Tag Archives: Valdosta

Suddenly an agenda! @ LCC-Budget 2014-03-10

You can go to the rest of the budget meeting, which is tomorrow. Some time after this morning when I looked for it, today’s budget meeting magically appeared on the calendar and in Current Events on the Lowndes County front page. It shows most of the day tomorrow also as budget meetings. And at 5:30PM tomorrow (Tuesday) there’s still the County Commission Regular Session.

Plus in the middle of all that, the Airport Authority is having a Board Meeting at the Commission Chambers. Only a little more than a year ago, Continue reading →

Budget meeting inside Lowndes County today @ LCC-Budget 2014-03-10

After this morning’s Work Session, there’s an all-day budget meeting. All county departments, including constitutional officers, are reporting.

From Gretchen on the scene:

So far we have heard Board of Elections and Public Defender. Next up the Sheriff.

This is apparently not a public meeting, and there was no public notice that I can find. Apparently it was mentioned at the February retreat. Some candidates for County Commission are there, in addition to current Commissioners and staff.

You may wonder as I do why this is not a public meeting.

-jsq

Massive vote for SAVE’s fossil fuel divestment by VSU Student Government Association

When at first they didn’t succeed, SAVE tried again and won. Next: VSU Foundation again. -jsq

RESOLUTION #14432
Support of S.AV.E. Fossil Free Divestment Campaign

Date: March 4, 2014

Authored by: Senator Candicee Childs, Freshman Senator, Public Relations Chairman & Student Representative of
Faculty Senate Environmental Issues Committee
Senator Tamera Dunn, Graduate Senator

Be it enacted by the Senate of Valdosta State University (VSU) here assembled, that:
WHEREAS, the Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.) organization has presented a divestment campaign for the VSU Foundation to the Student Government Association in October 2013, resulting in the request for additional clarity and information to be gathered regarding their campaign, and

WHEREAS, the SAVE organization has obtained support from the Faculty Senate Environmental Issues Committee for their divestment campaign for the VSU Foundation in November 2013, and

WHEREAS, the SAVE organization has also obtained unanimous support Continue reading →

Only four voting Commissioners Monday @ LCC 2014-03-10

With only four voting Commissioners left, and two of those lame ducks, it should be an interesting set of Lowndes County Commission meetings this week. On the agenda is adoption of infrastructure for the Nelson Hill subdivision; the one with all the waivers by staff with no public hearings. Plus four rezonings, one for a former County Commissioner and another for a community well for a development. And the annual contract renewal for the MIDS on-call bus system.

While the VDT headline yesterday said Political shuffle continues: County commissioner resigns to run for state Senate seat, actually former Commissioner John Page didn’t resign: he vacated his seat the moment he signed the qualifying papers to run for state Senator. That’s why the Board of Elections has already called a special election that Continue reading →

Solar power record installation and acceleration in 2013 in U.S.

Solar power is already second only to methane in new energy generation, and solar is increasing its growth rate much faster than “natural” gas. Solar is going to win, and quickly. How many unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous pipelines will we let the fracking industry gouge through here before we get on with solar power for local energy, local jobs, and local lower electric bills?

Mike Munsell wrote for greentech solar 7 March 2014, US Solar Market Grew 41%, Had Record Year in 2013: The U.S. installed 4,751 megawatts of PV, according to the Solar Market Insight Year in Review report.

According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s Solar Market Insight Year in Review 2013, photovoltaic installations continued to proliferate, increasing 41 percent over 2012 to reach 4,751 megawatts. In addition, 410 megawatts of concentrating solar power came on-line.

Solar was the second-largest source of new electricity generating capacity in the U.S., exceeded only by natural gas. Additionally, the cost to install solar fell throughout the year, ending the year 15 percent below the mark set at the end of 2012.

At the end of 2013 there were more than Continue reading →

FBI investigating CCA about Gladiator School again

Indefatigable reporter gets FBI to investigate profiteering private prison company: again. CCA already lost the contract for Idaho State Prison and two other CCA prisons have closed. Maybe this time the FBI will shut CCA down.

Rebecca Boone wrote for AP yesterday, APNewsBreak: FBI investigates prison company,

The FBI has launched an investigation of the Corrections Corporation of America over the company’s running of an Idaho prison with a reputation so violent that inmates dubbed it “Gladiator School.”

The Nashville, Tenn.-based CCA has operated Idaho’s largest prison for more than a decade, but last year, CCA officials acknowledged it had understaffed the Idaho Correctional Center by thousands of hours in violation of the state contract. CCA also said employees falsified reports to cover up the vacancies. The announcement came after an Associated Press investigation showed CCA sometimes listed guards as working 48 hours straight to meet minimum staffing requirements.

The Idaho State Police was asked to investigate the company last year but didn’t, until Continue reading →

Musical chairs in local qualifying

Three out of five voting County Commissioners are not running again, and one has already vacated his seat, plus you have to have a playing card to keep track of who’s running for the state Senate and House.

We already knew State Senator Tim Golden was not running again, and now we know who’s running for that seat: Richard Raines (R), who had said two months ago he was not running again for County Commission District 2, Ellis Black (R) currently House 174, Bikram Mohanty (D) who ran last time and came close, and John Page (R), who thus vacated County Commission District 5.

Because Ellis Black is running for Senate, and even though he qualifed for his House District 174 seat Monday, when he qualified for Senate Wednesday, he left his House seat open. Running for District 174 are Crawford Powell (R), currently County Commissioner for District 3, Jessie Smith (D), and John L. Corbett (R).

The incumbents qualifed for the other House seats, each with no challenger.

As for the three (3) County Commission seats now open, here, read Gretchen’s explanation.

And remember, more changes can still happen, because qualifying has reopened for County Commission District 3, and will have to reopen for District 5.

-jsq

Videos: quick agenda and then pipeline @ LCC 2014-02-25

The County Manager’s report was about FERC’s Scoping Meetings starting next week; two citizens spoke about the pipeline. The Chairman refused to let another one speak because she hadn’t turned in a form, and then he spent 20 minutes after the meeting telling her what the county wasn’t going to do.

We sort of found out where is the unopened right of way off of US 41 South. The special tax lighting districts item went quickly this time. We found out how much the county’s sewer lift station at a subdivision with a private golf club will cost to replace. This is the subdivision for which the Nelson Hill Wells were drilled as possible replacements.

Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes. See also videos from the previous morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Valdosta FERC Scoping Meeting @ FERC 2014-03-04

Here are videos of the whole thing.

Update 2014-03-08: Fixed date.

All against, except County Commissioners @ FERC 2014-03-04

At FERC’s Scoping Meeting for Spectra’s proposed Sabal Trail methane pipeline, about 100 people, not counting FERC or Spectra. Lots of good questions. Not many answers. John Peconom of FERC said afterwards the comments were mostly about the big picture. Except questions from local government officials: there were none. Video to come.

WALB was there for a long time, so they’ll probably cover it (they did). Matthew Woody of the VDT had heaps of material and went off to file by 10PM (here’s his story).

Three Lowndes County Commissioners were there: Chairman Bill Slaughter, Joyce Evans, and Crawford Powell, and County Engineer Mike Fletcher and Utilities Director Mike Allen. Not one of them spoke.

In Gilchrist County, Florida, all five County Commissioners, plus Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange