It’s again 5:30 today. The day before yesterday
they changed it to noon,
and yesterday
they changed it back to 5:30 PM,
but they didn’t fix that in
the online agenda.
Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority
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Tuesday, September 20, 2016, 12 noon
Development Authority Conference Room/103 Roosevelt Drive
Monthly Meeting Agenda
Half the meeting (11 1/2 minutes) Tuesday was Commissioners grilling
Sheriff Chief Deputy Joe Crow
about
the cost of
High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (Heat):
how less funding is provided the more successful the program is,
and federal funding may go away, leaving the county to foot the bill.
Chairman asked for monthly statistical updates.
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall moved to approve continuation of the grant,
plus a statement in favor of the grant including a disclaimer that the county would “work to preserve” as much of the grant as possible if state funding goes away.
They approved finally fixing the railroad bridge over Old Quitman Highway. and similar but less complicated (no railroad) for the Jumping Gulley Road bridge. Nobody mentioned that the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline proposes to cross Jumping Gulley Road half a mile west of that bridge, and then to open cut through Jumping Gulley Creek just south of the state line.
Snake Nation Road is getting an emergency $168,928 box culvert repair, which isn’t fast enough for former Commissioner Richard Lee, who Continue reading
They vote 5:30 PM this evening on
finally fixing the railroad bridge over Old Quitman Highway.
As you can see in the videos below of yesterday morning’s Work Session,
County Engineer Mike Fletcher said it’s taken long negotiations with CSC and GDOT,
ending up with realigning the road to go across the railroad at 90 degrees.
Way back in 2011 this Old Quitman Road bridge was on the T-SPLOST list. Old Quitman Road itself was announced on a striping and citing list 2013-10-08 and on an LMIG resurfacing list 2014-03-24 and 2014-03-25. It was said to be the only road for which the speed limit is being changed 2015-03-23 and 2015-03-24. And they fixed a culvert on private Carter Way before they got to this RR bridge on Old Quitman Road. But now they’re doing it, and they didn’t need T-SPLOST for that after all.
See also Continue reading
This morning at 8:30 AM at the Lowndes County Commission, the two subdivisions from the previous Planning Commission meeting,
REZ-2016-16 Livingston Properties, Bemiss Knights Academy Rd and Merriman Ct.
What’s with all the road abandonments these past many months? REZ-2016-17 Grove Pointe Ph 6, Dasher Grove Rd, a public hearing on Abandonment of Strong Road, probably scheduling of one for Abandonment of Unopened Right of Way off of Pikes Pond Road, and finishing up with a Quit Claim Deed for Abandoned Right of Way on Old Miller Concrete Property.
Surveying and engineering for two bridge replacements, on Old Quitman Road and Jumping Gully Road. And the annual renewal of Section 5311 Rural Transportation Program Capital Contract, which is the MIDS on-call bus service, in case you can’t tell from the obscure agenda item.
Plus lots more on the agenda. Will they speed through it all in their usual 15 minutes? They vote tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 5:30 PM.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
A third Lowndes County Case in west Valdosta near James Road,
REZ-2016-15, was pulled from the agenda until next month
to be sure it will be ready for review (but not withdrawn).
One Valdosta case,
CU-2016-02, was announced as withdrawn
at the beginning of the meeting.
The
stormwater LDR changes apparently were mostly to
remove description of very old previous material and various housekeeping
including reflecting a rate increase the Valdosta City Council already approved
back in June after a series of public hearings.
Expect the Comprehensive Plan back next month: they didn’t examine it this time because
the agenda was already very long. Continue reading
Still more subdivisions planned in what the county calls
Central Lowndes County
and near Hahira,
and a bunch of stuff in Valdosta.
including
stormwater revisions to the LDR.
Here’s
the agenda,
and see the
LAKE videos of the meeting.
Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
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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, August 29, 2016 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
3.5 minutes of actual meeting after a minute of invocation and pledge and a minute of welcomes.
First they welcomed Cub Scout Pack 400 and Troup 410, a member of the Lowndes County Explorer Program, for their interest in the gubmint. Also a Valdosta City Council member (Sandra Tooley, although Chairman Bill Slaughter didn’t name her), and Carl Smith. Plus Tax Commissioner Felicia Williams. He didn’t name any of the regulars in the room, yet the welcomes took more than a minute which, plus the minute for the invocation and prayer, that was two minutes of non-business in the entire 5 and a half minute meeting, so that was only 3 and a half minutes of actual meeting. Which was more than 2.5 minutes of the previous morning’s Work Session. It does make you wonder: where and when do they actually discuss the county’s business, and why isn’t it in the public meetings?
Below are links to each of the LAKE videos of the August 23nd 2016 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. See also Continue reading
People showed up and asked questions!
Finance Director Stephanie Black said they were having public hearings because they were required to when raising the millage. She said some of the reasons for the raise were a decline in the Local Option Sales Tax revenue, “because of the TATV” a decline in motor vehicle revenues, and a decline of 1.88% or $56 million in the property tax digest. TATV appears to be Ad Valorem Title Tax, which changed with HB 386 becoming law 1 March 2013, changing annual TATV to a one-time tax at vehicle purchase, and that new tax goes to the state, not the local government. As you can see in the Millage History slide pictured, they did Continue reading
That’s 2:39 for all business in Monday’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, except for
a report at the end about a new county agent.
The whole thing took less than 5 and a half minutes, according to their own clock.
Valdosta City Council Sandra Tooley showed up at 5:35, just before they adjourned, and wondered what happened.
You ever get the feeling they discuss business somewhere other than in public m eetings?
Tonight there’s a third millage hearing at 5PM, followed by their voting Regular Session at 5:30 PM. See previous post for some background on the millage and the agenda.
Below are links to each of the LAKE videos of the August 22nd 2016 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. They vote tonight. Continue reading
The engineering department utlity player, Jerry Wallace, is retiring.
They approved everything they discussed at the previous morning’s Work Session. See also the LAKE video of the Zika and mosquito control report from that Work Session.
Below are links to the LAKE videos plus a few notes for the Regular Session, August 9th 2016, of the Lowndes County Commission. They vote again tonight.
Video. They reappointed Mac McCall.
Video. Even the Moody AFB engineer spoke for.
Video. County Engineer Mike Fletcher noted this would not landlock anybody. He also pointed out this was not the public hearing. This was the determination of why to abandon (serves no public purpose), which will lead to a public hearing in a later meeting.
Video. Yes, the same closed landfill they gave an easement to Sabal Trail for its 36-inch fracked methane pipeline.
Video. County Engineer Mike Fletcher said the only change was at Kinderlou from 55 to 65 MPH.
Video. Ashley Tye said items that had no additional useful life and no salvage value. He clarified that they had exceeded safety deadlines, so they couldn’t even give it to some other fire department.
Video. See details in previous post about Work Session and details in the agenda LAKE blog post.
Video. Chairman Bill Slaughter said the process to reach this agreement had received national recognition.
Video. Aaron Kostyu said bulk purchase would get additional discounts. They’re buying from Dell.
Video. Finance Director Stephanie Black said this equipment is for the new pumper that was recently purchased for the fire department.
Video. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if that was enough equipment. Answer from Ashley Tye: yes, because this is only for the new truck; fire dept. already has enough for others.
Video. See the LAKE video of the Zika and mosquito control report from the previous morning’s Work Session.
Here’s a video playlist:
Videos: Jerry Wallace reitrement, ZBOA, Verizon, abandonment, landfill
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, August 9, 2016.
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