VALDOSTA — Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful board members want to keep the beautification organization viable.

Several KLVB board members attended the Lowndes County Commission meeting Tuesday in support of the organization.

The county cut the KLVB budget last July. For years, the county allocated $60,000 to KLVB, but in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, the county allocated only $35,000 for its operation.

Dr. Michael Noll, KLVB vice chairman, said he became involved with KLVB last fall and wanted to be involved because the community is dear to him and his family.

“As I was doing research on KLVB, as I got more involved in the organization, I realized just what kind of incredible impact KLVB has had over the years,” Noll said. “In these 23 years, there have been a number of programs KLVB has been steadfastly supporting such as Rivers Alive, Great American Cleanup, Make A Difference Day, Bring One for the Chipper, electronic recycling and so on.”

According to Noll, more than 13,000 non-paid volunteers have participated with KLVB since its inception and have collected what amounts to more than 2.6 million pounds of trash that would have otherwise stayed in the environment or washed down the river.

He said through education programs, students are not only learning about the importance of keeping the environment clean, but that many have become volunteers.

“If you put all these pieces together, it is to me surprising, mind boggling or I cannot follow the decision that was made to cut funding for KLVB at a time when we should probably increase the funding,” Noll said. “I would like you to seriously look at all the work KLVB has done over the years and restore the funding as we’ve had it for the last couple of years so we can do our work together as a community.”

Jeanette Coody, a founding KLVB board member, spoke on behalf KLVB.

“I have never missed a project that has been held since the inception of KLVB,” Coody said. “It is my joy to speak on behalf of the KLVB and to know the good that it has done.”

Coody was a board member for the first 10 years of the organization and never missed a meeting, she said.

She added how much good she feels KLVB does for the community and she fully supports the program.

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter released a statement Wednesday regarding the KLVB cuts.

“The 2019-20 KLVB budget adjustment should not be interpreted to mean that Lowndes County is not supportive of the agency or its mission. As with funding allocated to any service or agency, the county must evaluate return on investment,” the statement said. “While KLVB has cumulatively collected significant numbers since the agency was opened in the late ‘90s, our community still has a litter problem. Further, beautification is a vital component of economic development. The need to reduce litter while increasing beautification initiatives has surpassed the level of service a volunteer force can be expected to overcome.”

Slaughter said the county reallocated funding to both code enforcement and public works during the 2019-20 fiscal year budget.

“As with any other service funded by taxpayers, KLVB will have an opportunity to request additional funding during the upcoming budget process. At that time, Lowndes County will evaluate the roles of both the county’s litter/beautification plan and the role of KLVB with the ultimate goal focused on providing citizens the highest possible return on their investment,” according to the statement. 

Desiree Carver is a reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be reached at (229) 244-3400 ext. 1215.