Tag Archives: public hearing

ULDC text amendments remove pines and pecans from protected trees @ LCC 2024-11-12

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Update 2024-11-12: Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Work 2024-11-12.

Thanks to Jason Davenport for sending a current draft of the ULDC text amendments for this evening’s Public Hearing at the Lowndes County Commission at 5:30 PM.

They are on the LAKE website in Word and PDF formats.

I’m not sure how the public is supposed to comment intelligently on these changes with about two hours to look at them, if they happen to look when I post this. The county has not posted any drafts of these text amendments.

[Pines and pecans no longer protected: ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC 2024-11-12]
Pines and pecans no longer protected: ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC 2024-11-12

The big change is:

5. Replace 4.07.07 (D) with:

4.07.07(D) All pine and pecan trees, even those over 24 inches dbh, are not considered protected trees.

Everyone understands that trees falling in Hurricane Helene (and Debby and Idalia) were a big problem.

But this seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Continue reading →

Cancelled: Millage and Special Called Meetings because Hurricane Helene @ LCC 2024-09-26

A lowndescounty.com news item yesterday says:

Millage Public Hearing Meeting and Adoption Meeting / September 26, 2024 / CANCELLED

The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners is postponing the Millage Public Hearing scheduled for Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. as well as the Special Called Meeting for the Adoption of the Millage Rate which was scheduled for Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. due to Hurricane Helene.

These meetings will be rescheduled at a later date.

Also yesterday they posted that, “Lowndes County Offices will be closed Thursday, September 26, 2024, and Friday, September 27, 2024 due to Tropical Storm Helene.”

[Cancelled: Millage Public Hearing and Special Called Adoption Meeting @ LCC 2024-09-26 County Offices closed Thursday and Friday]
Cancelled: Millage Public Hearing and Special Called Adoption Meeting @ LCC 2024-09-26 County Offices closed Thursday and Friday

That all seems sensible.

And that cancellation announcement resolves the question we posed of how was the Commission to approve the budget, given there was no meeting scheduled for that?

I don’t see a Public Notice anywhere for that Special Called Meeting. Of course, state law merely requires the notice to be sent to the local legal organ of record (The Valdosta Daily Times). The law does not require that the notice actually get posted.

So apparently they cancelled a Special Called Meeting without the public having seen a notice that it had been called.

-jsq

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!
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Work and Regular Sessions Cancelled @ LCC 2024-09-23-24

“The September 23, 2024 Work Session and the September 24, 2024 Regular Session Commission Meetings have been cancelled,” reads the Lowndes County response to the usual LAKE open records request for the board packet. No explanation was included.

The calendar entries on lowndescounty.com for the Work Session and the Regular Session are no more informative, merely saying &lquo;CANCELLED”.

[CANCELLED: 2024-09-23-24 Work and Regular Sessions, But Millage Public Hearing Thursday, Lowndes County Commission]
CANCELLED: 2024-09-23-24 Work and Regular Sessions, But Millage Public Hearing Thursday, Lowndes County Commission

However, the third and final Public Hearing on the Millage is 5 PM Thursday, September 26, 2024.

According to Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter in the second Millage Public Hearing on September 19, “And then we will adopt the millage, setting the rate, on September 26, as well.”

How that will work is mysterious, since no agenda is posted for the Millage Public Hearing. Maybe they will just vote after the Public Hearing, since presumably a quorum of Commissioners will be in the room. Or they still have time to announce a Special Called Meeting at least 24 hours in advance, as state law requires.

-jsq

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!
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Agenda: Budget Hearing @ LCC 2024-06-13

Update 2024-06-17: Video and Slides: Budget Hearing @ LCC 2024-06-13.

Maybe you’d like to be the one citizen who shows up at the Lowndes County budget hearing this morning.

[Budget Hearing @ LCC 2024-06-13 Public Hearing on the proposed FY 2025 Budget]
Budget Hearing @ LCC 2024-06-13 Public Hearing on the proposed FY 2025 Budget

Other than Gretchen Quarterman, who is on her way with the LAKE video camera. Which is the only way most people will know what went on there, since the county does not video budget hearings.

The agenda, posted “Jun 13, 2024 7:56 AM”.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED FY 2025 BUDGET
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024, 9:00 A.M.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call To Order
  2. Public Hearing
    1. Presentation of the Proposed FY 2025 Budget
      Recommended Action:
      Documents:
  3. Adjournment

It says “Documents:” but no documents were attached.

On the Finance department web page, the Most Recent document is the operating budget for fiscal year 2024 (not 2025).

I have filed an open records request for the presentation slides and any other materials for today’s budget hearing.

-jsq

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!
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Video and Slides: Budget Hearing @ LCC 2024-06-13

Update 2024-06-23: Packet: Budget, Court Grants, Stream Credits, Debris, Insurance, Vac-Trailer @ LCC 2024-06-24.

If you missed the June 13 Budget Public Hearing, presumably you may get another chance at the next Lowndes County Commission meeting.

The vast majority of revenue for the Lowndes County government comes from taxes.

Most of that comes from property taxes, and almost a third from Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).

Only about a fifth of General Fund expenditures goes to the general government, about an eighth each to Public Works and to Judicial, while a third goes to the Sheriff’s Office.

[LAKE video and Finance Dept. Slides: Budget Hearing @ LCC 2024-06-13]
LAKE video and Finance Dept. Slides: Budget Hearing @ LCC 2024-06-13

Here is the LAKE video of the 9 AM, June 13, 2024, PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED FY 2025 BUDGET.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLshUv86fYkiEWkgeC7dlEnYHi7FxjWHLh&si=wKn4TCmyAfliQArs


Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

The presentation slides, received in response to a LAKE open records request, are on the LAKE website.

They are not yet on the Continue reading →

Videos: Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC Regular 2024-04-09

“We’re down to one!” said Commissioner Scotti Orenstein, seeing Commissioners Joyce Evans and Demarcus Marshall coming out of the elevator before the April 9, 2024, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

“Due to an issue with some advertising, staff is requesting this item be tabled until until the May 14, 2024, meeting,” said Engineering Director Chad McLeod, in 5. Public Hearing a. Abandonment of a Portion of Race Track Road SE.

[Collage @ LCC 9 April 2024]
Collage @ LCC 9 April 2024

They meet again this morning at 8:30 AM for their Work Session, and Tuesday at 5:30 PM for their voting Regular Session.

Their Regular Session two weeks ago would have been very brief, except for Continue reading →

Videos: Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08

The Lowndes County Commissioners had no questions about the two items in their Work Session Monday morning.

In the meeting, the only thing unusual was the County Manager gave her report, because she was going to be absent the next day.

[LAKE Videos: Racetrack Road SE Abandonment and ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08]
LAKE Videos: Racetrack Road SE Abandonment and ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08

The interesting parts were outside the meeting:

  • Before the meeting, I asked Information Technology Services (ITS) Director Aaron Kostyu if the sound box in the video pen at the back of the room would be fixed soon. He said that was a $1700 item, but they were working on it. I asked loudly enough that all of the Commissioners could hear me, including when I noted that it’s hard to hear Commissioners on our videos without the direct audio feed. He said some of them probably would still be inaudible.
  • I went up to where Commissioner Joyce Evans was sitting and indicated that if Commissioners push their microphones away, they’re hard to hear. She said I was pointing at Commissioner Scottie Orenstein’s microphone. We shall see.
  • I had a video camera fail, so I took these videos with my phone, starting after they did, so the call to order and approval of minutes agenda items are not in these videos. Also, my phone does not stop and start videos quickly, so there may be a second or two missing between clips.
  • After the meeting was adjourned, Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker said he was disappointed to get dressed to come there for such a brief meeting. I feel his pain. It’s an hour round trip for me, this time for a five minute meeting.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the agenda and the board packet. Continue reading →

Packet: Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC 2024-04-08

Update 2024-04-10: Videos: Racetrack Road SE Abandonment and ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08.

This is the briefest Lowndes County Commission agenda I’ve seen in a while, with only two items: Abandonment of a Portion of Race Track Road SE (for Southern Gateway LLC) and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments, both Public Hearings.

[Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC 2024-04-08]
Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC 2024-04-08

This is the last Public Hearing for the ULDC Amendments, after the one last month at the Planning Commission. So if you have any input, better show up Tuesday, or contact Commissioners or Planning/Zoning department head JD Dillard beforehand, preferably in writing.

The bit that may affect the most people is 10.00.07 Board of Commissioner Public Hearing Procedures. Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked for clarifications on chickens being excluded from conservation in 6.a. TXT-2023-01 ULDC Text Amendments, County Manager Bill Slaughter said there were two kinds of conservation: land use and taxes, and the exclusion only applied to one of them; not clear which one.

[Collage @ LCC 11 July 2023]
Collage @ LCC 11 July 2023

Gretchen Quarterman spoke against the amendments being voted on without more time for the general public to review and comment, as she did at the preceding Planning Commission meeting. She pointed out she still could not find the amendments on the county’s website, there had been only one county announcement of these changes, and no listing of the changes. Nobody spoke for. The Chairman asked for rebuttal, but there was none.

Commissioners had no discussion, and voted unanimously to approve the ULDC text amendments.

They unanimously approved everything else, except Continue reading →

Videos: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Work 2023-07-10

Update 2023-10-16: Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11.

This time the ULDC text amendments are on the agenda as a Public Hearing.

[Collage @ LCC 10 July 2023]
Collage @ LCC 10 July 2023

However, Lowndes County still has not put the proposed amendments on its website. You can see them in the board packet on the LAKE website (they are different from the draft that was in the Planning Commission packet).

But that’s only because LAKE sent an open records request for that packet and posted it. Why should the general public have to do that, when the county already showed draft amendments to the Homebuilders Association more than a month ago? We know this because the the County Manager said so in the June 12th County Commission meeting: “In addition to the Planning Commission, the amendments have also been shared with the Homebuilders Association, as our largest group of stakeholders, we’d like for them to be able to give us some feedback.” Continue reading →