Oconee County Commissioners Agree To Tax Refund For Caterpillar After Confirming Error In Tax Filings

***Comment Period Opened For Cole Springs Road Closing***

Oconee County commissioners gave tentative agreement on Tuesday night to a settlement that will result in a nearly $1.1 million refund to Caterpillar for taxes it mistakenly paid on personal property at its plant in Bogart.

Consistent with an agreement between Oconee and Clarke counties signed in 2012 when Caterpillar decided to move to the site, all tax revenue from the firm is split evenly between the two counties.

As a result, Oconee County and Clarke County each will refund $538,405 to Caterpillar.

Candidate For Lieutenant Governor Told Oconee County Democrats His Top Priority Is Medicaid Expansion

***Criticized Proposed Restrictions On Teaching Of History***

Charlie Bailey told a virtual gathering of Oconee County Democrats earlier this month that he is focusing his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor on healthcare, education, and public safety.

His top priority, he said, is expansion of Medicaid, which he said would not only address problems of healthcare in rural Georgia but also be a boost to the economy of the whole state.

Deaths From COVID-19, Reports Of New Cases, Hospital Cases All Down In Northeast Health District

***Oconee County Schools Again Reports No New Cases***

The 10-county Northeast Health District added only 25 new cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days ending on Friday, down from 47 added cases last Friday and considerably fewer than the 63 cases added in the bottom of the last wave in July of last year.

The District added 11 confirmed deaths from the disease, down from the 17 added in the week ending last Friday.

One of the confirmed deaths was in Oconee County, and another was in Clarke County.

Oconee County’s Two State Representatives Split Their Votes On Constitutional Amendment To Increase Legislative Salaries, Pensions

***Senate Votes To Increase Teams To Four Years***

Oconee County’s two representatives to the State House split their votes last week on a resolution that asks voters to decide on a state Constitutional amendment that would significantly increase the salaries for members of the General Assembly.

Houston Gaines, who currently represents Bogart Precinct, Marswood Hall Precinct, and the part of the Civic Center Precinct that was the East Oconee Precinct, voted against the resolution.

Marcus Wiedower, who represents the remainder of the county, voted in favor.

Voter History Files For Candidates For Oconee County School Board Reveal Range of Partisan Voting And Commitment

***Republican Voted Democratic; Independent Voted Republican***

Amy Parrish, the sole qualified Republican for Post 2 on the Oconee County Board of Education, has voted Democratic in one primary, voted Republican in eight, and skipped five primaries since she moved to Oconee County in 2008.

Prior to that, voting in Clarke County, Parrish voted using the Democratic ballot in four of the five primaries in which she participated.

Ryan Repetske, who is seeking to challenge Parrish in November as an Independent, has voted Democratic in two primaries and not voted in five primaries since he began voting in Oconee County in November of 2012.

COVID-19 Case Numbers In Oconee, Clarke Dip Below July 2021 Level; Local Hospital Cases Also Drop To Last Year Lows

***Confirmed Death Count From Disease Remains High***

The 10-county Northeast Health District added only 42 new cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days ending on Friday, down from 134 cases added last week.

The number of cases added is fewer than the 63 added at the bottom of the last wave of cases in July of last year.

The District added 17 confirmed deaths from the disease, the same as the week before. Deaths have remained high even as the number of cases has fallen dramatically.

Oconee County School Board Awards Bid For Construction At Oconee County Primary School And Oconee County Elementary School

***Internet Filter To Address YouTube Problems***

The Oconee County Board of Education on Monday voted to accept a bid from Kevin Price Construction for $2.4 million for renovation of Oconee County Primary School and Oconee County Elementary School.

Total costs for the work at the two neighboring and linked schools is estimated to be $2.8 million, and funding will come from the Education Local Option Sales Tax (ELOST) and state Capital Outlay Project allocations.

COVID Cases Continue To Drop In Northeast Health District; Confirmed Deaths From Disease Remain High But Fall From Week Earlier

***Hospital Cases Continue To Decline***

The 10-county Northeast Health District added 134 new cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days ending on Friday, down from 174 last week, and the lowest number added since 63 cases were added in the week ending on July 2, 2021.

The District added 17 confirmed deaths from the disease, down from the 20 deaths added last Friday. Deaths are a lagging indicator of the disease.

One of the confirmed deaths was in Oconee County and two were in Clarke County.

Two Candidates Qualify As Independents For Oconee County Board Of Education Elections; Six Candidates Now In Races

***Independents Must Submit Signatures For Validation***

Two candidates for the Oconee County Board of Education qualified as Independents on Thursday and Friday, pending verification of nomination petitions.

The two candidates, Ryan Repetske for Post 2 and Melissa Eagling for Post 3, have until July 12 to file nominating petitions with 1,425 signatures of registered voters for each. The county has 31,894 registered voters as of the beginning of the month.

Incumbent Amy Parrish was the sole candidate to qualify as a Republican for Post 2, and three Republicans, Ryan Hammock, Julie Mauck, and Elliott Rogers, qualified for the open Post 3.

No Democrats qualified for any county office.

Oconee County Agrees To Sell Two Buildings Across From Courthouse Declare As Surplus

***Approves Rezone For Car Wash In Butler’s Crossing***

Oconee County accepted bids of $731,250 last week for sale of two properties that are next door to the Courthouse and will be surplus once the county moves its nonjudicial functions to the new county administrative building in June of 2023.

The Board of Commissioners voted to accept a bid of $376,250 for the Elections Office Building, 10 Court Street, on the south side of the Courthouse, and a bid of $355,000 for the Ward Building, on the opposite side of the Courthouse at 3 Third Street.

Walton County Plans To Reapply For Federal Relief Funds For Treatment Plant At Hard Labor Creek Reservoir

***Oconee County Not Asked To Join At Present***

Walton County plans to reapply for federal pandemic relief funds for construction of a water treatment plant at Hard Labor Creek Reservoir, if the state decides to allow for a second round of competition.

Even without the federal funding, the county plans to move forward with construction of a 16 million gallon per day treatment plant, and preliminary design work already has been completed and bond financing lined up.

Walton County plans to go ahead without Oconee County, its partner in the reservoir project, with the idea that Oconee County, which currently does not need water from the reservoir, can decide to participate at some point in the future.

Oconee County’s Legislators In Atlanta Vote With Republican Majority On Education, Gun, COVID Vaccination Bills

***No Action On Okefenokee Protection Bill

Oconee County’s two representatives in the Georgia House voted with the Republican majority last week on three bills that, if passed and signed by the governor, will have impact on Oconee County Schools and on the University of North Georgia.

Republicans Marcus Wiedower and Houston Gaines voted to restrict how teachers handle “divisive concepts,” to allow parents to demand access to and challenge classroom materials used by teachers, and to eliminate “free speech zones” on college campuses.

Early Voting Moves Back To Oconee County Elections Office Because Of Scheduling Conflict At Civic Center

***Precinct Consolidation Now Final***

Early voting for the May 24 primary will be held at the Oconee County Office of Elections and Registration, opposite the Courthouse in Watkinsville, rather than at the Civic Center, where early voting for county elections has been held since November of 2020.

Early voting for the June 21 runoff, if needed, also will be at the Elections and Registration Office, but early voting for the Nov. 8 elections will return to the Civic Center.

Qualifying for Posts 2 and 3 on the Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, also at the Elections and Registration Office.

Number of COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District, Oconee, Clarke Counties Drops To Levels Of Last Summer

***Confirmed Deaths From Disease Also Down***

The 10-county Northeast Health District added 174 new cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days ending on Friday, down from 371 last week, and the lowest number added since 63 cases were added in the week ending on July 2, 2021.

The District added 20 confirmed deaths from the disease, down from the 34 deaths added last Friday. Deaths are a lagging indicator of the disease.

Three of the confirmed deaths were in Oconee County and four were in Clarke County.

Oconee Democrats Told They Can Help In State Races By Making The County Less Red

***Candidates For Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner***

Oconee County Democrats do not need to turn the county blue, Jen Jordan, a candidate for Attorney General, said at last month’s party meeting.

They just need to make it a little less red, Jordan said, for the party to have success in statewide elections in November.

To that end, Jordan said, it will be helpful if the party can field candidates for the county Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners races in November, as well as to run in the county’s two state House districts and the county’s state Senate district.