Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

Ankle monitoring working and saving money @ LCC 2013-01-22

An unscheduled report and testimonials by Commissioners said the county’s ankle monitoring program is going well and saving money, in this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

Ankle Monitoring: In another item not on the agenda, the Chairman asked “Mr. Steven Harmon” to give a report (I’m guessing I got the right Steven Harmon in the picture here). Lowndes County apparently saves over one million dollars each year by using an ankle monitoring program, rather than keeping non-violent offenders in the county jail. That program was initially approved by the Commission 13 December 2011, required a budget adjustment 10 January 2012, was funded by the Commission 19 June 2012, and was in the budget approved 26 June 2012.

We the public still don’t really know what’s in this program, because Continue reading →

Airport, alcohol, taxes, road, jail @ LCC 2013-01-22

It's curious how the Lowndes County Commission can hold a public hearing for a single beer, wine, and liquor license, but not for doing away with the solid waste collection sites that affect 5,000 county residents. And what's this "Special Assessment Rate for 2013"? At today's early morning work session maybe they'll say, or perhaps at tonight's regular session, both on the same day because of yesterday's holiday.

Here's the agenda.

-jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — January 7, 2013
    2. Regular Session — January 8, 2013
  5. Appointment — Valdosta/Lowndes County Airport Authority
  6. Public Hearing — Beer Wine & Liquor License — Rascal's — 4875 Hwy 41
  7. For Consideration
    1. Special Assessment Rate for 2013
    2. Abandonment of a portion of Old State Road (CR 16)
    3. Replacement of the Jail Fire Alarm System in Buildings 001 & 002
  8. Reports-County Manager
  9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

Rep. Austin Scott (R GA-08) @ VLCoC 2013-01-10

Ron Borders introduced Congressman Austin Scott (R GA-08) who made some remarks on the front porch at the Chamber of Commerce Thursday 10 January 2013.

Bookended by some formulaic remarks about debt (without mentioning that it’s already mostly solved), the Congressman noted he is on the Committee on Armed Services. He said there is no current BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission), although one has been asked for. He said a BRAC wouldn’t do anything for near-term debt, anyway (but he didn’t say anything about ending the war in Afghanistan or stopping funding for un-needed weapons systems as ways of saving money).

He said he is the chair of a House Agriculture Subcommitee (Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture). He said he was for research, for the agricultural extension, and for agricultural exports.

Here’s the WCTV news report, with responses by Gretchen Quarterman, Chair of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP).

Here’s a video playlist:

Continue reading →

Hospital Authority meets Wednesday @ VLCHA 2013-01-16

Apparently the Hospital Authority is meeting tomorrow morning, although I can’t find any public notice and it’s not listed in the VDT’s calendar. In case you’re curious who these board members are, I’ve looked them up below.

According to its web page:

Hospital Authority

As a public hospital, an eight-member Hospital Authority governs SGMC. Both the City Council of Valdosta and the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners appoints the representatives who serve on the Authority. Each group appoints four representatives who each serve a 5-year term. Authority members are community leaders who serve the hospital voluntarily. It’s a labor-intensive job for which no Authority member receives any monetary compensation.

In terms of governance, the Authority has the ultimate decision-making ability when it comes to the hospital. The Authority is subject to the Hospital Authorities Law of the Code of Georgia.

Notification of Open Meeting of the Hospital Authority

Regularly scheduled meetings of Hospital Authority occur on the third Wednesday of each month at 9:30am in the SGMC Executive Board Room unless otherwise posted.

Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County Members

Here I’ve annotated the list from the Board’s website with pictures and some additional information of the sort that maybe the Authority would like to put on its website so we the taxpayers would know.

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Videos: money and transparency @ LCC 2013-01-08

The new Commission with the new portrait got to hear about money and transparency right away. And a surprise alcoholic vote caused by their lack of transparency.


Crawford Powell (Dist. 3), Richard Raines (Dist. 2), Bill Slaughter (Chairman), Joyce Evans (Dist. 1), John Page (Dist. 5), Demarcus Marshall (Dist. 4).

Here’s the agenda, with links to videos, and a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also the Monday Work Session.

Continue reading →

How are we paying on something that was 100% paid off? —John S. Quarterman @ LCC 2013-01-08

Why are we furloughing librarians to save $30,000 when we apparently floated bonds for unbudgeted millions on the county palace? That’s essentially what I asked the Lowndes County Commission at their 8 January 2013 Regular Session. Nobody had an answer.

Just to add to what Commissioner Lee said, in addition to everyone appreciating all your service, I’m sure we all appreciate all his long years of service.

Of course there are some things that have come up since he was first on the Commission. For example, Internet access.

The Internet is the roads of the future.

Perhaps funding that might be as important as striping roads. It’s a thought.

For more on that, see what Idelle Dear said just before.

And I really appreciate that clock there. It’s a sign that sometimes change is good.

At least they are doing a few things differently.

When this building complex was opened in 2010, the county put out a double-sheet flyer saying it was completely paid off out of SPLOST money, with zero dollars owed. I’m wondering how it is that then, either in November or December, the Commission just before your one here, refinanced bonds that included I think it was six or seven million dollars for this very building complex? I’m very confused by that. I wonder if someone could clarify how we’re paying on something that was completely 100% paid off with zero owed.

It’s actually about $8.9 million. Why are we paying that? Nobody answered. County Manager Joe Pritchard, pictured below, on that 2010 flyer I mentioned, paid no attention.

A prominent local member of the fourth estate said nobody was allowed to answer. Actually, the Commission’s own Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to be Heard include these lines:

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Make available packets Commisioners see? —Gretchen Quarterman @ LCC 2013-01-08

Gretchen Quarterman thanked and congratulated Commission members at the 8 January 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

Then she reminded them she ran on a platform of transparency, and she asked them to make Commission packets available to the public, and move CWTBH to the beginning of the meeting so citizens can comment before the commissioners vote.

Here’s the video:

Make available packets Commisioners see? —Gretchen Quarterman
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 8 January 2013.

-jsq

$30,000 saved by library furloughs, $millions for building construction —Idelle Dear @ LCC 2013-01-08

Idelle Dear noted we’re up to 12 library furlough days, and reported a flaw in that picture to the 8 January 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

I looked across the street and there are millions of dollars being spent on the construction of the hospital, construction of the VSU Health Sciences building. And yet what is happening, because this is a mandatory furlough for all employees, is that people who are employed by the South Georgia Regional Library, most of whom are minimum wage, work part time, rely on the income: they are going to lose out….

We’d heard about these state-mandated furlough closings at a library board meeting. Idelle Dear spelled out some of the consequences, and made some telling comparisons.

Something is wrong with this picture, and I realize there are different kinds of money, but something is wrong with this picture if we can spend millions and millions of dollars on construction of these buildings and yet shut down the library and the employees who are in low income are going to be affected.

She said she wasn’t sure most people even knew about all this. And she heard somebody had said most people have Internet at home, but

Continue reading →

Stripe some roads! —Former Commissioner Richard Lee @ LCC 2013-01-08

The ghost of Commissions Past, in the form of former Commissioner Richard Lee, pointed his finger at the Commission and staff at the 8 January 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

Richard Lee congratulated the current Commissioners on being willing to serve. He pointed at Commissioner Joyce Evans as having been to this rodeo before. He said they could trust County Manager Joe Pritchard. And he asked them to find money to stripe roads.
So if y’all can find some coins, and Mr. Prichard has a real knack for doing that, we’d appreciate it up in my end of the county.

That’s curious, since Mr. Pritchard can’t seem to to keep the solid waste collection stations open, or for to keep libraries open, or even for a bus for 4-H without children doing much of the heavy lifting.

But Mr. Lee is confident Mr. Pritchard can find funds to stripe roads in Mr. Lee’s neighborhood!

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →

A clock for Citizens Wishing to Be Heard! @ LCC 2013-01-08

The Lowndes County Commission has deployed a clock! Where people can see it. Even the speaker in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard can see it! Congratulations to new Chairman Bill Slaughter and new Commissioners Demarcus Marshall and John Page.

Clock, Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, Lowndes County Commission, Georgia
The clock above County Manager Joe Pritchard, Chairman Bill Slaughter, Commissioners Joyce Evans, John Page, Richard Raines, Demarcus Marshall, Crawford Powell.

This is a welcome change from when former Chairman Ashley Paulk stopped Jessica Bryan Hughes at 4 minutes 39 seconds on 24 May 2011 and cut me off at 4 1/2 minutes on 28 June 2011, both times less than five minutes according to the LAKE video camera.

Speaking of five minutes, that’s the time limit set by the Commission in its own Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to be Heard:

6. Each speaker’s time to speak shall be limited to five minutes.

Maybe the Commission would like to follow its own ordinance?

Continue reading →