VALDOSTA – Valdosta City Council named Jeremy Baker as the new municipal court judge.

An advisory committee had boiled down 13 nominees to three – Kari Anne Bowden, Baker and Justin Cabral.

Councilman Andy Gibbs nominated Baker while Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody nominated Valerie Bryant, a Georgia public defender.

A 5-3 vote landed in favor of Baker as the municipal court judge. 

“We’ll begin talking about salary, notices he’s going to give at his current (job),” City Manager Mark Barber said. “There’ll be a swearing-in date once we get all that worked out.”

Baker is an associate attorney at Coleman Talley Attorneys’ Valdosta office.

All other bids and contracts on the agenda were approved which included 10 standby generators for the city utilities department.

Darryl Muse, utilities director, said the city’s 37 lift stations are each required to have a backup power supply, which the generators will partially handle.

Council approved the purchase at $243,167.78 from Powerhouse Diesel with a 10% contingency of $24,316.78, bringing the total to $267,484.78.

The cleaning, inspection and replacement of three degasifiers were approved for a quote at $104,200. The units have reduced the amount of hydrogen sulfide in the water filtered through the water treatment plant since 2003.

A sanitary sewer system extension is expected to happen in 2021 as it was approved by City Council. The extension will increase the range of the system from Inner Perimeter Road to North Forrest Street.

The system currently ends at the intersection of Inner Perimeter Road and Bemiss Road.

This part of the city is in the Lowndes County maintenance area and the county has requested the city’s service for water and sewer.

Council approved the bid at $400,256 with a contingency of $80,051.20 for “any unforeseen circumstances.”

The Fire Department will replace its 20-year-old fire safety training trailer with a new and updated one.

Fire Chief Brian Boutwell said the department got quotes for repair costs for the trailer but repairs were too costly.

The new trailer comes with perks as it allows itself to be used as an educational tool for people with special needs given its handicap ramp and its Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant interior.

Council approved the bid at $102,059.

An agreement with Tax Specialists of Georgia was approved for the review of sales taxes paid on the city’s capital projects.

Tax Specialists will review all invoices paid by contractors and sub-contractors utilized by the city to see if any items should’ve been exempt from sales tax but weren’t treated that way.

Should anything be found, it will go back to the Department of Revenue for a refund. An invoice for commission will be taken from the refund rather than the city budget should any recoveries be made.

Council approved appointments for the Community Block Development Grant Citizens Advisory Committee and the Valdosta Historic Preservation Commission.

Two slots were open on each. Miller-Cody and Councilwoman Sandra Tooley were appointed to the former, while Sandie Burkett and Celine Gladwin were appointed to the latter.