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.

COVID Cases In Northeast Health District Increase Slightly In State Public Health Report; One Confirmed Death From Disease Listed

***CDC No Longer Reporting Community Data***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 84 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on May 10, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The number of cases added a week earlier had been 60. The number of cases has been up and down slightly in recent weeks.

The Department of Public Health reported one new confirmed death from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in its report on Wednesday.

The Department of Public Health had reported two new deaths in the Northeast Health District on Wednesday of last week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has discontinued its reporting of community level COVID-19 data, such as Transmission Rates.

Weekly Report

Although the Department of Public Health is releasing a report only weekly, it is gathering data on a daily basis, and the weekly report includes a data file containing case counts each day, ending on a Wednesday.

Click To Enlarge

The Department of Public Health switched to weekly, rather than daily, case counts in April of last year in part because of a concern that its counts under-represent the actual number of cases.

At-home test results are not included in the electronic reporting system.

The average number of added cases per day in the last seven days ending on May 10 in the Northeast Health District was 12.0, up from 8.6 last week.

Oconee County added five new case in the seven days ending on Wednesday. The county had added seven new cases in the seven days ending on May 3.

Clarke County added 22 new cases in the seven days ending on May 10. It had added 15 cases in the week ending on May 3.

The unstandardized rolling average of added cases in Oconee County on May 10 was 0.6. It had been was 0.4 on May 3.

The unstandardized seven-day rolling average of added cases in Clarke County on May 10 was 2.7. It had been 1.9 on May 3.

Deaths

The confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in the May 10 report was in Jackson County.

The Northeast Health District now has recorded 1,759 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 since February of 2020, or 331.8 deaths per 100,000 population.

Clarke County has the lowest rate of deaths per 100,000 population among the 10 counties in the Northeast Health District (195.1), followed by Oconee County, with 253.6 confirmed deaths per 100,000 population.

The Northeast Health District reported 195 “probable” deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, the same as last week.

The Georgia Department of Public Health’s 10-county Northeast Health District includes, in addition to Oconee and Clarke counties, Barrow, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oglethorpe, and Walton.

Oconee County Planning Commission To Hold Hearings On Three Rezones To Convert Residential Land To Office And Business Districts

***Dentist Office Request On List***

The Oconee County Planning Commission on Monday will hear three rezone requests for property in the northeast of the county where the owner is seeking to convert parcels currently zoned for residential use to office and business uses.

Dr. Brent and Mary Lynn Nail are seeking to rezone a 3.1 acre single family residential lot on Mars Hill Road near its intersection with the Oconee Connector so they can remove the existing residence and build a new dental office.

Oconee County School Board Approves Tentative Budget For Fiscal Year 2024 With Large Increases In Revenue And Spending

***Public Hearings Set For May 17 And 22***

The Oconee County School Board on Monday adopted a tentative Fiscal Year 2024 General Fund Budget that shows a 13.0 percent growth in revenue over the budget the Board adopted a year ago and a 17.5 percent growth in expenditures.

The revenue growth includes 11.0 percent growth in local funds, including a projected 11.1 percent increase in Property and Ad Valorem Taxes and a 14.8 percent growth in state revenue for Oconee County Schools, including for teacher pay.

COVID Cases In Northeast Health District Show Slight Decline; Two Confirmed Deaths From Disease Reported

***CDC Rates Oconee Transmission Rate As High***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 60 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on May 3, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The number of cases added a week earlier had been 76.

Oconee County Commissioners Approve Rezone For Oconee Crossing Shopping Center On U.S. 78 At Hog Mountain Road

***Affirm Vote To Settle Lawsuit***

Opponents of the court settlement allowing for construction of Oconee Crossing Shopping Center turned out in the Commission Chamber at the Oconee County Courthouse on Tuesday night, but they didn’t change the minds of the needed two commissioners.

After detailed arguments by two residents of Oconee Crossing subdivision, the vote was unchanged from March 7.

Oconee County Schools Releases Tentative Fiscal Year 2024 Budget That Holds Millage Rate At Current Level

***Budget Projects Large Increase In Tax Digest, Likely Producing Tax Increase***

Oconee County Schools released its tentative budget for Fiscal Year 2024 on Monday, showing revenue of $103.9 million, up from $91.9 million in the current fiscal year, and expenditures of $106.0 million, up from $90.2 a year ago.

The revenue projection is based on growth in the tax digest of 7.3 percent and an unchanged millage rate of 15.5 mills.

The tax digest grew by 15.4 percent last year, and 5.6 percent the year before that.

Oconee County Commissioners Face Agenda With Five Rezone Requests, Agreement With School Board On Sports Facilities Fees

***Oconee Crossing Likely To Dominate***

Opponents of the new plans for the Oconee Crossing Shopping Center are hoping that their presence, their arguments, and their red T-shirts on Tuesday will persuade at least two members of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners to change their minds.

Commissioner Chuck Horton is seeking another opportunity to voice his opposition to the plans by the Oconee County School Board to increase the fees it charges the Oconee County Parks and Recreation Department for use of school sports facilities.