The Commission awarded no-bid contracts to Lovell Engineering (for Zipperer Road and Boring Pond Road) and ASA Engineering (for Coppage Road). Three of the seven board appointees showed up and spoke: Sam Allen and Penelope Schmidt for Library Board, and and Russell Mast for VLPRA. The Commission appointed all of them unanimously, including no-shows Terri Lupo to VLCIA, Martha Cunningham and Matt Lawrence to Library Board, and Susan Prince to VLPRA. Chairman Bill Slaughter consistently omitted the “Valdosta” from the names of all these boards, even though the reason VLCIA and VLPRA exist is a state law requirement for no overlap between uninincorporated and incorporated area taxation for such services.

There was no public hearing for Whitewater Road because the applicant withdrew it, and half of Nelson Hill was withdrawn while the other half was tabled.

Four of the nine contracts were approved all at once. Mr. Anti-Grant Commissioner Richard Raines actually made the motion to approve the EPMG grant request.

They finally posted an agenda after the Work Session. And they added another item to an amended agenda between the Work Session and the Regular Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor

Here are links to the videos in the order they actually held the meeting. See the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session for more detail on many of these items.

• 1. Call to Order 2. Invocation 3. Pledge

  Video. Minister Commissioner Crawford Powell gave his usual Ivory Billed Woodpecker invocation.

• 4. Minutes for approval

  Video.

• 5.a. Lowndes Library Board

  Video. Unanimously appointed: Martha Cunningham (not present), Sam Allen (retired Valdosta Schools Superintendent), Penelope Schmidt (10-year educator from Hahira), and Matthew Lawrence (not present).

• 5.b. Lowndes County Industrial Authority

  Video. Terri Lupo, Georgia Power regional VP, was still out of town on vacation, but they appointed her anyway.

• 5.c. Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority

  Video. They unanimously appointed Susan Prince (not present) and Russell Mast (Chairman; he said VLPRA had a positive fund balance) They didn’t appoint Dan Deaver (not present).

• 6.a. REZ 2014-12 White, Whitewater Rd & Bent Tree Dr.

  Video.

• 6.b. REZ-2014-13 Nelson Hill subdivision, Val Del Road

  Video. The applicant withdrew the first part of the request, for a 75-foot high communications tower for high-speed Internet access. The second part County Planner Jason Davenport said “dealt with some of the rezoning conditions that were ultimately approved back in 2006”; they tabled it until August. I wonder how much of that second part involves retroactively approving staff variances that were made in 2009 and 2011 without any public hearings?

• 7.a,b,c,d. Annual service contract renewals for 911 center

  Video.

• 7.e. FY2014 EPMG grant application

  Video. Commissioner Richard Raines started his stint on this Commission disapproving a grant for weather radios, but he made the motion for this grant application.

• 7.f. Evidence Based Associates contract for juvenile justice grant

  Video. Commissioner Joyce Evans made the motion.

• 7.g. Lovell Engineering surveying and engineering for Zipperer Road

  Video.

• 7.h. Lovell Engineering Boring Pond Road Phase III

  Video.

• 7.i. ASA Engineering Service for Coppage Road

  Video.

• 7.j. Sewer Service Agreement for Lake Park Elementary

  Video.

• 8. Reports: none 9. CWTBH: none; Adjourn

  Video. The Chairman didn’t even bother to mention Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

Here’s a video playlist:

Videos: a few appointees spoke
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 8 July 2014.

-jsq