Valdosta Mayor and City Council set 2019 Goals and Objectives
Mayor John Gayle and the Valdosta City Council held their annual Strategic Initiatives Summit (SIS) on March 15th and 16th at the Woman’s Building in Valdosta. The retreat was moderated by Gordon Maner of the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. During the Summit, the Mayor and Council received departmental reports from city staff as well as 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 not only happening within the City limits but throughout Lowndes County as well. 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 2018, but 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 2019,” said Valdosta Mayor John Gayle. "I am very enthused about the goals we set this year. For instance, one of our goals is to work with the economic development authority to help develop more jobs and industry for the city and the county. Our main goal every year is to operate the city in a fiscally responsible manner."
Another goal included reviewing the city charter to make sure it is up to date. “I will appoint a committee to review the charter in phases. I am also going to appoint a committee to look at transportation and come back to the council with a recommendation on public transit,” Mayor Gayle commented.
The Mayor and Council also will review an Entertainment Ordinance for Downtown Valdosta to accommodate Special Event privileges. Additionally, the city council wants to continue collaborating with the community and regional leaders to continue advocacy efforts on behalf of Moody Air Force Base in support of its value to national defense and our community and seek opportunities for base growth and expansion in preparation for any potential future Base Realignment and Closure Commissions (BRAC). Coming off the heels of a recent joint meeting between the city and county, council members hope to hold quarterly meetings with the county and neighboring cities to ensure mutual growth and collaborative planning.
Lastly, the Valdosta Mayor and Council would like to conduct meetings with City elected officials, school system staff, and parents to identify and encourage good life decisions for our youth and to help prepare them for future success.
“Education of our children is one of the most important things. We want to be more involved with our schools and board of education and try to help in any way that we can to make sure more is done for the education of our children,” Mayor Gayle explained.
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.