On the LAKE Front

I kind of like transparent government —Ashley Paulk @ LCC 2012 02 28

It's good to know County Commission Chairman Ashley Paulk supports transparency. However, if he considers certain details important enough for the public to know, how about if the Commission puts them in its own minutes? Or publishes its own videos of its own meetings? Or even publish a list of changes that it approves when it changes an ordinance?

At the 28 February 2012 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, Chairman Ashley Paulk said:

I kind of like transparent government.

He proceeded to tell VDT reporter David Rodock that

Not killing the messenger, but it was written in your paper the other day that the alcohol ordinance was kind of rushed and people were not aware of it. If you would go back to your story of May the 11^th we discussed that in great depth.

Here's the video:

I kind of like transparent government —Ashley Paulk @ LCC 2012-02-28
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Lowndes County Commission,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 February 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

He recommended that the VDT editors research their own archives. Fair enough, but how about if we look at the Commissions own archives of its own minutes?

First let's see what the reporter wrote that the Chairman was objecting to:

Introduction of Sheila Cook @ LCC 2012 02 28

Not on the agenda, Chairman Ashley Paulk invited Sheila Cook up to introduce herself as an applicant for appointment to the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addictive Diseases Region Four Planning Board.

I currently work in Lowndes County at Pine Grove Middle School as a special education teacher. I've been teaching for nine years.

She gave a rather complete resume, including education, professional experience, about her son who is twelve who is autistic, and about a woman who lived with her who has cerebral palsy.

Commissioner Crawford Powell, wanted to know whether travel would be a problem, since the meetings are usually in Thomasville. She answered not as long as the times don't conflict with school.

I believe I've heard Commissioner Joyce Evans say in Commission meetings previously that it would be good for potential appointees to appear in Commission meetings beforehand. Congratulations to Commissioner Evans and the Commission for transparency in appointments.

Here's the video:

Introduction of Sheila Cook, Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 February 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

 

 

 

 

County Commission votes tonight

Yesterday morning's Lowndes County Commission work session lasted only eight (8) minutes, as you can see in the videos. Maybe they will say more tonight.

Here's the agenda.

-jsq

Mutual Aid at Lowndes County Commission 2012 02 27,28

The Lowndes County Commission will consider

6.c. Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement

at its work session Monday morning and will vote at its regular session Tuesday evening. This is about emergency response calls, such as for the fire in Remerton, when Remerton called Lowndes County, which called Valdosta, which sent fire trucks to Remerton. Why the indirect time-consuming call while a fire doubles in size every minute? Remerton didn't have a mutual aid agreement with Valdosta, but did with Lowndes County.

This is the same Commission that went on for 11 minutes in the 21 February 2011 work session about a Homeland Security grant for an emergency vehicle, worring that the county might have to pay to maintain it and might have to share it with other municipalities. And then rejected it the next day, if I recall correctly. What will they think of this mutual aid agreement?

Here's the agenda.

-jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor