Oconee County Schools Construction Spending Outstripping Ability Of Local Education Sales Tax To Cover Costs

***Burden Will Shift To Property Taxes***

Oconee County Board of Education Member Tim Burgess, in discussing earlier this month the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget the Board is expected to adopt on June 5, expressed concern about the “substantial debt” Oconee County Schools is facing.

Burgess praised Chief Financial Officer Liz Harlow for setting aside $11 million in the Budget to help retire the bonds the Board of Education sold in 2021 to build a new middle school, add classrooms at three elementary schools, and build a new administrative building.

State Department Of Public Health Reports Drop In COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District For Second Week

***One Confirmed Death From Disease Reported***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 42 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on May 24, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The number of cases added a week earlier had been 65. The number of cases added on May 10 had been 84.

Large Number Of Citizens Turned Out For GDOT Meeting On SR 316 Improvements, But Little New Information Provided

***No New Details Provided On Bogart Intersections***

More than 100 people turned out for what the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) had billed as a Public Meeting on SR 316 at the Bogart Community Center on Thursday.

No seating was provided, and no one from GDOT gave a presentation, though a large number of representatives were present to answer questions.

Georgia Department Of Transportation Partnering With State Road And Tollway Authority For SR 316 Projects In Oconee And Barrow

***No Tolls To Be Collected***

The Georgia Transportation Board last week approved a Joint Resolution with the State Road and Tollway Authority for construction of three bundles of road projects along SR 316, including the Oconee County interchanges at Jimmy Daniell Road, Virgil Langford Road, and the Oconee Connector.

While the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) is a state-level, independent Authority created by the Georgia General Assembly to operate tolled transportation facilities within Georgia, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) officials told the Transportation Board no tolls will be collected for the SR 316 projects.

Georgia Department Of Public Health Reports Slight Drop In COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District

***Clarke Records 252nd Confirmed Death From Disease***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 65 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on May 17, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The number of cases added a week earlier had been 84. The number of cases has been up and down slightly in recent weeks.

Oconee County Planning Commission Recommends That Board Of Commissioners Deny Request For Dental Office In Mars Hill Subdivision

***Commission Approves Two Other Commercial Projects***

The Oconee County Planning Commission, in a 4 to 2 vote Monday night, recommended that the county commissioners reject the request by Dr. Brent and Mary Lynn Nail that they they be allowed to move their dental office to a 3.1 acre residential lot in the Oakridge subdivision on Mars Hill Road.

Commission Member Chris Herring, who made the motion to deny the request, said the county should not allow the Nails to tear down an existing home on the lot so they can build a commercial facility particularly when other commercial property is available to them.

Movement Of Drivers Services, Georgia State Patrol To Oconee County Likely To Bring Additional Benefits

***Donated Land Key To Shift From Clarke To Oconee***

When the Oconee County Industrial Development Authority decided late last year to donate 13 acres on McNutt Creek Road south of SR 316 to the state, it set in motion a series of events likely to have significant positive impact on the county.

The Industrial Development Authority said at the time that the state Department of Driver Services would build a new Customer Service Center on the property, but soon the Georgia State Patrol was interested in relocating to the property as well.