Where and when did the preliminary information or discussion happen?
And among whom?
According to
the county's website:
Lowndes County Work & Regular Session Meetings Cancelled (8/28/2012)
Due to lack of agenda items requiring additional information or
discussion, the Lowndes County Work and Regular Session meetings for
August 27-28, 2012, have been cancelled. For more information please
call County Clerk, Paige Dukes, at 229-671-2400.
Back to their old tricks! The Lowndes County Commission was already approving minutes a minute before the announced start time of their Work Session this morning. After that, it was another brief session. They vote Tuesday 5:30 PM 24 July 2012.
Here's the agenda. Below are some notes on some items.
5.a. Adoption of Millage County Manager Joe Pritchard reiterated that there would be a Public Hearing 5PM 24 July 2012. See other post for more details.
5.b. Acceptance of Proposal for Repair of Cat Creek Road County Engineer Mike Fletcher said what the project was for! See previous post for details.
5.c. Cameron Lane widening for industrial park @ LCC 2012-07-23 The Langdale Industrial Park rezoning REZ-2010-15 of 14 December 2010 was back this morning as a request to turn Cameron Lane into a boulevard entrance. See other post for details.
5.d. SPLOST VII Resolution and Agreement They somehow got an agreement between the cities and the county in time to announce a referendum for SPLOST VII. See other post for details.
Videos: Two taxes, Library bid, and two road repairs Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
She didn't provide the links; I googled them up with what are maybe the correct spellings. What was in the presentations remains a mystery. She said the Library Board unanimously selected CRA.
Chairman Ashley Paulk noted Kay Harris and Tom Gooding were present, and asked if Commissioners had any questions for them. None did.
Kay Harris is Chairman of the Library Board. What is Tom Gooding's role? Who are the rest of the Library Board, for that matter?
Videos: Two taxes, Library bid, and two road repairs @ LCC 2012-07-23 Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
County Manager Joe Pritchard announced at this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session that the county and the cities had reached an agreement and resolution in time to announce a ballot referendum for SPLOST VII. He said the city of Valdosta already acted upon the agreement Thursday, and he expected the other cities would follow suit. He said Commissioners had a breakdown in front of them of projects to be paid for by the Special Projects Local Option Sales Tax. No Commissioners had any questions.
5.d. SPLOST VII Agreement Part 1 of 2: Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
County Chairman Ashley Paulk volunteered a laconic explanation of how an agreement was reached:
While the Industrial Authority has been busily spiffing up its various Industrial Parks, everyone may have forgotten they have some competition west of town. Back in December 2010 Attorney Jack Langdale convinced the Commission in case REZ-2010-15 to rezone about 542 acres from R-1 to I-S, M-2, M-1, and P-D, which they did with fifteen conditions, which you can see in their minutes from 14 December 2010. As I recall it, one of the most convincing arguments was that the Langdales' own Kinderlou Subdivision is next door, so they wouldn't be doing anything to damage that, thus other neighbors could rest assured. Anyway, the next step was before the Commission at their Work Session this morning, for a vote tomorrow evening at their 5:30 PM Regular Session.
County Engineer Mike Fletcher presented agenda item 5.c., about Cameron Lane.
In December of 2010 the Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning case for the industrial park located off of highway 84, state route 38 west, near Wetherington Lane. The developers are beginning their master plan for the industrial park and will be utilitizng Cameron Lane as an entrance off of State Route 38 into the park. The developers are requesting to demolish Cameron Lane and rebuild a boulevard type entrance to serve the industrial park.
Attached are plats in front of you that show the existing and the proposed layout. The developer will be responsible for the acquisition of the the additional right of way that is required, as well as all engineering and construction costs for Cameron Lane. The new infrastructure will be built to county standards amd then will be brought back before the Commissioners for executive acceptance of infrastructure.
Commisioner Raines wanted to know if the county needed to deed the road over to the developer while all this was being done. Fletcher assured him the contractor would be responsible for everything.
5.c. Cameron Lane widening for industrial park on US 84 W @ LCC 2012-07-23 Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
Apparently Cat Creek Road is sinking, and the county has to fix it fast. At least for this latest engineering emergency they didn’t no-bid it: they actually took bids. They vote tomorrow night.
There’s an existing triple line of 36 inch storm drain that goes under Cat Creek Road between Radar Site and Vienna Church. These storm pipes are failing under the road, causing the pavement to sag over the pipes. The project will be to remove the existing pipes, headwalls, realign the new cross drains, skewed to be more in line with the natural run of the creek, install new cross drains and concrete headwalls, and then repave that section of Cat Creek Road.
If the repairs do not take place immediately, Cat Creek Roiad is toing to have to be closed. This repair is considred to be an emergency. Quotes were obtained in lieu of bidding the work. We had four people we had requested proposals from. Two proposals were turned in: one from Reames for $59,640 and one from Scruggs for $66,257. The other two bidders were nonresponsive.
Commissioners had no questions. At least for this latest emergency, the county didn’t just award a no-bid contract; it did at least request bids.
5.b. Emergency repairs on Cat Creek Road Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
At the Monday morning Work Session, County Manager Joe Pritchard reiterated that there would be a Public Hearing on Millage 5PM 24 July 2012. He added that the millage is “less than calculated rollback”, Two weeks before, at the previous Work Sessioni and Regular Session, he already said staff did not anticipate any increases in millage.
This time he added these details:
Millage
Recipient
7.31
Lowndes County
1.00
Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
1.25
Parks and Recreation (VLPRA)
9.56
Total
Commissioner Richard Raines wanted to know whether the school board was only the unincorporated area. He got two answers: “yes”, and “it’s not the city of Valdosta.” Those are not the same answer, since people from some of the cities, such as Hahira, Lake Park, and I think Dasher, go to county schools and are taxed for that. I don’t know about Remerton. Valdosta has its own school system and its own school tax. All the school taxes are separate (and greater than) the county taxes in the table above.
Announcement of Millage Hearing 5PM 24 July 2012 Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.
Two kinds of taxes: Lowndes County Commission Work Session Monday 8:30 AM and Regular Session Tuesday 5:30 PM, with a property tax millage hearing 5PM before the Regular Session.
Apparently the cities and the county have come to some agreement about Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) VII. Road repairs are being contemplated for Cat Creek Road and Cameron Lane. And there’s something about an RFP for an architect for the library.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012, 8:30 a.m. REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2012, 5:30 p.m. 327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Yet another start before the publicly advertised time, followed by a Hospital Authority reappointee and another person answering from the audience. Funding for computers, planning and preparedness, Code Red, and a block grant applicant, mostly with information in board packets that we the citizens paying for them don’t get to see. We did learn that nearly half the county uses Code Red, and at least 11,000 people are already signed up for weather alerts. I know I get them. They meet again to vote 5:30 PM this evening.
Dr. Lynne Feldman spoke up from the audience, thanking the Commissioners for the opportunity to serve. She wondered if there was anything they’d like to know about the Authority. Commissioners Raines and Paulk complimented the Authority on what it does and how it does it. The hospital authority itself meets next 9:30 AM Wednesday 18 July at the hospital.
The Lowndes County Commission meets 8:30 AM tomorrow morning (Work Session)
and 5:30 PM Tuesday evening (Regular Session). Here’s the agenda.
-jsq
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 9, 2012, 8:30 a.m. REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2012, 5:30 p.m. 327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Call to Order
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Minutes for Approval
Budget Public Hearing — June 19, 2012
Work Session — June 25, 2012
Budget Public Hearing — June 26, 2012
Regular Session — June 26, 2012
Appointments – Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County
For Consideration
FY2012 EMPG Response and Recovery Award Application
FY2012 Planning and Preparedness Award Application
Code Red Service Agreement
Cisco Unified Computing System
FY 2010 CDBG Deed, Lease, & Promissory Note
Bid – FY 2010 CDBG Construction Contract
Reports-County Manager
Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address
Due to lack of agenda items requiring additional information or discussion, the Lowndes County Work and Regular Session meetings for August 27-28, 2012, have been cancelled. For more information please call County Clerk, Paige Dukes, at 229-671-2400.
According to
Georgia's new sunshine law modifications,
as explained
by VLCIA's attorney in an open meeting,
open meetings now include any time a quorum discusses business,
even if there was no scheduled meeting.
