Monday, May 25, 2020

Republican Ballots Dominated First Week Of Early Voting In Oconee County, But Democratic Ballots More Pronounced In Absentee Counts

***Early Voting For June 9 Election Continues Tuesday***

Nine out of 10 of those who participated in the first week of In-Person early voting in Oconee County used the Republican ballot, but less than two-thirds of those who had turned in an Absentee ballot by the end of last week had used the Republican ballot.

Early In-Person voting has been light, with only 533 persons showing up at the Board of Elections and Registration Office across from the Courthouse in Watkinsville to cast a ballot by the end of the day on Friday.

Department Of Public Health Lists 14 New Confirmed Cases Of COVID-19 In Monday Report For Northeast Health District

***Oconee Adds Two Cases***

The Northeast Health District added 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Department of Public Health’s Daily Status Report issued at 1 p.m. on Memorial Day.

That number of new cases, which included two from both Oconee and Clarke counties, kept the seven-day rolling average of cases at 25.0, just down from 25.3 on Sunday.

Oconee County Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Projects Short-Term Drop In Sales Tax Revenue, Commissioners Told

***Property Tax Rate Remains Unchanged***

Oconee County Finance Director Wes Geddings last week presented the Board of Commissioners with a $53.3 million Proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Budget that anticipates a 10.4 percent drop in sales tax revenue but includes no increase in the property tax rate.

The budget includes no new positions and a modification of health care options that holds the increase of costs to 5 percent, Geddings told the Board at the first hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Budget.