Friday, October 31, 2014

Early Voting Turnout Indicates High Interest Among Oconee County Voters

5,482 Ballots Cast

More people voted in the three weeks of early voting in Oconee County than voted in the primaries in the county in May.

A total of 5,482 voters cast their ballots by the end of the day today, the final day of early voting. The early voters represent 24.4 percent of the 22,498 active registered voters in the county.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Advertisements In Oconee County Weekly Newspapers Tout Referendum 2 But Don’t Say It Is For Liquor By The Drink

Improve Quality of Life

Oconee County voters who want to improve the quality of life in the county, enhance the county’s infrastructure and spur economic development should vote Yes on Referendum 2 on Nov. 4, according to advertisements in today’s edition of both of the county’s weekly newspapers.

Voting for the referendum will make sales tax revenue go up and property taxes go down, the half-page advertisement on page A3 of The Oconee Enterprise claims.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Oconee County Attempting To Enforce Sign Ordinance At SR 316 And Connector After Long Delay

Boswell Sign Included

The Oconee County Code Enforcement Office has sent letters to permit holders for signs on three properties at the busy Oconee Connector intersection with SR 316, telling them they have until Nov. 17 to bring their signs into compliance with the county’s ordinance.

Code Enforcement Officer Paul Smith posted the registered letters on Oct. 17 to Jamie Boswell, owner of Boswell properties, and to two other sign permit holders, pointing out that the county’s Unified Development Code prohibits the installation of signs on the right of way of a public road.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Oconee County Rep. Quick Planning Legislation To Make Development Authorities More Transparent

”Shadow Governments”

Regina Quick, who represents part of Oconee County in the Georgia House of Representatives, has asked legislative counsel of the General Assembly to draft legislation that would force independent governmental authorities in the state to be more transparent.

Quick refers to these groups as “shadow governments” and said she wants the legislation to specify that these bodies, if they already are spending public money on a website, must post agendas, minutes, contact information of members, and core documents on those sites.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Plans Filed For Gunter Property At Lavista Road With Oconee County Planning Department

Falls Of Oconee On Hold

Almost six years after the county rezoned 13 plus acres on U.S. 441 north of Watkinsville at Lavista Road, Fred Gunter Property LLC has submitted plans to begin construction of an office complex on the site.

The plans call for a single 12,000 square foot building on the southern part of the property, furthest from Lavista Road. Access would be off U.S. 441, with a right-turn only exit from the property.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Oconee County Industrial Development Authority Extends Purchase Contract For Clyde Armory For One Year

At Very Brief Meeting

The Oconee County Industrial Authority voted in a called meeting on Thursday morning to extend its purchase agreement with the owner of Clyde Armory until Nov. 15, 2015, for property the IDA owns south of SR 316 in the west of the county.

The IDA had agreed to the terms of the extension in an executive session at the end of its regular meeting on Oct. 13 but had not taken formal action in public. The meeting on Thursday was to make public the decision.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Oconee County Planning Commission To Review Plans For Another Medical Complex On Virgil Langford Road

New Phase: Three Sixteen Professional Quarter

The Oconee County Planning Commission will be asked tomorrow night to give its approval to the rezone of 14 acres at the corner of Virgil Langford Road and Jennings Mill Road that will be part of a 65-acre complex including medical and professional offices and a retirement community.

The project joins recently rezoned Resurgence Park, which now includes a dermatology and cancer center that is nearing completion and another retirement community under construction, in defining the area along Virgil Langford Road north of SR 316 as a medical office destination.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Oconee County Chamber Of Commerce Had Beautiful Weather For Its Fall Festival

250 Vendors

A big crowd turned out today on a picture-perfect fall Georgia Saturday to enjoy the Oconee County Fall Festival in downtown Watkinsville.

Vendors numbering 250 stretched from Main Street to beyond Thrasher Drive, with the heaviest concentration in Rocket Field opposite the old school gym.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Watkinsville’s Approach To Beer And Wine Ordinance Enforcement Matches That Of Oconee County

No Audits

The city of Watkinsville joins Oconee County in taking a lenient approach to enforcement of a key provision of its beer and wine ordinance.

License holders are required to document that they earn no more than 25 percent of their revenue from beer and wine, but, in the renewal applications for this year, only three of the four license holders provided information on food and beer and wine sales.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Oconee County Industrial Development Authority Enters Into Agreement For Assistance In Study of Prezoning

CVIOG Gets Contract

The Oconee County Industrial Development Authority voted Monday to spend up to $8,000 for consulting services as it moves forward with its study of prezoning properties the county thinks should be designated for development.

The Authority accepted the recommendation of its Product Development Committee that it enter into an agreement with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG) at the University of Georgia for the consulting services.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Third Quarter SPLOST Revenue Grows Only Slightly As Oconee County Begins Voting On New SPLOST Referendum

Neighboring Counties Do Better

Oconee County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue increased by less than a percentage point in the third quarter of 2014, while neighboring Clarke and Barrow counties experienced strong growth.

The third quarter report included only about six weeks in which electronics retailer Best Buy was operating in the county, since tax distributions are a month delayed. But other major retailers in Epps Bridge Centre have been operating for nearly a year.

Requests For Open Records Filed In Oconee County Deal With Horses, Dogs, Births, Deaths And Cell Towers

Snapshot Reveals Variety

Three people wanted to know about complaints filed with Animal Control.

Seven wanted information from Code Enforcement.

Tuesday, October 07, 2014

BOE Member Thomas Appointed By Oconee County Commissioners To Industrial Development Authority

Two Votes Needed

Mark Thomas, a businessman and member of the Oconee County Board of Education, got a slot on the county’s Industrial Development Authority tonight, but only after two rounds of balloting by the Board of Commissioners.

In the end, BOC Chairman Melvin Davis broke the deadlock, casting his support for long-time IDA member Larry Benson, owner of Benson Bakery in Bogart, at the expense of Robin Chasman, a realtor and Tanglebrook subdivision neighbor of Benson.

Sunday, October 05, 2014

Oconee County Commissioners Set To Make Appointment To Industrial Development Authority And Other Citizen Committees

Rezone And Tavern On Agenda Too

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners, if all goes to plan, will make appointments to five citizen committees or boards on Tuesday night in what normally is a routine procedure.

Eight of the citizens applying for appointment appeared before the Board at last week’s meeting, and two others sent word they wanted to be considered but could not attend the session because of scheduling conflicts. One of those had applied for two different assignments.