Oconee County School Board Chair Promotes Referendum On Renewal Of Sales Tax, Discusses Relationship With Local Newspaper

***Public Service Commission Candidate Also Speaks***

Oconee County Board of Education Chair Michael Ransom got sidetracked on Monday evening as he made the case to the Oconee County Republican Party for the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) referendum that will be on the ballot in November.

Ransom began his presentation by explaining why the Board had decided to put the tax referendum on the ballot even though the existing tax isn’t scheduled to expire for two years. He also identified the projects the new tax will fund and said what will happen if voters turn down the referendum on Nov. 4.

When he finished those introductory comments, Ransom was asked to explain the Board’s dispute with the county’s legal organ, The Oconee Enterprise, over open records requests. He also was asked when the Board was going to hold Town Hall meetings.

Ransom said the School Board’s attorneys and the attorney for the paper disagree on what the state open records law requires and that the Board will hold a Town Hall meeting “pretty soon.”

Ransom also was asked if the Board had considered putting ESPLOST on the ballot when more people would be likely to vote and if the bonds sold after approval of the existing ESPLOST included funding for the new Instructional Support Center.

The answer was “no” to the first question and “yes” to the second.

The meeting on Monday began with an emotional tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk by Oconee County Republican Party Chair Kathy Hurley and ended with a plea from incumbent Republican District 2 Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols that voters turn out for the Nov. 4 election and vote to keep him in office.

The audience also heard from Marc McMain, who is running for state Senate in District 46, which includes Oconee County, and from Brian Strickland, who is a candidate for Attorney General.

ESPLOST NOT ELOST

Ransom started his presentation by saying that Board had decided to call the sales tax an Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) rather than Education Local Option Sales Tax (ELOST) to bring the county in line with the state norm.

Ransom 9/22/2025

“ESPLOST is not used for salaries or operations,” Ransom told the audience. “It is used for infrastructure, technology, buildings.”

Thirty-six people turned out at the Piedmont Oconee Health Campus lobby meeting room, 1305 Jennings Mills Road, for the Sept. 22 regular meeting of the Oconee County Republican Party.

Ransom said money from the new ESPLOST will be used for renovations at the 21-year-old North Oconee High School. Included is a new HVAC and mitigation of settling in the school courtyard.

Money for the new tax, if voters approve it on Nov. 4, will be used for a new roof at Oconee County High School, Ransom said, and for renovations at elementary and middle schools, including a new HVAC at Oconee County Middle School.

The new ESPLOST will fund turf field at the high schools “to expand our spring time sports offerings,” according to Ransom.

Also funded by the renewal of ESPLOST are sports changing rooms at Oconee County High School and a new auxiliary gym at North Oconee High Schools, he said.

Ransom said that Interim Superintendent Debra Harden and Chief Operations Officer Ryan White “worked with all of the principals that administer the schools to figure out what they wanted, what the needs were, to create a list and prioritize that.”

Current ESPLOST Cap

The current ESPLOST, approved by voters in March of 2021, began collecting tax in January of 2023 and is to run through December of 2027 or until it reaches the set cap of $48.5 million.

Oconee County Schools Chief Financial Officer Peter Adams has told the Board he expects the $48.5 million cap to be reached by the end of 2026.

The Board is asking voters to approve a new ESPLOST that will go into effect once the $48.5 million cap is reached “and not have any dead time so we can keep gaining that penny sales tax,” Ransom said.

In response to a question from the audience, Ransom said once the cap is reached “We’ll stop collecting altogether unless we vote this next ESPLOST into existence. By voting on it early, we can have it ready to go once the current ESPLOST caps out.”

Ransom said if voters turn down the referendum, funding for the projects to be covered by the new ESPLOST will have to come out of the General Fund, which is dependent on local taxes, including property taxes, and on state distributions.

If the funds are not available, he said, “we’ll have to raise the millage rate. We don’t want to do that. We’d like to keep the millage rate where it is or lower.”

“So that’s why ESPLOST is so important,” Ransom said, “especially considering that an overwhelming majority of that money comes from out-of-county.”

Ransom said the estimate is that 70 percent of sales taxes come from people who do not live in Oconee County but who spend money in the county.

The cap that will be set on the ESPLOST on the November ballot is $86 million, Ransom said.

More Pointed Questions

“Was there ever any consideration of putting this on the 2026 ballot, when there’s a lot that would draw voters to the polls?” an audience member asked Ransom.

“We thought it was prudent to go ahead and get this one on the ballot this year,” Ransom said. “That way we have it ready to go as soon as that other one caps and we won’t miss an opportunity to capture that revenue.”

“Let’s get down to some real hard questions,” another person said. “Can you speak in any way with the ongoing feud between The Oconee Enterprise and the school system, please? It is not a good relationship.”

The paper ran a story on the front page of its Sept. 11 edition explaining its efforts to obtain documents from the Board and from Oconee County Schools and a lengthy editorial on page A4 of that same edition of the paper with the headline “The Board of Education shrouds acts in secrecy.”

“It is sometimes a tense relationship,” Ransom conceded. “I think the way that our legal counsel and their legal counsel interprets some of the laws are different from each other.”

“We make sure that we follow what our legal counsel says,” Ransom said. The goal is to provide “what is supposed to be provided. Sometimes that is not what their legal counsel suggests that we provide,” he continued.

“I think that is a little bit of a disconnect on the laws and translation between lawyers,” he said. “We want to make sure that we provide them with everything they need.”

More On Enterprise

“They submit open records requests,” Ransom said of the Enterprise. “Sometimes they are asking for records we don’t have. I think that is some confusion there.”

Ransom said, in reference to newly hired Superintendent Melissa Butler, “We were discussing her contract over the phone. It is just a verbal exchange. There is no written record that we would have to turn into somebody.”

Enterprise Co-Publisher Amanda Prochaska sent me on Sept. 24 a copy of an open records request the paper filed on Sept. 8 asking for “all communication” between the Board and its representatives with Butler “related to future employment” including “documents related to compensation and job description.”

“A lot of it is just asking for things that either we don’t have or didn’t do,” Ransom said of the paper’s open records requests. “Legally we’re providing whatever we have that they ask for.”

“So what was the conflict between releasing the three final candidates for the superintendent and that not being done?” another person asked.

The Enterprise also sent me a copy of a demand letter filed by its attorney before the Board formally appointed Butler as superintendent asking for release of “the names and requested records of at least two other candidates being considered” in addition to Butler.

A story about that demand letter appears on page A5 of the Sept. 25 edition of the paper.

“We never had three finalists,” Ransom responded. “We went through the first and second round interview process, and through that we decided that Dr. Butler was the one that fit--the qualified fit that was best for Oconee County. She was our sole finalist.”

“We never had a list of three finalists that we were thinking we were going to put forward as superintendent,” he said. “After going through the interview process, we all talked in executive session and said this is who we want to offer the job to.”

“And if she would have said no,” Ransom said, “then Dr. Harden would have to stay here a little longer and we would have probably started the process again. We put all of our eggs in one basket with her, and made the offer to her, and thankfully she accepted and that was the sole finalist we had to name.”

Question On Town Hall

Between the two questions on the Enterprise, another member of the audience asked “When are you going to have a town hall?”

“Pretty soon, I believe,” Ransom said.

“I’ve heard that for years,” the person responded.

“Well, we’ve been waiting,” Ransom said. “There was a lot of stuff we were going through before the new superintendent gets here. We’ve got a lot of training that we need to go through.”

Ransom said the Board also needed to review its “policies and norms.”

“Some of the policies we’ve had in place for 20 years or so,” Ransom said. “So it is time to review those and make sure that they’re current.”

“I know that several of us that ran this past election cycle were interested in doing some town halls,” Ransom said, “so I think you’ll see those in the very near future.”

“I”d love to have some joint meeting with the BOC,” Ransom continued, referring to the county Board of Commissioners, “but I don’t want to monopolize any of their meetings–and get them in the hot water that we might be in.”

Question On Bonds

The final questioner asked Ransom how much of the $46.74 million in bonded indebtedness that the Board has as a result of the sale of $42.97 in bonds in 2021 was for the Instructional Support Center.

Ransom said that the bond sales were for the total package, which included Dove Creek Middle School, classroom additions at three elementary schools, the Instructional Support Center, buses, technology, and other projects.

Current ESPLOST spending, based on the most recent report to the Board, stands at $72.4 million. As of the end of August, the Board has paid $9.84 million against the total bond payments of $46.74 million due.

Board Member Ryan Hammock, at the meeting and in a subsequent email exchange, said that the Board will use revenue from the new ESPLOST, if approved by voters, to pay off part of the $42.97 million in bonds the Board sold in 2021.

The final scheduled payment on those bonds is 2033, which is beyond the 2026 expected expiration of the current ESPLOST and even beyond the five-year length of the proposed ESPLOST before voters in November.

“The Board has assigned monies in the General Fund to pay towards the bonds at the end of the proposed ESPLOST,” Hammock said.

It makes more sense for the Board to gain interest on the money it has allocated in the General Fund to cover a portion of those bonds than pay off the bonds early, Hammock said, since the interest rate on the bonds is roughly 1 percent.

“Holding those allocated funds provides the system the ability to be flexible in the future should economic conditions change,” he said.

“What do you plan to do on this one?” the audience member asked about the proposed ESPLOST. “Do you plan to bond out $86 million.”

“No,” Hammock responded. “We are reserving the right to be able to bond. Hopefully we’ll be able to pay as you go. So that way we don’t have to bond.”

Echols and PSC Race

Echols, the final speaker of the evening but the only one on the ballot in November, told the gathered Republicans that he is worried about Republican turnout on Nov. 4, when the only statewide races are for District 2 and District 3 Public Service Commissioners.

Echols 9/22/2025

Echols, currently representing District 2 on the Commission, said 220 cities have elections on the ballot, including Atlanta. (Bishop, Bogart, and Watkinsville in Oconee County have elections for city offices on Nov. 4.)

“Fitz (Johnson, incumbent District 3 Commissioner) and I are going to appear at the top of their ballot,” Echols said about ballots in the cities. “They are not going to know anything about the Public Service Commission, but they are going to walk in there and they are going to pick the Democrat.”

“We’ve run the numbers on these cities,” he continued. “Democrats have a 92,000 advantage in these 220 cities.”

Echols said that only 842 Oconee County Republicans turned out to vote in the June 17 Public Service Commission primary. (The official figure was 835.)

“There is just no possible way Fitz and I can have stalwart Republican counties like Oconee not turn out and us be able to win,” Echols said. “The Democrats are extremely motivated on this.”

“We’ve got a lot of work to do if you want to keep Republicans on the Public Service Commission,” he said. At present, all five members are Republican.

Echols On Opponent

“My opponent, from Savannah, a Black female, is a DEI specialist by her own resume," Echols said. "She works with health care companies to incorporate DEI principles into health care companies,” Echols asserted. (DEI is for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.)

Alicia Johnson, the Democratic Party nominee for District 2 Commissioner, lists her occupation on her web site as Georgia Managing Principal at Health Management Associates and says she focuses on “equity, efficiency, and sustainable development.”

“What does that look like on the Public Service Commission?” Echols asked. “I think it looks like this: a moratorium on disconnecting low income rate payers during the summer.”

“And then in November and December, a Commission vote to forgive the arrears of all of those people,” he continued. “You just repeat that year after year. I think that is what DEI looks like with social justice.”

“The Democrats are going after Fitz and I big time for the investments that we’ve made through your bills,” he said. “They are attempting to bury us with this. And there are a lot of Republicans buying into it. They forget what it looks like when Democrats run infrastructure.”

“They forget that Democrats hate fossil fuels,” he said. “They are going to curtail them. They are going to tie the hands of economic development in this state.”

“We just froze Georgia Power’s base rates for three years,” Echols said, “because we just simply couldn’t have them come back to us and ask us for another dime after all that we passed.” The PSC granted Georgia Power six rate increases since late 2022.

In response to a question, Echols said “If you are a low income person in Georgia, you should definitely vote for my opponent, because they are going to give you a lot of stuff. Why wouldn’t you vote for that handout? And that is what they are out there marketing and pitching.”

“They are not saying we’re going to give you free electricity,” he said. “But that is social justice and DEI at its best.”

McMain For Senate

“I’m a Christian. I’m a conservative. I’m a Republican. I’m pro-life. Pro Second Amendment. Pro law enforcement,” McMain said in introducing himself.

McMain 9/22/2025

He said he was chairman of the Walton County Republican Party until a few months ago. Oconee County is the only entire county in Senate District 46, which also includes parts of Clarke, Walton, Gwinnett, and Barrow counties.

McMain said he has four “pillars” in his campaign: Law enforcement, the economy, schools, and mental health.

He said he wants to eliminate the state income tax and make “sure that Georgia stays a business friendly state.

McMain said he is an advocate for school choice.

“If we can properly address the mental health crisis at our doorstep, we can reduce our jail population by 30 percent,” he said.

“I fully support what (President) Trump and (White House Border Czar Tom) Homan are doing with ICE,” he said in response to a question.

Strickland For Attorney General

Strickland, currently a state senator from McDonough, said he is running for attorney general “because I want to be an advocate on day one for you. I want to be your lawyer.”

Strickland 9/22/2025

“I don’t want to legislate” any longer, he said. “I want to defend our Constitution and the law.”

“I want to work with law enforcement, with district attorneys that are doing their jobs,” he said.

“I want to support President Trump and his efforts to return powers to the state,” he said.

“We know the Left will stop at nothing,” he said. “They will keep using every tool in their toolbox. I will be the person from day one who will be there and take that fight to them.”

In response to a question, Strickland said the Attorney General Office could have been more aggressive in countering the criminal investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into interference in the state’s 2020 general election.

Bill Cowsert, currently representing Senate District 46, also is running for attorney general.

Hurley Tribute To Kirk

“We did not want the passing of Charlie Kirk to go unnoticed in Oconee County,” Hurley said at the beginning of the meeting.

“The idea of Turning Point USA sprang from Charlie Kirk at the young age of 18,” she said, reading from her prepared comments, “and 13 years later has grown into a worldwide organization committed to Christian conservative beliefs.”

Kirk “changed minds and swayed convictions through the use of civil discourse,” she said.

“His message resonated, and his army of followers mobilized to aid in sending the message,” Hurley said.

“Charlie Kirk lived what he advocated,” she said. “God, family, and country, and served each one faithfully.”

“A movement to return people to their churches walked hand-in-hand with his belief in marrying young and having families,” Hurley said.

“When someone asks what one man can do,” Hurley said in closing, “they need only to look at what Charlie Kirk accomplished during his all-too-short life for answers.”

“Our prayers are with his family. Godspeed, Charlie,” she said.

Commissioner Harden Announcement

At the beginning of the meeting, Oconee County Commissioner Amrey Harden announced that he plans to run for re-election next year.

I reached out to Commissioner Chuck Horton, whose term also expires at the end of 2026.

Horton said “I have not made that call yet. I hope by December I’ll have that resolved.”

The terms of Hammock and School Board Member Amy Parrish also will expire at the end of 2026. Parrish joined Ransom and Hammock at the meeting on Republican Party meeting on Monday.

“At this time I’m focused on working with Dr Butler to get her into the new seat and on board,” Hammock wrote. “Additionally, sharing details on the ESPLOST is a top priority,” he added.

“I’ll discuss the future with my family as we approach Christmas,” he said. “I will share my plans with you, as they are formed.”

Parrish wrote in response to my question that “I don't have a response to make at this time.”