Tag Archives: Mayor

Roads, Wastewater, and Trash @ VCC 2022-02-24

A twelve-foot alligator surfaced twice at the briefest Valdosta City Council meeting of recent memory, in Special Recognitions and Citizens to Be Heard, related to the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle organized by WWALS, with Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman as a speaker.

Valdosta City Council, Staff, and Citizens

Four from Leadership Lowndes where there, and there’s a New Neighborhood Development and Community Protections Manager, Anetra Riley. The Mayor recognized WWALS, which is a first.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Videos: budget and wood pellet plant at Adel City Council 2020-09-21

The wood pellet plant annexation had one vote against, and two against the rezoning.

Reporters, Council, Opposition, Agenda

The budget, millage, and alcohol license passed unanimously.

There was little discussion and no public input. There was a Public Hearing two weeks before.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a very few notes, and a few more pictures. Continue reading →

Budget and wood pellet farm –Adel City Council 2020-09-08

Adel staff answered extensive questions about the budget, in the Adel City Council meeting, Tuesday, August 8, 2020. The proposed wood pellet plant for export to Europe was criticised by several local citizens, and defended by members of local authorities and commissions, as well as its CEO, speaking from Houston, Texas, on a laptop screen.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item and each speaker, with a few notes. See also Continue reading →

Videos: New Valdosta Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem, and $2 million budget surplus while record raw sewage was spilling @ VCC 2020-01-09

A month ago at the Valdosta City Council we learned that Valdosta has a $2,410,000 budget surplus.

5b) Presentation of the Municipal Audit for Fiscal Year 2019

Maybe they could spend some of that to help fix the well and river testing costs downstream on the Withlacoochee River of Valdosta’s record 7.5 million gallons of raw sewage spill into Sugar Creek, which has taken two months to maybe finally get diluted down the Withlacoochee River, twice entering Florida, with three Florida river advisories, and with Georgia warning signs on the Withlacoochee River downstream of Sugar Creek by Lowndes County and by WWALS (but not by Valdosta).

One City Council member tells me that audit doesn’t mean Valdosta has $2 million cash lying around. But they do have several hundred thousand unspent.

Maybe they could also budget some of that surplus to help fix the stigma, the decades-long reputational damage to all our rivers, caused by Valdosta’s chronic sewage spills. That would involve for example water quality testing or paying for testing downstream on the Withlacoochee River and doing marketing.

Four Citizens spoke at the end of the meeting: Continue reading →

New Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem @ VCC 2020-01-09

Here is the agenda and a few pictures of the first Valdosta City Council meeting of 2020, including the installation of new Mayor Scott James Matheson and new Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Carroll.

Seldom seen this full

A few City Council members were re-elected and took the oath of office again; none are new. LAKE videos will follow. Continue reading →

Valdosta Chamber Candidate Forum 2019-10-08

Meet the Candidates 2019, organized by the Valdosta Lowndes Chamber of Commerce: no questions from the audience, but Gretchen Quarterman videoed for LAKE the few minutes each candidate for Valdosta Mayor, City Council, or Valdosta Board of Education held forth. Plus seven minutes about SPLOST, the Special Local Option Sales Tax, the only thing voters in the unincorporated parts of Lowndes County get to vote on this election season.

Below are links to each LAKE video Gretchen took, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Continue reading →

Six board slots to be appointed by Valdosta

You have to live in Lowndes County, but not necessarily in Valdosta, to volunteer to serve on one of these appointed boards. City of Valdosta PR 14 January 2016, Six Opportunities to Serve in New Year,

Valdosta-Lowndes County residents who have made serving their community a New Year’s resolution have until Wednesday, Feb. 3, to apply for one of six city appointments to serve on a board, commission, authority or advisory committee.

The Valdosta City Council will vote on the new appointments at their Feb. 11 City Council meeting to fill the following vacancies:
Continue reading →

Videos: APA Candidate Forum 2015-10-06

The VSU Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, 100 Black Men of Valdosta, and the Valdosta-Lowndes Metro Section of the National Council of Negro Women held a candidate forum at Mathis City Auditorum on October 6th 2015: here are LAKE videos. The the Valdosta Daily Times provided some background:

“Each candidate will be given three minutes to describe themselves, their platform and why they’re seeking their position,” [Valdosta City Council member Alvin] Payton said. “We will then allow two minutes for each candidate to answer a minimum of two questions from the floor. Some questions can be answered quicker than others. After those two minutes, each candidate will be given two minutes to wrap up their position.”

The forum will only involve candidates running for Valdosta City Council and the position of Valdosta mayor.

Below are links to the LAKE video each candidate forum section, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Map of Azalea City Trail: path of Saturday afternoon’s bike ride

Here’s a map of the Azalea City Trail, which is the path of (Saturday 12 May 2012) sponsored by Valdosta Bike Co-op.

Oddly, the City of Valdosta doesn’t seem to have such a map anywhere on its web pages, nor does the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA).

-jsq

Valdosta Bike Co-op community ride on the Azalea City Trail

Valdosta Bike Coop has sprouted a blog. And it's doing a bike ride this weekend.

On Saturday, May 12, 2012 the Valdosta Bike Co-op will host its first community ride on the Azalea City Trail. The ride will begin at the start of the trail near Vallotton Park and will finish at the end of the trail near the Craig Center. This will be a family-friendly ride and will keep a reasonable pace. The ride will begin at 1 PM following a brief bike safety lesson.

The ride will begin with a proclamation by a local leader of the City of Valdosta appointed by Mayor John Gayle. The proclamation will officially declare May as National Bike Month in the City of Valdosta. Riders will then follow the nearly 3 mile trail through beautiful Central Valdosta.

The goal of this ride is to promote the use of the bike and pedestrian trail as well as to promote National Bike Month. The members of the Valdosta Bike Co-op would like to invite the entire community to join us in the fun, healthy, and safe community ride.