Early voting starts on Tuesday for an off-year election that contains two state-wide races, a county-wide referendum on renewal of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST), and competitive city races in Bishop, Bogart, and Watkinsville.
The statewide race is for two members of the Public Service Commission, and while one of those represents Oconee County voters, each candidate runs statewide, meaning that Oconee County voters play a small role in the outcome.
Oconee County voters will decide if they want to renew the 1 percent Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) or allow it to expire when the cap in collections is reached, probably at the end of 2026.
At the Board of Education meeting on Monday (Oct. 6), school administrators reported to the Board on the campaign they have launched in support of the tax and on revisions to the project list for the tax.
The original proposal included turfing the soccer field at North Oconee High School and a dedicated wresting room at the school, but these have been replaced with a new auxiliary gym.
At Oconee County High School, a practice field will be turfed instead of adding a fourth field.
In Bishop, the incumbent mayor and all four council members are facing challengers. One of the incumbents has been disqualified, but he is appealing that disqualification.
In Bogart four persons, including the two incumbents, are seeking election to two seats on Council.
In Watkinsville, incumbent Mayor Brian Brodrick is being challenged by former Mayor Bob Smith.
Report On ESPLOST Activities
Interim Superintendent Debra Harden ended her report to the Board last Monday (Oct. 6) by saying “we are still working to make sure that our citizens are informed and aware of the ESPLOST proposals and that the one penny sales tax will be on the ballot in November.”
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| Advance Voting Screen Shot From County Web Site |
In the past, Oconee County Schools has referred to ESPLOST as ELOST.
“We’ve been working on social media spots,” she said. “We've met with every school council, faculties and leadership teams, and I have made information aware to the mayor and councils for the towns in the county.”
Harden noted that she and School Board Chair Michael Ransom met with the Oconee County Republican Party and that newly sworn in Superintendent Melissa Butler and Ransom were scheduled to meet with the Rotary Club the next day.
Harden said she and Board Vice Chair Amy Parrish are scheduled to address the Oconee County Democratic Party on Thursday (Oct. 16).
(The Democratic Party meeting, open to the public, begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Oconee County Library at Wire Park in Watkinsville. I plan to attend and record the meeting. The Oconee County Republican Party does not allow recording of its meetings, but my post of Sept. 24 summarizes what Ransom and Harden said at the meeting on Sept. 22.)
Oconee County Schools Chief Operations Officer Ryan White, in his report to the Board on Monday, said “staff has conducted more than 27 presentations on proposed ESPLOST projects–at school councils, school staff meetings, school leadership meetings, transportation, community organizations, and superintendent advisory groups, which include students, parents, staff, and business leaders.”
Seven Colquitt, Director of Communications for Oconee County Schools, in response to a question I posed to Harden and him after the meeting, said on Tuesday afternoon that “staffers have presented at 12 school council meetings, 12 faculty and staff meetings, three Superintendent advisory panels (students, parents, teachers), the Oconee County Rotary Club, and the Oconee County Republican Party.”
“Tonight, Dr. Harden will be attending the Oconee County Board of Commissioners regular meeting,” he continued. “Dr. Harden and Ms. Parrish will visit the Oconee County Democratic Party on Oct. 16. All told, this will make 31 presentations.”
(Harden appeared before the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7, gave a brief summary of the projects to be funded by a renewal of ESPLOST, and encouraged commissioners to vote on Nov. 4.)
Project List Modifications
White told the Board on Monday that “North County High School is very excited about their proposed renovation and co-curricular projects.”
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| Ransom 10/6/2025 |
“We did have feedback from students, parents, staff, coaches, and administrators that I wanted to update you on,” he continued. “Our original proposal included turfing the soccer field, adding lights to the back practice field, creating a dedicated wrestling room, and expanding athletic storage.”
“However, they identified the need for an auxiliary gym as a higher priority,” he said. “This need stems from multiple PE classes occurring simultaneously in a single space along with up to 18 fall and winter sports teams overlapping and sharing the current indoor practice facilities.”
White said “Oconee County High School is also excited about finally having a blue roof on a blue school to proudly reflect their school colors, adding changing rooms and extending the back practice field to a full length field with lights, which will allow for multiple team practices on campus simultaneously.”
“Instead of adding a fourth field,” White said, “the preference is to turf the field near the student parking where we put in competition lights this last summer.”
“This proposal would provide valuable flexibility, enabling practices to continue even after multiple days of rain,” he said, “and grow their athletic capacity.”
Full Project List For High Schools
Oconee County Schools has web pages dedicated to ESPLOST that includes a list of projects at both high schools that will be undertaken if voters approve the referendum on the ballot on Nov. 4.
The North Oconee High School list is for:
• Renovation
• Replace flat roof and weight room HVAC
• Partner with athletic boosters to add video scoreboards to the stadium
• Convert existing two practice fields to turf and add lights
• Resurface tennis courts (8-year life)
• Re-turf the stadium
• Build an auxiliary gym
The Oconee County High School list is for:
• Replace the original roof on the building
• Renovate the stadium press box
• Turf the practice field near student parking and the stadium
• Add athletic storage and athletic changing rooms
• Extend current practice field and add lights
• Partner with athletic boosters to add a video scoreboard to the stadium
• Resurface tennis courts (8-year life)
Other Projects On List
The web page lists projects at other schools in the system:
• Resurface activity courts at Colham Ferry, High Shoals, Oconee County, and Rocky Branch elementary schools
• Address water and weather intrusion issues at Oconee County Primary School, Colham Ferry, Dove Creek, and Oconee County elementary schools, and North Oconee and Oconee County high schools
• Renovation of Malcom Bridge Elementary School
• Replace exterior door hardware and door sweeps at Malcom Bridge Middle School
• Replace HVAC as needed, floor as needed, fire alarm, roof sections, and add sewer cleanouts at Oconee County Middle School
• Replace HVAC at Oconee County Primary
Transportation And Technology
Other projects that cut across the system are:
• Continue bus replacement cycle of 20 years
• Continue white fleet replacement cycle of 20 years or 200,000 miles
• Interactive panels for K-2
• Network equipment and W-Fi
• Servers
• Firewalls
• OCS-owned fiber replacement
• Chromebooks, laptops, desktops, printers, and projectors
Ballot Language
These projects are not listed on the referendum that voters will be asked to approve on Nov. 4, and, because of the actual language on the ballot, the Board has great flexibility in how ESPLOST revenue actually is spent.
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| Referendum Language From Sample Ballot (Click To Enlarge) |
The actual language authorizes “adding to, renovating, repairing, improving, furnishing, and equipping existing school buildings and other buildings and facilities.”
It also authorizes the purchase of land, improvements to athletic facilities, and purchase of network infrastructure and technology, including computers, tablets, and mobile devices, school buses.
The referendum language also authorizes payment of interest associated with projects as well as “paying a portion of the principal and interest on the outstanding Oconee County School District General Obligation Bonds, Series 2021.”
The Series 21 Bonds were issued after approval of the current ESPLOST in March of 2021.
The referendum also authorizes “the issuance of general obligation debt of the Oconee County School District in the principal amount of $12,135,000" to cover the costs of the activities authorized in the referendum “and the costs of issuance of such debt.”
The full language of the resolution passed by the Board of Education authorizing the referendum spells out payment of those bonds through 2032.
No cost estimates are associated with any of the projects listed in the referendum or on the Oconee County Schools web site, though the bond authorization generally is intended to cover costs of the planned projects.
The referendum for the current ESPLOST, approved in 2021, authorized issuance of $42,950 in bonds, and the Board subsequently sold bonds netting $42,971,704.
The referendum before voters on Nov. 4 caps collections on the new ESPLOST, if approved by voters, at $86.8 million
Debt And Spending
At present, Oconee County Schools is scheduled to make $36.9 million in outstanding payments through the end of calendar year 2033 on Oconee County School District General Obligation Bonds, Series 2021.
Oconee County Schools held $12.3 million in escrow against those payments on Aug. 31, and, across the last 16 months, has averaged just less than $1.1 million in ESPLOST collections.
With 16 months of collections through the end of calendar year 2026, the remaining collections should total at least $17.3 million. That figure will be higher if collections keep increasing, as they have in recent months, based on collections from the same month a year earlier.
Those figures indicate that approximately $6.2 million in 2021 bonded debt will be carried over to the ESPLOST before voters on Nov. 4.
That amount appears to be the basis for the statement on the Oconee County Schools ESPLOST web pages that if ESPLOST is not renewed “the school district would potentially have to raise property taxes to pay debt which was previously approved by Oconee County voters and is currently outstanding.”
The referendum approved by voters in 2021 also did not list specific projects, and the Board continues to authorize expenses against those incoming revenues.
At its next meeting on Oct. 20, White said at the Oct. 6 meeting, the Board will be asked to approve $937,800 for new buses, $61,290 for a new radio system for school buses, $191,188 for cameras for school buses, and $43,800 to repair the bleachers at North Oconee High School main gym.
In each case, the Board was told by White that the expenses will be covered by ESPLOST and General Fund monies, but he did specify the exact amount to be taken from ESPLOST revenue.
Bishop Mayor And Council
Voters in Bishop are being asked on Nov. 4 ballot to decide between incumbent Mayor Drew Kurtz and challenger Joey Allen.
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| Composite Sample Ballot (Click To Enlarge) |
Incumbent Post 1 Council Member Chuck Hadden is being challenged by Jacob Spaulding.
Incumbent Post 2 Council Member Deborah Lucas is being challenged by Alexander Schmidt.
The name of incumbent Post 3 Council Member Hudson Holder will appear on the ballot as well as the name of challenger Greg Montgomery.
On Sept. 24, the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration voted to disqualify Holder on the grounds that he does not live within the city limits.
Holder filed suit in Oconee County Superior Court on Oct. 4 asking Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott to overturn that disqualification.
Post 4 Council Member Mindy Porterfield is being challenged by Jeff Davis.
The mayor and council members in Bishop serve four-year terms.
Watkinsville Mayor And Council
Watkinsville voters will find the names of incumbent Mayor Brodrick and former Mayor Smith at the top of the city races, but they also will see the names of incumbent Post 1 Council Member Chuck Garrett and Post 2 Council Member Connie Massey.
Neither Garrett nor Massey has any opposition.
Smith defeated incumbent Mayor Dave Shearon in 2019 but resigned on March 17 of 2021 after feuding with Brodrick and other members of Council over a number of issues, including the hiring by Shearon and Council of City Manager Sharyn Dickerson.
Upon Smith’s resignation, Council elected then Post 1 Council Member Brodrick to serve as Acting Mayor.
In a special election in June of 2021, voters elected Brodrick as mayor, and Garrett to Post 1 on Council.
Mayor and Council members in Watkinsville serve two year terms.
Bogart Council
In Bogart, Council member do not have posts, and voters on Nov. 4 will see the names of incumbents David Kilpatrick and Greg Maddox, as well as the names of challengers Nathan Seagraves and Stephanie Stalnaker, on the ballot.
The top two vote getters will join Council for a four-year term.
Bogart’s boundaries include a part of Clarke County, and Bogart does not contract with Oconee County to run its elections.
Watkinsville, Bishop, and North High Shoals do contract with the county for elections. North High Shoals will not have elections on Nov. 4.
The county reduced its number of precincts from eight to four in February of this year, and the Nov. 4 election is the first for which Bogart voters will cast a ballot for city races at a different location from where they vote for county and state races.
Early Voting
At the Oct. 6 meeting of the Board of Elections and Registration, Sharon Gregg, Director of Elections and Registration for the county, said that advance voting for city races in Bogart will be at the Historical Agricultural Building, 125 East Thompson Street.
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| Registration 10/6/2025 (Preliminary) (Click To Enlarge) |
Election Day voting for city races in Bogart will be at the Bogart Community Center, 141 East Thompson Street.
Early voting and election day voting for Bogart residents for the ESPLOST referendum and the two Public Service Commission races will be at Marswood Hall, 3761 Mars Hill Road.
At the meeting on Oct. 6, Gregg said that she was waiting on final registration figures for the Nov. 4 election. The deadline to register was that day.
Assistant Director Jennifer Stone reported on Oct. 7 the figures at the end of the day on Oct. 6, noting that the figure were still tentative.
Total registration for Oconee County stood at 33,862, with Bishop having 267 voters, Bogart having 892 voters who live in Oconee County, North High Shoals having 481, and Watkinsville having 2,516 voters.
Advance voting begins on Oct. 14 and continues through Oct. 31, including Saturday voting on Oct. 18 and Oct. 25. No voting will take place on Sundays.
Weekday voting is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Saturday voting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Early voting, except for the Bogart city races, will be at the Oconee County Administrative Building, 7635 Macon Highway, north of Watkinsville.
Early voting for Bogart races will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Public Service Commission Race
Oconee County is in District 2 of the statewide Public Service Commission, which consists of 38 counties from eastern metropolitan Atlanta to the Savannah River and from Hart County to Chatham County.
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| Watkinsville 10/11/2025 |
Incumbent Republican District 2 Commissioner Tim Echols is being challenged by Democrat Alicia Johnson.
District 3 consists only of Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton counties and is represented at present by Republican Fitz Johnson. Democrat Peter Hubbard is challenging Fitz Johnson.
While the candidates must live in the District they represent, they must run statewide, and voters in Oconee County and across the state will be voting on Nov. 4 both for District 2 and District 3 candidates.
Johnson appeared before the Oconee County Democrats in September, and Echols appeared before Oconee County Republicans a few days later.
Hubbard also appeared before Oconee County Democrats in May.
According to email messages from Oconee County Democratic Party Chair Harold Thompson, the local party has been engaged in canvassing for Alicia Johnson and Hubbard, and a few signs for the candidates are visible around the county.
Echols, in his presentation to Oconee County Republicans, urged those present to work to increase turnout in the county to offset what he said he expects to be high turnout in traditionally Democratic urban areas such as Atlanta.
Videos
The first video embedded below of the Oct. 6 School Board meeting is on the YouTube Channel of Oconee County Schools.
I attended the meeting and recorded video from the rear of the room, as prescribed by Steven Colquitt, Director of Communications from Oconee County Schools.
The still image above is from the rear of the room.
Harden began her superintendent report at 4:10.
White began his report at 24:59 in the video.
The second video below is from the Oct. 6 meeting of the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration.
Gregg made her comments about elections in Bogart at 5:20 in that video.
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