On the LAKE Front

Lowndes County donor county @ SGRC 2011-09-19

Lowndes County would be a T-SPLOST donor county: it would put more money into T-SPLOST than it would get back for projects.

Somebody (I think it was Robert Yost) asked whether Lowndes County would be a donor county for T-SPLOST. Corey Hull said yes, that was the case. Someone else noted:

Atkinson County that's been coming over here spending our money all these years, gets a little of it back.

And the smaller counties get penalized a lot more if they vote against T-SPLOST, because they depend much more on LMIG. So T-SPLOST among other downsides is a scheme to pit smaller counties against larger ones in the T-SPLOST region.

Here's the video:

Lowndes County donor county
T-SPLOST Public Meeting, Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC),
Corey Hull,
Nolen Cox, Gretchen Quarterman,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 September 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

T-SPLOST: stick or baseball bat? @ SGRC 2011-09-19

Corey Hull explained what the state of Georgia has in store for us if we vote down T-SPLOST:

If the voters do not approve the referendum, then all local governments must match their LMIG funds a rate of 30%. And then we have to wait 24 months to start the process over again. And when I say start the process over again, I mean start the process over to enact this tax.

Nolen Cox, Chairman of the Lowndes County Republican Party (LCRP), remarked:

Is that commonly called a stick?

Gretchen Quarterman, Chairman of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP), observed:

It looks like a baseball bat.

Now I doubt either were speaking in an official capacity, but I know from talking to them that both individuals oppose this tax, and I'm pretty sure most people in their local parties do, too.

Here's a longer explanation of what happens, including what LMIG is, April 2011 LCDP meeting.

Here's the video:

T-SPLOST: stick or baseball bat?
T-SPLOST Public Meeting, Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC),
Corey Hull,
Nolen Cox, Gretchen Quarterman,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 September 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

 

VLMPO seeks comments for Transportation Project List

Received today. -jsq

Please find attached a press release to announcing a public comment period for the Draft Transportation Improvement Program for the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Corey Hull, AICP
MPO Coordinator
Valdosta-Lowndes MPO

A copy is on the LAKE website. Here is an excerpt:

The Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, is the short-range plan approved by the VLMPO Policy Committee that allows federal funds to be spent on various transportation projects in the region. The projects are selected from the 2035 Transportation Plan that was adopted in September 2010. Projects in this year's draft TIP include: the construction of an overpass on West Hill Avenue, the widening of Forrest Street, from Park Avenue to Bemiss Road, and the purchase of right-of-way at several I-75 interchanges ahead of future construction activities.

VLMPO will be accepting comments by phone, email, or fax all the month of May.

The VLMPO staff will also host an Open House on May 22, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Georgia Regional Commission office located at 327 W. Savannah Ave. in Valdosta. Hull says, “VLMPO staff will be on hand to answer questions from the public about their transportation concerns. The open house format allows people to quickly get their questions answered without having to sit through a long meeting.”

Transparency by a local government agency!

-jsq

 

Videos @ LCC 2012 03 27

Here are videos of the entire 27 March 2012 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC). The audio feed is coming directly from the Commission's own audio system. We don't know why County Manager Joe Pritchard is frequently barely audible, nor why the microphone at the audience podium sometimes seems hardly to be working, nor why Commissioners ask people in the audience to speak when there is no microphone pointing at the audience.

Some of these videos have already been blogged:

• Bicycles noted in appointment to VLMPO Citizens Advisory Committee
• Joyce Evans and Frank Morman reappointed to Land Bank Authority
• Col. Mark A. Ruse and Moody AFB ORI

Here's a playlist:

Videos
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 March 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

Bicycles noted in appointment to VLMPO Citizens Advisory Committee @ LCC 2012 03 27

Lowndes County cares about bicycles? That's news!

The Lowndes County Commission appointed Edward Rawls, retired professional engineer and Blake Waagner, owner of Valdosta Bike Center to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO) Citizens Advisory Committee. Commissioner Crawford Powell surprisingly said:

I think the perspective from the bicycle group would be interesting on the MPO.

Interesting development!

Also, the Commission continued the tradition which I believe was started by Commissioner Joyce Evans of attempting to get all applicants for appointed boards to introduce themselves. I think that's a good thing.

Here's the video:

Bicycles noted in appointment to VLMPO Citizens Advisory Committee
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

Videos @ LCC 2012 03 26

These are videos of the Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 March 2012. They vote at their regular session tonight, 5:30 PM.

See also these special presentations:

• Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
• George Page, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreational Authority (VLPRA)

Here's the agenda.

Here's a playlist of everything except the above two special presentations.

Videos
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

 

 

 

Land Bank appointment by Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2012 03 26-27

Two appointments at this week's Lowndes County Commission meetings:

5.a. Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee
5.b. Valdosta/Lowndes County Landbank Authority

We know who's on the Land Bank Authority now: Burke Sherwood, Frank Morman, James Wright, and Joyce Evans, because the Georgia Department of Community Affairs publishes that information (neither the Lowndes County Commission nor the City of Valdosta does so). Which slot is up for appointment? Who is the County Commission considering appointing?

This is tacked onto the end of the agenda:

Immediately following the Work Session, the Commissioners will receive reports from the Valdosta/Lowndes County Industrial Authority & Valdosta/Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority

So the Industrial Authority reports to the County Commission! That's good news.

Also this item:

6.e. Proposals for Groundwater Sampling and Analysis at the Clyattville Landfill

And did you know they had a Special Called Meeting on 15 March 2012? Approval of minutes for that is on this agenda.

Here's the agenda for the Monday morning Work Session and Tuesday evening Regular Session.

-jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor

1. Call to Order
2. Invocation
3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
4. Minutes for Approval
   1. Work Session — March 12, 2012
   2. Regular Session — March 13, 2012
   3. Special Called Meeting — March 15, 2012
5. Appointments
   1. Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee
   2. Valdosta/Lowndes County Landbank Authority
6. For Consideration
   1. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update & Resolution
   2. Rental Agreement for space occupied by the Department of Human Services, Family and Children Services, located at 206 S. Patterson Street, 2nd and 3rd Floors
   3. Declaration of Copiers as Surplus
   4. Copier Leases
   5. Proposals for Groundwater Sampling and Analysis at the Clyattville Landfill
   6. Abandonment of unopened Right of Way of Fiveash Road
7. Reports-County Manager
8. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

Immediately following the Work Session, the Commissioners will receive reports from the Valdosta/Lowndes County Industrial Authority & Valdosta/Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority

How much will we pay for a new gate? LCC meets Monday AM and Tuesday PM, 2012 January 23-24

A VLMPO appointment, a rezoning, five special lighting districts, and refunding taxes? What's this one:

7.a. Grant Re-Application for the Rural Transportation Program and Associated Resolution

Is that for T-SPLOST? Is it about the discretionary funding? Or is it about re-applying for $12 million to widen old US 41 North? Or is it a periodic update for the MIDS bus system? If they put the agenda packets on the web with the agenda, we'd know.

Oh, and this one:

8. For Consideration - Contract with the Scruggs Company for Davidson Road Project

Maybe we'll hear some answers to some of the questions raised by that project last time.

Here's the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor

What's the VLMPO?

So you've heard about the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC). What's this Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)? How is VLMPO different from the GLPC?

Well, it's not exactly the same geographical area. GLPC is exclusively for Lowndes County, including its cities. VLMPO is for the Valdosta Urbanized Area, which does not include all of Lowndes County, but does include parts of Berrien and Lanier Counties. According to VLMPO's home page:

In April 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue officially designated the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC) as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Valdosta Urbanized Area. As the MPO, the SGRC is responsible for carrying out transportation planning in the Metropolitan Planning Area using funding received from the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, administered by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The MPO works with these and other transportation planning partners to fulfill the requirements of various federal, state and local transportation planning laws and plans.

And it's not quite the same subject area. GLPC mostly hears rezoning cases, although it also deals with larger planning issues such as the Comprehensive Plan, which includes transportation. VLMPO is focused on transportation, but gets into all sorts of related issues:

Valdosta-Lowndes MPO Policy Committee Meeting Agenda —Corey Hull

Received yesterday. Includes an update on T-SPLOST and a Public Comment item. -jsq

Good Afternoon,

Please find attached the agenda for the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee meeting on January 10, 2012 at 1:30 pm. At the SGRC office (address below). The public is welcome to attend.

If you have any questions please contact Corey Hull at chull@sgrc.us or at 229-333-5277.

Corey Hull, AICP MPO Coordinator Valdosta-Lowndes MPO 327 W. Savannah Ave. Valdosta, GA 31601

Visit our Facebook Site! 229.333.5277 229.300.0922 (c) 229.333.5312 (f) chull@sgrc.us www.sgrc.us/transportation

In addition to the PDF of the agenda, here's an HTML version. -jsq

Policy Committee
Meeting Agenda
January 10, 2012
1:30 PM