Yet another reason to end the failed War on Drugs:
by far most U.S. wiretaps are for that one reason.
Sure, a wiretap helped catch a Mexican drug lord.
But without the War on Drugs, there would be no
drug lords, just like alcohol bootleggers vanished
after Prohibition ended.
Six years in the making!
Finally VLCIA meets in its new office near the hospital.
Georgia Power VP Terri Lupo
was just appointed to VLCIA by the Lowndes County Commission
(without ever showing up and speaking).
On this VLCIA agenda is the annually expected officer nominating committee report.
Plus “Proposed VLCIA Name Change”.
How about SolarTown?
The Commission awarded no-bid contracts to Lovell Engineering (for
Zipperer Road
and
Boring Pond Road)
and
ASA Engineering
(for
Coppage Road).
Three of the seven board appointees showed up and spoke:
Sam Allen and Penelope Schmidt for
Library Board,
and
and Russell Mast for
VLPRA.
The Commission appointed all of them unanimously, including
no-shows
Terri Lupo to VLCIA,
Martha Cunningham and Matt Lawrence to
Library Board,
and
Susan Prince to
VLPRA.
Chairman Bill Slaughter consistently omitted the “Valdosta”
from the names of all these boards, even though the reason VLCIA
and VLPRA exist is a state law requirement for no overlap between
uninincorporated and incorporated area taxation for such services.
There was no public hearing for
Whitewater Road because the applicant withdrew it,
and half of
Nelson Hill
was withdrawn while the other half was tabled.
They finally posted an agenda
after the Work Session.
And they added
another item
to an
amended agenda between the Work Session and the Regular Session.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Video.
Unanimously appointed:
Martha Cunningham (not present),
Sam Allen (retired Valdosta Schools Superintendent),
Penelope Schmidt (10-year educator from Hahira),
and Matthew Lawrence (not present).
Video.
They unanimously appointed
Susan Prince (not present)
and Russell Mast (Chairman; he said VLPRA had a positive fund balance)
They didn’t appoint Dan Deaver (not present).
Video.
The applicant withdrew the first part of the request, for a
75-foot high communications tower for high-speed Internet access.
The second part County Planner Jason Davenport said
“dealt with some of the rezoning conditions that were ultimately approved back in 2006”; they tabled it until August.
I wonder how much of that second part involves
retroactively approving
staff variances that were made in 2009 and 2011 without any public hearings?
Videos: a few appointees spoke
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 8 July 2014.
According to the county’s online
calendar and Current Events (but not its Public Notices nor the VDT’s online public notices),
these meetings are scheduled: Continue reading →
One precinct off the list for closing, but what about others?
And what’s this about an unannounced change to the date of a
publicly-announced meeting of the Board of Elections?
After several people went to the 8 July 2014 Special Called Board of Elections
Meeting that I found in the VDT Public Notice listings,
and some of them talked to that board and to Lowndes County Commissioners,
apparently somebody listened.
According to Lowndes County Elections Supervisor Deb Cox to
Lowndes County Democratic Party Elections Chair Dennis Marks 13 July 2014:
Mildred Hunter is not being considered for consolidation. Deb
However, she did not say what other precincts might
still be slated for consolidation.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Here’s
the agenda, with some notes, and links to the videos.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Tabled at applicant’s request:
the Hahira
rezoning
and
annexation;
see also the
Lowndes County Commission letter of objection of 22 April 2014.
The proponents
to establish a recycling center
didn’t show up to answer questions, and due to lack of information
(noise, hours, odors, vermin, expansion, etc.), GLPC unanimously voted to recommend tabling.
GLPC voted to recommend approval with selected conditions for
Langdale Ford’s
minor automotive repair facility.
The County Commission hasn’t posted an agenda for its own
Work Session tomorrow morning, nor for its Regular Session
Tuesday evening.
