Tag Archives: Government

Videos: Day 2, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-20

These videos are for those of you who have jobs, or responsibilities, which prevent you from taking random days or hours off at a time. Commissioner Marshall was absent from the second day of the retreat because he has a job which does not allow him the flexibility of daytime hours off. (The first day of the retreat was on Presidents Day.)

The topics of discussion ranged from the ever popular litter and trash collection, to special tax districts, fire and emergency response, animal control and the animal shelter, and one of my favorites, electronic records. Most presentations were made either by the county manager or clerk but the current Deep South Solid Waste Authority Chairman Kevin Beals was first up to talk trash.

Below are links to each LAKE video of Day 2, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of Day 1 and Continue reading →

Videos: Day 1, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-19

The 2018 Lowndes County Commission Retreat was just about the exact opposite of a commission meeting, except that same group of people are present (almost). There was discussion, disagreement, laughing, sighing, interrupting, listening, inside jokes, outside jokes, and general exchange of views. Those things don’t happen in a commission meeting. This year’s retreat was particularly different because there was no time frame attached to any agenda item and they didn’t discuss topics in exact order, and some topics got covered repeatedly. Commissioner Evans said to me during a break that the previous format of having departments just give a report can “get boring” and she had suggested that they have a different format with more discussion about communications.

The agenda was available on-line but was hard to find and the link I followed to find it is gone now. I did manage to download it before it went away. Find it here: 2018 LCC Annual Planning Meeting Agenda (plus searchable text). There were paper copies available at the meeting after the first break.

I sometimes think that the commissioners may be getting used to me but then, no, don’t be silly.

At the lunch hour, the Commissioners stepped outside to take a group picture and as County Clerk Page Dukes suggested that they get closer and not have so much “space” between them, Commissioners Orenstein and Griner (I live in their districts) huddled together.

Commissioners Gather Group Photo Close Group Photo
  Commissioners Orenstein and Griner

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

Pastry, Hunting, Market Strategy @ VLCIA 2018-02-20

On their agenda for tomorrow are bonds for Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe.

Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc. logo

Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority
Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 5:30 PM
Development Authority Conference Room/103 Roosevelt Drive
Monthly Meeting Agenda

Continue reading →

Agenda, 2018 Commission Annual Planning Meeting @ LCC 2018-02-19

Update 2018-02-19: And a picture of the participants.

Still no agenda posted on lowndescounty.com. Below is the paper agenda Gretchen got at the meeting this morning. It has no times of day and no speakers listed. I wonder if the Commissioners got something more detailed than this?

One page, Agenda

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
2018 Commission Annual Planning Meeting
6926 Simpson Road. Hahira. Georgia
Monday. February 19—Tuesday. February 20
8:30 am.

FINANCE
Audit Report Continue reading →

No Agenda for Lowndes County Commission Retreat @ LCC 2018-02-19

Lowndes County’s annual two-day Planning Meeting, aka retreat, which begins today, a bank holiday, with no agenda posted. I hear it is at Chairman Bill Slaughter’s place south of Hahira. Gretchen is on her way with the LAKE video camera.

When: 8:30 AM, Monday 19 Feb 2018, Tuesday 20 Feb 2018

Where: 6926 Simpson Rd, Hahira GA 31632

Event: 2018 Annual Planning Meeting

6926 Simpson Road, Hahira
Parcel ID 0031 042, Lowndes County Tax Assessors

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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!

Videos: Rocky Ford Road, Sharp Family, C-G Bemiss Rd @ LCC 2018-02-13

Again like in the previous morning’s Work Session the lengthiest regular item was the rezoning on Rocky Ford Road for the church-proposed Camp Rock, mostly with attorney Jack Langdale speaking for, including that a “wilderness camp” for unfortunate children doesn’t need a buffer, and any future buyers of neighboring property beware.

The Sharp family said for seven years they have been trying to get somebody to do something about stray dogs, only to discover Animal Control doesn’t work weekends anymore, and the Sheriff’s office won’t do anything, even though one of their family had been killed by the dogs and another bitten, and the dogs are now into their second and third generations running loose.

Third longest was Continue reading →

Videos: Resolutions and Railroad crossing @ Hahira 2018-01-30

The Hahira City Council passed two resolutions at its February 1, 2018 Regular Session, one supporting GA HR 158 to stop state fee diversions, and another supporting the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail. Two days before I spoke about both and there was discussion at the Hahira Work Session of January 30, 2018.

Another item from that Work Session has unfortunately become big news: possibly closing the Lawson Street railroad crossing, where a man was killed February 5 when a Norfolk Southern train struck a dump truck, according to WTXL. WALB says, “The Georgia State Patrol identified the driver as Dexter Brown, 48, of Barnwell, S.C.”. Mayor Bruce Cain gave a statement to Hahira Today, which also included some discussion of that agenda item: Continue reading →

Videos: Turner Center presentation, VAWA, Rocky Ford Road @ LCC 2018-02-12

It was Art (12 minutes of 4. State of the Arts by Cheryl Oliver, Director, Turner Center of the Arts) Law (10:46 of 7.c. Solicitor-General’s Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Grant Application and 1:31 of Introduction of new Probation Officer, which was not on the agenda), and Development ( 6.b. REZ-2018-02, E-A and C-C to E-A and PD-R, 4391 Rocky Ford Rd, ~72 acres) this morning at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. Actually, all of those items were about law enforcement one way or another. The Commissioners vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Leadership Lowndes, VLCIA appointment, Rivers Radio @ LCC 2017-12-12

In an outbreak of transparency and due diligence in the last Lowndes County Commission of 2017, they took ten minutes replacing Mary Goodman on the Industrial Authority, hearing from three nominees, and appointing Brad Folsom. They took three and a half minutes to choose among three nominees to the Tourism Authority to appoint Robert Jefferson. None of those nominees spoke, but the vote was so split they actually had a runoff, which ended in a 3:2 final vote. They also reappointed Joyce Evans by silent “acclamation”.

Leadership Lowndes spoke for 12 minutes (as long as three citizens get), citizen Willie Mae Jones wanted to know what next to get her Black Road paved, and County Engineer Mike Fletcher said the signatures were verified as 84% of the property owners on the road, so it would go on the paving list with the 74 projects already on there. Chairman Bill Slaughter actually asked for Commissioner comments, and each of them said a few words, mostly thanks to the staff and Merry Christmas. Chairman Bill Slaughter even thanked citizens for coming to the meetings. Merry Christmas, Commissioners!

The longest rezoning public hearing was REZ-2017-13 Quattlebaum-Meadors, N Valdosta RD, R-21 to C-H.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Dasher, Remerton, Valdosta, Lowndes County @ GLPC 2018-01-29

The Planning Commission last month welcomed Ed Hightower, appointed earlier that same month by the Lowndes County Commission. They heard one case each from the seldom seen Cities of Dasher, and Remerton (longest at almost 38 minutes on apartments at the old mill site). plus and three from Lowndes County including REZ-2018-02 CR Ventures – Rocky Ford Rd – 71 acres (third longest at 23 minutes), and five from Valdosta including Deep South Sanitation (second longest at more than 37 minutes), which was also separately heard on a related matter by ZBOA a week later.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda, and the three Lowndes County cases will be voted on by the county Tuesday evening. Continue reading →