State Election Board Sends Complaint About Qualifying Dates For Watkinsville Council Races In 2024 To Attorney General

***Former Mayor Bob Smith Objected To Change In Dates***

The Georgia State Election Board last week voted to send to the Georgia Attorney General for further investigation a complaint filed against the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration about qualification for the 2024 Watkinsville Council races.

The Board took that action after former Mayor Bob Smith told the Board that three candidates wanted to run for the three Watkinsville Council seats in 2024 but did not qualify because the date of qualification had changed from past years and because the interested persons did not know of the change.

Legislation Before Georgia House Creates Big Shortfalls In Funding For Oconee County, Four Cities, Oconee County Schools

***Shortfall $9.8 Million For County, $32.2 Million For Schools***

Oconee County government will lose $9.8 million in property tax revenue if the legislation being considered by the Georgia House of Representatives is approved in its current form, while each of the county’s four cities will lose between $13,504 and $306,307, and Oconee County Schools will lose a whopping $32.2 million.

For the counties, Watkinsville, and Bogart, the loss likely can be offset by reallocating some of the revenue from the county’s 1 percent Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), if the legislation being considered is modified to allow that use of LOST funds.

Oconee County Commissioners At Town Hall Meeting Weigh In On House Republican Plan To Eliminate Property Taxes For Home Owners

***SPLOST 2027 Referendum Outlined***

Jeff Hood touched a fresh wound when he asked the first question at the Oconee County Board of Commissioners Town Hall meeting last week.

Hood wanted to know how the county is going to “make up the missing revenue” if the state prohibits local governments from collecting property taxes on homesteaded property, as the Republican Party House leadership has proposed.

Oconee County School Board Approves Spending For Elementary School Improvements, High School Stadium Digital Scoreboards

***Also Purchases Interactive Panels And Robots***

The Oconee County Boards of Education on Monday agreed to spend $917,178 for improvements at Oconee County Elementary school, including replacement of the gym roof, metal siding, and floor activity area and replacement of the floors in the outside classroom pod.

The Board also approved spending $899,748 for new digital scoreboards for the North Oconee High School and Oconee County High School stadiums.

Oconee County Schools Set To Implement Ban On Use Of Cells Phones, All Personal Electronic Devices For K-8 Students On July 1

***High School Policy May Need To Be Revised***

Principals at Oconee County primary, elementary, and middle schools informed parents through their December newsletters that Oconee County Schools has updated its policy on use of electronic devices by students effective July 1 of this year.

The new policy requires that all cell phones and personal electronic devices must be turned off and stored away during the “bell-to-bell” school day.

State Representative Gets Warm Welcome At Oconee County Democratic Party Meeting, Discusses Plans For General Assembly

***Party Leaders Dec. Special Election Campaign***

Eric Gisler, elected in December to represent much of Oconee County in the Georgia House of Representatives, received a hero’s welcome when he appeared before Oconee County Democrats last month.

“You know, this is the first time that the representative from House District 121 has ever come to any of our meetings,” Party Chair Harold Thompson said in introducing Gisler, to laughs and a loud round of applause.

New GDOT Plans For Julian Drive Block Access To SR 316 But Include Access Road North of Divided Highway Connecting To U.S. 78

***Plans Moving Toward Approval***

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is moving toward approval of a new concept plan that would close completely access of Julian Drive to and from SR 316.

Under the plan, Julian Drive traffic from the north would be blocked from entering SR 316 and instead would travel to US 78 via a new road parallel to SR 316 that would be an extension of Tall Oaks Road.