The big item was they passed the
Resolution to support GA HR 158 for dedicated fee collections.
That and the
T-SPLOST projects and upcoming public meetings, by Mayor Gayle.
There was only one Citizen to Be Heard, which was
me, about the resolution and about public access to the Withlacoochee River
at Gornto Road in Valdosta.
Below are links to the LAKE video of each item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda.
Continue readingCongratulations, Larry Hanson.
Valdosta, PR, 1 November 2017, City Manager Larry Hanson Retires From Valdosta with Exceptional 42-Year Career: Hanson has been named the Georgia Municipal Association Executive Director
Larry Hanson will retire from the City of Valdosta, effective Dec. 8 after 42 years of public service, 22 of which he served as the Valdosta City Manager. Hanson will assume his new role as the Georgia Municipal Association Executive Director, where he will oversee the advocacy, training and various programs for more than 500 Georgia cities.
Hanson is the 10th and longest-serving city manager for the City of Valdosta, where he oversees Continue reading
Local counties and cities
sold off one landfill in Lowndes County in the late 1990s,
and a second one in 2005 through the Deep South Solid Waste Management Authority.
Yet in 2007 the
Deep South Municipal Regional Solid Waste Management Authority (WMA),
with the same county and city member governments,
was still active, discussing a regional recycling station.
And it is still active today, including some of the same board members
the entire time since 2005,
such as
Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson.
Hanson was not present last week
when Valdosta Mayor John Gayle said
Valdosta does not control the landfill, or perhaps he would have
mentioned that Valdosta through its longterm seat on the WMA board
does have some degree of control over the landfill’s operations.
I notice quite a few of the Valdosta City Council’s own minutes record discussions and votes related to that WMA including this item from their Regular meeting of 4 October 2014, which was called to order by Mayor Gayle:
- Boards, Commissions, Authorities, and Advisory Committees
- Consideration of an appointment to the Deep South Regional Municipal Solid Waste Management Authority. — Appointed Richard Hardy, Public Works Director (7-0 Vote).
There must be some advantage to the City of Valdosta to have two members (Hanson and Hardy) on the WMA board. Certainly the average citizen or organization does not have that.
Bill Roberts, VDT, 5 December 2005, Authority closes on landfill deal, Continue reading
An organic food company is the first thing it finally lands, after trying for years to lure traditional “industrial” businesses to Miller Business Park, and after the Industrial Authority renamed itself the Development Authority. Well, go real food! And congratulations Development Authority! For more local agriculture, come to South Georgia Growing Local Saturday 26 February 2016 at Pine Grove Middle School.
Valdosta, Georgia — December 15, 2015—The Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority (VLCDA) and Nature Nate’s announce the expansion of Nature Nate’s honey processing operations to Valdosta, GA. The project represents a $1.75 million investment, will create 10 jobs immediately and at least 15 jobs after 36 months.
“We welcome Nature Nate’s as our first tenant within Miller Business Park and Continue reading
Local schools would lose
$4 million annually
and local governments overall
$12 million annually,
because
HB 170 would
“re-allocate local sales tax funding from local governments to the state of
Georgia”, resolved Valdosta’s Mayor and Council last Thursday.
Plus HB 170 would effectively authorize
“double taxation of municipal residents”,
because both Lowndes County and Valdosta would have to raise property taxes,
which would result in Valdosta’s citizens being taxed more twice (by
both the county and the city).
For how serious Valdosta considers this threat to its ability to provide services
to local citizens, witness how fast this resolution got passed
(within weeks after HB 170 was introduced into the legislature)
compared to how long it took for Valdosta to pass
a resolution against the Sabal Trail pipeline
(about eighteen months).
Here’s the complete text of the Valdosta resolution that passed 5 Febuary 2015. See also Valdosta’s PR about this resolution, which contains links to the evidence, and Valdosta’s letter to the sponsor of the bill.
RESOLUTION NO. 2015-3
A RESOLUTION TO OPPOSE THE STATE OF GEORGIA’S
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING ACT OF 2015 Continue reading
Well, the agenda says the Invocation was “For the purpose of discussing real estate”; it doesn’t say what the Executive Session was for.
Maybe they’ve got a customer for one of those empty industrial parks
Brad Lofton talked them into building before he left the state.
Maybe they’re going to build some of those spec buildings they and Valdosta Mayor Gayle admire in Vidalia and Douglas.
Maybe they’re still negotiating with Continue reading
On the county’s front page:
LOWNDES COUNTY BIRD SUPPER—Tickets on sale now!
For more than 50 years, local citizens have met face to face with members of the General Assembly during the Lowndes County Bird Supper. Hosted by Lowndes County and the City of Valdosta on behalf of our community’s local legislative delegation, this year’s Bird Supper promises to be one of the best yet!
The event will be held Wednesday, February 12, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. at the old railroad depot, downtown Atlanta. Tickets are $50.00 and include refreshments and a quail dinner. Attendees will enjoy the music of the Valdosta State University Faculty Jazz Ensemble, while meeting with state officials in a business casual atmosphere.
The Lowndes County Bird Supper is our community’s chance discuss upcoming or pending legislation with lawmakers, with an opportiunity to explain how legislative decisions impact South Georgia. For more information, please contact Lowndes County Clerk, Paige Dukes, at 229-671-2400, For tickets, please contact Event Coordinator, Belinda Lovern, at 229-671-2400 or blovern@lowndescounty.com.
Colter Anstaett wrote for WALB 8 January 2014, Valdosta Mayor looking forward to “Bird Supper” next month, Continue reading
A local mom said she was one of many landowners being bullied
by a pipeline company and asked for help from local leaders,
at the
7 November 2013 Valdosta City Council Regular Session.
Here’s Part 1 of 2:
Carol Singletary’s impassioned and reasoned plea
got a response from Mayor John Gayle,
even if it was only Continue reading
Valdosta Mayor Gayle was standing next to the video ghetto after the county’s rather rudimentary SPLOST VII presentation Monday morning, so I asked him why I hadn’t seen anything about Internet access either Valdosta’s or Lowndes County’s SPLOST lists? He said that was because it was being handled by the Community Assessment Group (CAG). What’s that?
Mayor Gayle said CAG is a group of representatives from the county
and all the local cities, the two school districts (Valdosta and Lowndes County),
VSU, Wiregrass Tech, the Industrial Authority, the Chamber, and he may have
said others.
It’s an attempt at better local cooperation, specifically about issues
that cross all the various local governmental and non-governmental groups.
So far they’ve had two meetings, Continue reading
Local Lowndes County and city officials are awaiting breathlessly the news from Atlanta today about new rules on LOST negotiations. Currently, negotiators have to choose one of the positions submitted by the contending parties. The GA Supreme Court may decide to let negotiators pick some other division of LOST funds. Valdosta Mayor John Gayle cancelled a meeting here yesterday so he could be in Atlanta for this court decision. Lowndes County Commissioners are rumored to be planning a meeting tomorrow morning after the decision.
Fox 31 posted 30 May 3012,
Supreme Court of Georgia to hear Turner County LOST case
There’s much more detail in that article. Also, Tim Omarzu wrote for timesfreepress.com 9 May 2013, Georgia top court to consider LOST negotiations.On June 4th, the Georgia Supreme Court will hear the case between Turner County and three cities over the distribution of Local Option Sales Taxes. Below is the entirety of the facts in the case as released by the court:
In this dispute between the governments of Turner County and three cities over how Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) proceeds should be distributed, the county is appealing a superior court ruling which picked the cities’ plan for distribution over the county’s.
-jsq