missionary Baptist Church @ GLPC 2020-01-27.
This may be the longest agenda ever for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, meeting tonight at 5:30 PM. Gretchen Quarterman will be there with the LAKE video camera.
Pete’s Otto was at GLPC in January 2017 about establishing its business, and at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) in in July 2019 about setbacks.
This time Pete’s Otto seems to want to spread down the street.
And Nancy Hobby wants to go “backwards” to E-A on 10 acres on Loch Laurel Road.
Here is the agenda: Continue reading
Not on the agenda, Chairman Bill Slaughter at the end of the meeting said Utilities Director Steve Stalvey had been testing water quality on the Withlacoochee River. On December 31, bacterial counts were acceptable. But on January 6, 2020, counts were quite high, so the county made and posted some warning signs at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line (GA 31) Boat Ramps.
Here is one of the county’s signs, at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, with a sign by WWALS Watershed Coalition (Suwannee Riverkeeper) at the bottom of the other pole with Continue reading
A million dollars for Paving – Quail Hollow Acres Subdivision and $0.4 million for Bid for a 3,000 Gallon Tanker for the Fire Department. Another million for 2020 Stop Loss Insurance Coverage through Symetra Life Ins. Company. A quarter million to relocate utilities at I-75 Exit 2 will be paid by GDOT. And a million in income for a Lease Agreement with the State Properties Commission for the Division of Family & Children Services (DFACS).
Molly Deese wants to be reappointed to the Valdosta Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority. Incumbents almost always get reappointed if they say they want to, and the chances of them not reappointing the Vice President and General Manager of Wild Adventures is pretty slim. Ditto Dr. Frances Brown on the Lowndes County Board of Health.
They’re setting the Special Assessment interest rate “for all paving and utilityassessments that are not paid off within the initial 90-day phase. Unpaid assessments revert to installment agreements which are to be paid over a period of up to ten years.” New rate: 6.75% for 2020, down from 7.50% for 2019.
They’re setting qualifying fees to run for office, primary or general election: Continue reading
Update 2020-01-10: Not quite settled. Valdosta still has to agree to it.
These must be golden words indeed, to have been worth the hundreds of thousands of legal fees expended over them:
- In regards to water and sewer services:
The Parties’ current water and sewer service areas are delineated on the service area maps attached to the DCA Forms for water and sewer services approved herewith.
All existing intergovernmental agreements of the Parties regarding the provision of water and sewer services shall remain in effect.
Any request for an extraterritorial extension shall be negotiated by the requesting Party and the affected Party. Approval of the affected Party shall not be unreasonably withheld.
The wording is “based on trust,” said Commissioner Clay Griner. “Where’s the document?” responded Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker? “It’s on your ipad,” clarified Chair Bill Slaughter.
As the County Clerk proceeded to hand out paper copies, Griner elaborated:
And it’s all based on trust. It’s us trusting, the County Commission trusting the City Council, whichever municipality it is, to do the right thing. The city council has to trust the County Commission to do the right thing. And the citizens to trust all of us to sit down and do the right thing.
After the county didn’t put anything for the citizens to see on the county website about this Wednesday morning meeting until Continue reading
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