Tag Archives: VLDA

Expanded agenda, VLDA appointment, jail, taxes, water @ LCC 2015-01-12

Whose terms are up and who’s being considered for appointment (Teri Lupo for VLDA again), who bid and how much (including showers and roofing for the jail), and some detail about two tax rates: these are all big improvements to the agenda! I do wonder where the agenda item for the Water Trail resolution is.

However, there’s room for improvement. Even though you get this same extended agenda when you select “packet” for download, it is not the complete board packet. For example, each agenda item has a one or more page agenda item form, and each proposed agreement or contract typically is include in the paper packets the Commissioners get. There are no rezoning cases on this agenda, but when there are, those always contain several maps in the board packet, and often other information. There’s an HTML version of the agenda, in addition to PDF: that’s another big improvement! The HTML code includes this at the end of each item:

<div class="documents"> </div>

So it looks like the website software the county is using is prepared to include such documents. Maybe the county will actually include them soon.

Here’s the agenda in HTML and in PDF on the county’s website, and I’ve also included it inline below. Continue reading →

Sunshine for local government

We’ve got a little list, a spreadsheet as a list,
please don’t take this as a diss, we think they have been missed….

Unlike Ko-Ko’s in the Mikado, this list is of things previously missed that are slowly being found (or created), so local governments can tell the citizens what fine things they’ve been up to, and so citizens can decide what they need to deal with and what topics they can provide input on. Here’s the LAKE sunshine list for local government.

The Lowndes County Commission just got some additions, with its new website, by posting videos of its own meetings, and by posting agendas and minutes for the Planning Commission.

The Valdosta City Council does pretty well, with its website, its agendas and minutes, and the agendas and summaries and minutes for ZBOA. Valdosta does not (yet) video and post its own meetings, but it does have what appears to be a complete list of its ordinances with links to their text. Dasher also has its ordinances online.

Meanwhile the Lowndes County Commission has only Continue reading →

State of District 4 Address –Demarcus Marshall @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15

Text published by Demarcus Marshall (PDF) and LAKE video of his address at the Town Hall Meeting 15 December 2014. -jsq

For those unaware, Super District 4 was a newly created district in Lowndes County two years ago. I assumed this office without a predecessor to this district seat. It was my understanding of this district to compliment the other districts by adding more responsiveness and accountability for the citizens of Lowndes County.

Upon being elected and occupying the seat, I inherited a wonderful staff; however, the county faced several challenges. The economy was Continue reading →

No Development Authority meeting today @ VLCIA 2014-12-16

According to their Meeting Schedule.

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority’s Regular monthly meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, 2014, 5:30 pm at the Development Authority Conference Room, 103 Roosevelt Drive has been cancelled. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2015.

Happy Holidays!

-jsq

Best Practices for Economic Development @ VLCIA 2014-11-18

Looks like some of them have been (or are thinking of) going to an Area Development Conference & Forum, about Best Practices for Economic Development. Here’s the agenda.

Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 5:30 p.m.
Development Authority Conference Room
103 Roosevelt Drive Monthly Meeting Agenda
Continue reading →

Videos: Existing Industry Spotlight @ VLCIA 2014-10-21

They’re hiring an Existing Industry Coordinator to start in October or November. They granted an easement on Madison Highway to Valdosta for a rechlorination booster station.

No citizens spoke at the 21 October 2014 Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority meeting. Nobody there but Greg Justice of Regal Marine (presented a framed copy of the VDT article about his company), VDT reporter Stuart Taylor (here’s his report), and Gretchen (who took these videos). Roy Copeland wanted to know about numbers of new jobs and reporting to the community.

Here’s the agenda, and below are the videos of events as they transpired.

Continue reading →

Existing Industry Spotlight @ VLCIA 2014-10-21

Local candidates for office who think the Development Authority should promote existing local industry should maybe look at Existing Industry Spotlight, Existing Industry —Allan Ricketts, and Existing Industry Coordinator position to be posted in tonight’s agenda.

Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 5:30 p.m.
Development Authority Conference Room
103 Roosevelt Drive
Monthly Meeting Agenda
Continue reading →

Protest today against Sabal Trail pipeline

It’s a bad week for Sabal Trail and its proposed fracked methane pipeline, with three back-to-back protests today alone (March and Protest in Valdosta, GA plus Development Authority meeting, and Protest at Sabal Trail Open House in Jasper, FL, plus Hamilton and Suwannee County Commission meetings) after one yesterday (at Albany Open House and Dougherty County Commission) and more to come. Continue reading →

VDT Open Government Symposium: in Macon?

Yay open government symposium! But why in Macon, why not in Valdosta, if it’s organized by the new VDT editor? Sure, Macon is the geographic center of the state, but it’s only about an hour from Atlanta, and one thing most people in Atlanta don’t understand is how big Georgia is, so asking them to drive four hours to Valdosta would be educational for them. And if the VDT is so interested in government transparency, why doesn’t it investigate the county’s lawsuit against local business Deep South Sanitation at the expense of the local taxpayers that benefits nobody but “exclusive franchise” ADS and its investors in New York City? Why is the VDT’s front page story that gave a platform for Spectra’s Andrea Grover no longer online, especially now that the Sabal Trail deadline she announced has been busted? Let’s see the VDT lead the way. Here’s a first test: Gretchen is going to Macon with the LAKE video camera. Will the VDT let her video?

Unsigned article, VDT, 11 October 2014, VDT leading way in open government, Continue reading →

Alapaha River Water Trail @ VLCIA 2014-08-19

I talked about the Water Trail that WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. is developing on the Alapaha River with a tiny grant from the Georgia River Network, and how that was a plus for local economic development that wouldn’t cost VLCDA a dime. They seemed to like that, at the 19 August 2014 Regular Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority.

Here’s the video, followed by some pictures, links, and notes:

Continue reading →