Subtract out the invocation, pledge, and approval of minutes (which you couldn’t hear anyway because the county’s sound system wasn’t working) and the Chairman’s ending comments on Youth Leadership, and your elected Commissioners spent about six minutes on the business of the county, including spending some unknown amount of money on road services.
Below are Continue reading
Chairman Bill Slaughter mentioned the recent death of his predecessor Fred DeLoach. County Manager Joe Pritchard said he tried to talk Carmella Braswell out of retiring, but she has done so.
County Engineer Mike Fletcher clarified that more than one engineering firm was working on professional surveying and engineering for road projects.
Kevin Beals presented the solid waste franchises for annual renewal, and we were reminded he is also Chairman of the Deep South Solid Waste Authority that dispenses funds from their tipping fees, and which the next day announced a special called meeting for Wednesday.
Chad McLeod said the county has successfully cleaned up from a nearby closed gasoline station.
Below are Continue reading
Update 2019-04-09: Videos.
Only one case on the Planning Commission agenda for tonight: rezoning for office space between Old US 41 North and the railroad, between Valwood and Scruggs.
Map: Lowndes County Tax Assessors,
Parcel 0053 112,
4555 Old US 41 North.
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
Monday, March 25, 2019 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Update 2019-03-27: LAKE videos of Monday morning Work Session and Tuesday evening Regular Session.
A single-source no-bid contract with Lovell Engineering is on the agenda for Professional Surveying and Engineering Services for Improvements to Lester Road. The dollar amount is not given in the agenda sheet.
The Basic Decorative Street Lighting District is not the one defered last time (Walker’s Run). They want to charge $61.50 per lot per year.
No special trash collection tax district for Lowndes County, though, although state law explicitly authorizes that. Instead, once again they are renewing curbside trash pickup licenses for ADS and DSS; the latter of course only after the county sued all the way to the state Supreme Court to try to stop it.
Here is the bid sheet from 2012. You may want to compare Veolia’s bid to what its new owner ADS is charging now.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Five minutes and 46 seconds Sixteen minutes to vote on the people’s business in the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.
Where do they actually discuss things?
By far the longest item at three minutes and fourteen seconds was 5a. REZ-2019-04 Southeastern Freight 2120 West Hill Ave., C-H/R-1 To M-2,, and that only because somebody spoke in favor of the request in the Public Hearing.
Second longest at one minute and 46 seconds was the controversial 7 a. North Lowndes Spring Creek Utility Inter-connection Project Phase II, for which they made a decision about the yellow paper. They still never said who the rest of the bidders were, nor how much they bid, on this $3,889,825.23 project.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with Continue reading
They don’t have any wheelchair seating areas, so Jody Hall planted his wheels in front of the front row, to see the county not tell the public who bid what on an almost $4 million item.
By far the longest item at almost seven minutes was North Lowndes Spring Creek Utility Inter-connection Project Phase II, because one bidder objected that the others did not use the correct color paper. They never said who any of the bidders were, nor how much they bid, on this $3,889,825.23 project.
The third longest was 6.f. Water and Sewer Service Areas – Lake Park Area, as the county continues its plan to encircle Valdosta. Yet the county has no plan for additional sewage treatment beyond the Land Application Site (LAS), where Lowndes County sprays sewage onto land near Grassy Pond, close to the state line, and where they’re reducing the Row Crop Lease Agreement by 71 acres for unexplained reasons.
Second longest was Continue reading
Last month the Planning Commission reviewed a truck freight line request for rezoning that is on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for voting tonight. The business has operating for several decades, and now wants to expand in a way that does not fit the Comprehensive Plan, but the Planning Commission recommended approving with a condition that the property can’t be used for any other purpose.
Chair Vicki Rountree welcomed new member Debbie Sauls from Lake Park, with no explanation, and the county and Valdosta’s web pages still don’t list her (they don’t have the Chair correct, either), but we found out what happened.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a very few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda.
Video. Both Lowndes County and Valdosta still list the old Lake Park member for the Planning Commission (they don’t have the Chair right, either):
City of Lake Park
- Dr. Keith Sandlin – Term Expires 04/06/22
We find what happened in the Lake Park City Council Minutes 2019-02-05,
Mayor Sandlin stated that Council still needed to appoint a replacement to the Lowndes County Planning Commission and the MPO Representative to fill his seat. Member Taylor made a motion to add the Lowndes County Planning Commission appointment to the agenda, Member Barr second, all in favor motion passed. Mayor stated he had recently spoken to Debbie Sauls and she agreed to serve on the committee. Member Taylor made a motion to appoint Debbie Sauls to be the City of Lake Park xepresentative to the Lowndes County Planning Commission, Member Carter second, all in favor, motion passed.
Video. According to today’s Lowndes County Commission agenda item agenda sheet:
The TRC considered this request. Zoning found this request inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan. There were no other objectionable comments.
Staff found the request overall consistent with the Goals and Policies of the Comprehensive Plan, however, inconsistent with the Character Area Map and offers the following condition: The use of the property shall be limited to the principal use of a terminal for freight by truck and accessory uses incidental and subordinate to such a facility.
The GLPC heard this request at their February regular meeting and recommended for its approval with the condition offered by Staff by a 7-0 vote. For reference, the applicant’s agent was present to answer any questions and no one spoke against the request at the public hearing.
Here’s a LAKE video playlist:
Videos: Freight line rezoning reviewed by Planning Commission
Regular Session, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 February 2019.
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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!
After Gretchen called Lowndes County yesterday, last month’s GLPC agenda magically appeared on the county website, along with a 2019 tab for it to appear in.
In addition to a motel, an events center, and an office in CITY OF VALDOSTA CASES, the county rezoning before the Lowndes County Commission today, REZ-2019-04 Southeastern Freight Line, was reviewed by the Planning Commission last month:
The TRC considered this request. Zoning found this request inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan. There were no other objectionable comments.
Staff found Continue reading
How much will they drive development into places it does not belong this time? GMASS Rural Land Maintenance Contract:
The Lowndes County Board of Assessors has approved a contract between the Board of Assessors and GMASS to perform maintenance updates to the Rural Land schedules for the 2019 Digest.
They continue encircling Valdosta with county water and sewer, with the North Lowndes Spring Creek Utility Inter-connection Project Phase II. And on the south side of Valdosta, Water and Sewer Service Areas within and in the Vicinity of Lake Park, with “maps… attached” that as usual they did not show we the taxpaying public. Is the one rezoning, REZ-2019-04 Southeastern Freight Lines, 2120 West Hill Ave., C-H/R-1 To M-2, County Water/Sewer, ~18.96 Acre , related to the recent expansion of water and sewer across that same US 84? Apparently not: “existing water and sewer customer.” They’re removing 71 acres from the 219 acres they rent at the Land Application Site (LAS), where Lowndes County sprays sewage onto land near Grassy Pond, close to the state line.
They’re buying the former office of Coleman-Talley law firm at 910 N. Patterson Street for use by the Public Defender.
And no agenda is complete without a road abandonment.
Here is the agenda.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
The longest topic was water and wastewater, when elected officials from Lowndes County and its cities, Valdosta, Lake Park, Dasher, and Hahira (but apparently not Remerton), gathered on neutral ground to discuss tax revenue allocation, in a public meeting. Curiously, the Chairman and the Mayors were not invited. It’s not clear whether omitting them helped or not. There was actually mention that growth close to existing services is better than sprawl.
Below are links to each WWALS video Gretchen took, with a few notes, followed by a WWALS video playlist. See also the meeting announcement.
Video. Apparently this meeting was his idea.
Video. Directly in front of the camera is Thomas Lynn, reporter for the Valdosta Daily Times (VDT).
His report was published Continue reading