Eight minutes to do your business: yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall took the day off from his work at the City of Valdosta to be there. Not clear the rest of them took it that seriously. He and at least one other Commissioner did get some questions in. And they did all show up, at least. We’ll see if they’re all there for voting this evening at 5:30 PM.
Some interesting questions on the Continue reading
In an interesting version of a revolving door,
county appointee Michael H. McDowell’s KLVB term is expiring,
so is Valdosta appointee Bubba Highsmith’s,
and the county proposes appointing Highsmith.
Highsmith is
a State Farm Insurance Agent.
Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for 8:30AM Monday morning are: banking services (looks like Ameris Bank costs way less than BB&T, and SunTrust even less, but Ameris has the best interest rate), a computer bulk purchase for $54,795.98, yet another pump purchase, allegedly for $0 dollars because this is actually for specifications rather than actual purchase.
Typical Application: Residential Pump System, Triple “D” Pump Company
Finally, the tabled-from-last-meeting Ordinance about Board of Health Rules: will the Commissioners have had time to read the one copy the County Manager allows them?
Plus an alcohol license, Continue reading
Scottie Orenstein and Mark Wisenbaker were absent,
so they barely had a quorum with three Commissioners: Joyce Evans, Mark Wisenbaker, and Clay Griner, plus Chairman Bill Slaughter, who does not vote
unless there is a tie.
Spoiler: they passed everything unanimously, except one item.
They took almost 2.5 minutes (less than the five minutes I predicted) on the KLVB appointments. Remember, Tracy Chapman asked for her name to be withdrawn. See previous post about the Work Session for that and what applicant Regina Kimbrough said. And see the agenda post for more about the applicants.
Slightly longer and longest at 2:49 was 6.b. REZ-2018-14 Coventry Villas, Mulligan Rd, followed by 1:32 for 7.d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, which did not go as planned, and then 1:49 for the other rezoning, 6.a. REZ-2018-13 Sims, Beaver Lane.
Below are Continue reading
They vote this evening on what you can see they discussed yesterday morning,
in these LAKE videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session.
They barely had a quorum. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall is never at Work Sessions because he’s at work, and Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was on some beach.
Tracy Chapman asked for her name to be withdrawn from the KLVB appointment. Regina Kimbrough spoke. See previous post for more about the applicants.
Longest at more than 3 minutes was 6.b. REZ-2018-14 Coventry Villas, Mulligan Rd, a rezoning for a planned development, in which Commissioner Clay Griner actually asked a question.
Third longest (after the KLVB item) was the 7.d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, because of Continue reading
The most interesting items were not on
the agenda
of the Regular Session two weeks ago of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session.
The County Engineer had
One more thing: Loch Laurel Bridge Work and Closure 7/16 – 7/23,
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall
reminded everyone the Georgia hands-free driving law was going into effect,
and the Chairman announced
swearing in of the newly un-privatized Probation Officers the following morning.
The longest scheduled item at almost 3 minutes was New Consoles For 911 Dispatchers, followed by Contract With Parks And Recreation Authority, because both had questions from Commissioners.
The two grant items added the previous morning, for Accountability Court and DUI Court, sailed through, as did the Francis Lake Lift Station Repair and the LAS Storage Pond Improvements.
Below are Continue reading
Videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session two weeks ago.
See
agenda post for background.
The budget got no comments from Commmissioners.
County Manager Joe Pritchard asked for addition of two grant agenda items, for Accountability Court and DUI Court. Proponents of each spoke, and both items were added to the agenda for the next day’s Regular Session.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, especially about the Hotel/Motel Tax and the still-mysterious Wisconsin Public Finance Authority Bond Issue, a rare verbal appearance by Joyce Evans on Continue reading
This morning at 8:30 AM at the Work Session and tomorrow at 5:30PM for voting by the Lowndes County Commission, Vivian Miller-Cody wants to be reappointed to Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, while Adam Floyd does not. Three people applied for that second slot: Tracy Chapman, Regina Kimbrough, and Travis Morgan). “Three applications… are included”, apparently in the board packet, but not in what is posted with the agenda, so we don’t know who these people are. I would guess Tracy Chapman is the Assistant District Attorney; that Regina Kimbrough is the second grade teacher at Sallas Mahone Elementary School,
City of Valdosta PR,
2017 Jr. Fire Marshal School of the Year,
“Trey Sherwood of Valdosta Insurance Service, sponsor of the Jr. Fire Marshal program, presented the 2017 Jr. Fire Marshal School of the Year awards to Regina Kimbrough (left) of Sallas Mahone Elementary School and to Danielle Gibbs of Pinevale Elementary School.”
and that Travis Morgan is a manager at Best Buy, but I’m only guessing, while the county could just post the applications, like counties in metropolitan areas eleswhere do.
Jason A. Smith, Valdosta Daily Times, 10 April 2018, Volunteers work recycling event, Continue reading
A busy morning’s agenda starts with approving a new annual budget and related hotel and motel taxes. Plus a Contract with Valdosta Continuing Land Bank Authority.
Parks and Rec is negotiating a $3 million loan from Ameris Bank for improvements to Freedom Park and wants the county to guarantee its 1.25 mil tax base.
Utilities wants about $20,000 for impellers and wear rings for the pumps in the Francis Lake Lift Station and about $275,000 to improve the Land Application Site (LAS), where they spray sewer waste onto a field which they then rent out for hay production (the county does not have a wastewater treatment plant). See also WWALS blog post.
The mysterious out-of-state apartment bonds actually get an explanation this time:
The Board of Commissioners is requested to adopt the attached revised Resolution approving the issuance of bonds by a Wisconsin Public Finance Authority. A portion of the proceeds of the bonds will be used for a project located on Old Statenville Road. The project is a 204-unit multi-family affordable housing development known as Brittany Woods & Park Chase Apartments.
1150 Old Statenville Road, Parcel 0159D 014,The reason for this revised Resolution is Continue reading
Last week while we were out of town, the Lowndes County Commission considered
two rezonings, one with
a Union Road, Hahira address,
by far the longest,
with Judge Arthur McLane speaking against,
the applicant Stacy Stubbs speaking for,
and quite a bit of discussion among Commissioners and staff,
after which they approved it 3:2 with the two conditions proposed by the Planning Commission.
The other rezoning has
a Valdosta address, which they approved unanimously;
for both see also
the preceding Planning Commission meeting.
Plus a third transportation item,
GDOT Option for Right of Way at Exit 11.
A bid, a bunch of contracts, and an alcohol license; pretty routine.
The previously-tabled and somewhat controversial
Additional Deputy Coroner Request Continue reading
By far the longest item was
a special proclamation for EMT Services,
at 4.5 minutes,
followed by
cleaning bids,
which took almost three minutes for the Lowndes County Commission to reject.
In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, Gretchen took 2 minutes to invite them to WWALS’ Wild & Scenic Film Festival, at Mathis Auditorium, Thursday, May 31, 2018.
Almost everything else was read out and unanimously approved, except the one most contentious the previous morning, 7 b. Additional Deputy Coroner Request, was tabled.
Below are Continue reading