Oconee County Planning Commission Recommends Denial Of Rezone Request In Bishop, Expansion Of Office Park On Jimmy Daniell Road

***Commission Splits Votes On Several Decisions***

The Oconee County Planning Commission, in a 4 to 3 vote, recommended to the Mayor and Town Council of Bishop that it deny a request that it rezone six acres on High Shoals Road next to the planned St. Aelred Catholic Church for use as a special events venue.

The Commission then, in a 5 to 2 vote, recommended to the Mayor and Town Council that it grant a variance to the property owner asking for the rezone for the event venue for a reduction in the buffer from 15 feet to zero feet between the event venue and St. Aelred Church.

Early Voting In Week One For Dec. 9 Special Election Heavy In Oconee County, Light In Clarke County

***Oconee Voting Running Ahead Of Voting For Nov. 4 Election***

If the Dec. 9 House District 121 Special Election is a turnout contest between traditionally Republican Oconee County and traditionally Democratic Clarke County, after six days of early voting, Oconee County is the hands down winner.

At the end of the first week of early voting on Saturday, 6.9 percent of the 27,045 eligible voters in the three Oconee County precincts in the 121st House District had cast a ballot.

Oconee County Republican Party Chair Warns GOP Voters That “People’s Republic Of Clarke County” Part Of House District 121

***Early Voting Turnout Rate Higher In Oconee***

Oconee County Republican Party Chair Kathy Hurley has been relentless in encouraging party members to vote in the Dec. 9 House District 121 Special Election.

At the party meeting on Monday, Hurley lamented the 41.2 and 41.8 percent of the vote that Democratic Public Service Commission candidates Alicia M. Johnson and Peter Hubbard respectively received in the county in the Nov. 4 election and said Republicans need to turn out to make sure a Democrat does not win on Dec. 9.

Candidate In House District 121 Special Election Tells Oconee County Republicans He Decided To Run Following Community Requests

***Says He Expects To Remain In Office For “Short Stint”***

Mack “Dutch” Guest IV, running as a Republican in the Dec. 9 House District 121 Special Election, opted to have his 15-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son introduce him at the Monday night meeting of the Oconee County Republican Party.

“My dad is a really nice person who cares about everyone,” Sarah Beth, a freshman at Oconee County High School, said. “Voting for my dad would really help the future,” she added.

Turnout In Oconee County For House District 121 Special Election Exceeds First Day Early Voting For Just Completed Nov. 4 Election

***Only Two Names On Ballot***

In the first day of advance voting for the Dec. 9 House District 121 Special Election, 212 Oconee County voters cast a ballot.

Only voters who live in the Central, South, and Dark Corner precincts of the county are eligible to vote, and the 212 voters casting a ballot on Monday compare with the 144 voters in those three precincts who cast a ballot on Oct. 14, the first day of early voting for the Nov. 4 election.

Oconee County Schools Enrollments Dropped In October, The Second Year In A Row Fewer Students Were Enrolled Than The Year Before

***Data Submitted To State Department Of Education***

Full time equivalent (FTE) enrollment at Oconee County Schools dropped by 192 from October of 2024 to October of 2025, based on the official enrollment figures Oconee County Schools filed with the Georgia Department of Education.

From October of 2023 to October of 2024, FTEs had dropped by 61.

Oconee County Elections Board Seeking Applicants As Hammond Steps Down

***Deadline Today***

The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration will have at least one new member when it meets in January.

The terms of Doug Hammond and Shami Jones expire at the end of the year, and Hammond, in a letter he sent to fellow board members, said he will not seek reappointment to the Board when his term ends.