Writer: Staff Reports
Published March 25, 2021
Valdosta Today
Mayor Scott James Matheson and the Valdosta City Council held their Annual Strategic Initiatives Summit (SIS) on March 19th and 20th at the Woman’s Building in Valdosta. The retreat was moderated by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. During the Summit, the Mayor and Council received departmental reports from city staff and reports from executive directors of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority.
These presentations allowed the Mayor and Council to get updates on projects within the City limits and throughout Lowndes County. It provided the Mayor and Council an opportunity to ask specific questions needed to help them craft their goals and objectives for the year.
“We have completed most all goals set forth by the Mayor and Council for the calendar year 2020, but as well all know the COVID-19 Pandemic caused some delays for certain projects, so there are still some that are ongoing, which we will keep working on. Council heard reports from some of our community partners and city staff to help craft their goals and objectives for 2022,” said Mayor Matheson. “I am very enthused about the goals we set this year. For instance, one of our goals is to proceed with the next phase of the Southside Redevelopment plan by acquiring properties, marketing to developers, and promoting the availability of Federal Opportunity Zone, Enterprise Zone, State Opportunity Zone, and Military Opportunity Zone incentives. Our main goal every year is to operate the city in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Another goal included collaborating with the community and regional leaders to continue advocacy efforts on Moody Air Force Base’s behalf. Mayor and Council want to centralize efforts in support of Moody Air Force Base and our community and seek opportunities for base growth and expansion in preparation for any potential future Base Realignment and Closure Commissions (BRAC). “We want to work with Lowndes County and the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce to centralize efforts of support for Moody Air Force Base. We all as organizations have efforts internally, but it’s time to come together,” Mayor Matheson commented.
Coming off the recent successful partnerships and collaboration between the city and county, council members hope to hold meetings with the county and neighboring cities to ensure mutual growth and collaborative planning. Additionally, City Council wants to continue funding city infrastructure projects to include roads and utilities.
City Council meetings are held on the first and third Thursday following the first Sunday of each month, at 5:30 p.m. and are held on the second floor of City Hall, located at 216 East Central Avenue, in beautiful Downtown Valdosta.
