As expected, the longest item was about the 300′ communications tower proposed south of US 84 E. Second was bids for rotary mowers (really). And a Commissioner wanted to know what’s a blade.
Afterwards, at 9AM, was a special appearance by Tax Commissioner Rodney Cain and his staff, which at 16 3/4 minutes, took almost as long as the entire Work Session.
In between, Commissioners answered my question: Continue reading
Appointments to two more Authorities with no prior public notice nor requests for applicants: the Hospital Authority and the Airport Authority.
About the Hospital Authority:
HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: The term of Dr. Mary Richardson on the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County will expire on June 1, 2019. Ms. Shirley Garland, Mrs. Elsie Napier, and Dr. Mary Margaret Richardson’s names have all been submitted for appointment.
For the Airport Authority, Anthony Payton’s term is up and he wants to be reappointed.
Lowndes County Commissioners will be hearing about a bunch of purchases and bids. Two of them are water items: Georgia Department of Transportation – TIA Project Agreement – Hightower Road/Cooper Road NE Paving and Drainage Improvements and Professional Services for Coleman Road Lift Station Force Main Replacement. Look at this about that lift station:
HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: Lowndes County received a Proposal from Lovell Engineering for the engineering and construction plan preparation for Coleman Road lift station force main replacement. Coleman Road force main has experienced repeated failures and is in need of replacement. Coleman Road force main is the beginning of the main trunk line that transports waste water from the north Lowndes region to the LAS. Costs will be 9% of construction.
Lowndes County is replacing a sewer main because it has failed before. Wait, is this the same main from back in October, when Commissioners approved $99,935 to fix “The 16” force main between Coleman Road lift station and James Road”?
Map: VALORGIS.
There are two transportation items: that TIA paving and drainage project, and Professional Engineering and Surveying Services for TIA Projects.
The two rezonings and the communications tower from the recent Planning Commission meeting are on the agenda.
No, we haven’t posted the LAKE videos of that Planning Commission meeting yet. Yes, we will do so soon. Meanwhile, Lowndes County has its own video equipment and editing software and could video Planning Commission meetings, and budget meetings, for that matter.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
If not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, nor with the water and sewer growth plan, fire and rescue doesn’t want it, and the Planning Commission recommended rejecting it, what does it take for the Lowndes County Commission to reject a zoning, in this case for REZ-2018-17 for The Settlement North, 5999 Val Del Road?
Only three people were allowed to speak against, of the five whose hands went up.
The developer promised restrictive covenants enforced by nobody but the homeowners. County-imposed conditions on the Nelson Hill development, also on Val Del, were largely waived by county staff without public hearings. What promises should we believe?
Will the developer’s demand to ignore the Comprehensive Plan because of “market conditions, supply and demand” prevail? Do property values of neighbors not matter? How about saddling the county school system with houses priced too low for property taxes on them to cover expenses of sending school buses? Or is profit for a few all that matters?
See the Continue reading
A Val-Tech Road 16" Force Main Emergency Repair with recommendation:
The 16” force main between Coleman Road lift station and James Road has experienced repeated issues with pipe failure. Several repairs have been made on one section near 3624 Val-Tech Road. After detecting another pipe failure along this section staff recommends we replace a 400′ section of the 16” force main. This is an emergency and needs to happen ASAP to prevent a sewage spill. Staff received a quote from RPI for $99,935.00. Staff recommends the emergency repair be approved for $99,935.00 from RPI.
I think everyone would be in favor of fixing that recurring leak, near the green dot at the top of this map.
VALORGIS Map → Streams Waterbodies plus Utilities Service Areas and Lowndes County Sewer Line.
Plus the annual USGS Funding Agreement for Hwy 122 Stream Gauge, on the agenda for this morning. Also appointments to three boards, as usual with no previous public invitation to apply: Linda Most reappointment to the Lowndes County Library Board, Clay Griner reappointment to the Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority, and Jim Scruggs reappointment to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
A a subdivision rezoning: The Settlement North, 5999 Val Del Road. GLPC voted 5-2-1 against and of TRC only Engineering wanted approval, with the rest saying:
Overall Planning and Zoning found this request inconsistent with with the Comprehensive Plan. Utilities found that development in that area is not supported by the County Water System Growth Plan.
And road abandonment, and quit claims for another road.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
The most exciting thing last month was the new fire truck, on display outside, seen here driving off with its lights flashing:
See
LAKE video.
This was the most recent Regular Session, because the Lowndes County Commission meetings for the end of August were cancelled.
County Manager Joe Pritchard again said he wanted higher staff approval limits for items in the budget. There was some question about campaign contributions on the Hahira rezoning and annexation; they didn’t know, but they approved it anyway. The longest discussion was on the Intrado phone system, which will have Lowndes County be the first south of Atlanta with text to 911. A suprising number of and variety of Commissioner questions on the 911 radios. The only question on the three utilities items was whether they were in the budget; they are. As usual, they rubberstamped the three Valdosta State Prison work details, with the only question being whether they were getting enough for the money. A: Yes, because prisoners work cheap.
Below are Continue reading
County Manager Joe Pritchard said he had two new agenda items for tomorrow night, both to do with a proposed annexation by Hahira. County Chairman Bill Slaughter said he atteneded the recent Hahira City Council meeting where that annexation was discussed, which was last Thursday, so I don’t follow why this wasn’t on the Lowndes County Commission agenda Friday with all the other items.
A new voice was heard for Planning on Continue reading
23 minutes last night to approve 3:2 with many conditions rezoning the 6c. REZ-2017-09 Robert A. Register Estate, with no shouting afterwards like there was at at the previous evening’s Planning Commission meeting, yet a lot of grumbling at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, especially since they seem to have forgotten the greenspace condition.
I would like to commend the Commission for the amount and depth of discussion in this meeting, especially in the unscheduled 10. Commission Comments and Recognitions and Meeting Adjournment, which was mostly about Clay Griner’s idea of having a county-wide utility authority including all the cities in the county. Update 2017-10-20: moved the rest of this utility authority commentary down to the video item below.
Also not on the agenda was Chairman Slaughter comments on community response to Hurricane Irma (which were mostly about county staff; well-deserved especially for Ashley Tye) and Georgia Power Representative recognizes county hurricane response.
While it’s great that Georgia Power came to compliment the county, does that electric utility rep. reside in or pay property taxes in Lowndes County, and why was he not required to state his name and address? Ditto the software salesman for Continue reading
We learned why Lowndes County has gotten religion about Internet access and speed:
Moody AFB wants it.
Commissioner Scottie Orenstein made the case for board packets and agendas in electronic form instead of the paper packets they currently use. Maybe they’ll even reveal them to the public before their meetings, like real MSAs do. Meanwhile, Community Engagement means marketing, as in telling people what the county did, not listening to the citizens.
They talked about interconnecting (almost) all of the county’s water systems, about routes to get trucks out of downtown Valdosta. The water-sewer ordinance is in ten or twelve pieces, and the county is all for expanding water and sewer throughout the county as long as it doesn’t cost developers money.
There’s a regional T-SPLOST meeting in Waycross by SGRC Feb 28 2017, but Lowndes commissioners and staff said nothing Continue reading
Citizen Delores Matchett wanted to know why Howell Lane isn’t paved when all the streets around it are; she mentioned several new subdivisions.
She said Commissioners had no idea how fast people drive on that dirt road.
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall noted (as a different Commissioner did Monday morning) that the three lift station pumps are no-bid. The agenda sheets for them said because of some unexplained county policy.
Below are links to each LAKE video, followed by a video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of yesterday morning’s Work Session and the agenda.
Continue reading
They vote Tuesday night at 5:30 PM. In these LAKE videos of Monday morning’s
8.5 minute Work Session, you can see they are buying
three new lift station pumps, and for each:
“This pump has not been bid due to it being a sole source item in accordance
with the County’s standards and specifications.”
One commissioner did ask about that.
Where can we see these no-bid standards and specifications?
In other water news, they are likely to approve the annual renewal of the
USGS Little River GA 122 stream gauge, which they started paying for after the 2009 floods.
In transportation, Continue reading