Oconee County will hold at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Courthouse in Watkinsville what could be the only public hearing on the issuance of $155 million in revenue bonds for Presbyterian Village Athens.
County Attorney Daniel Haygood will serve as the hearing officer at the meeting, which is required by the United States Internal Revenue Service before the county can approve the issuance of the tax-exempt bonds.
Oconee County commissioners tomorrow (Tuesday) will take up a request to modify zoning for a shopping center on land between Lenru Road and Malcom Bridge Road just south of the Malcom Bridge Middle School.
The 7.5 acre tract has been zoned for commercial use since 2004 but has not been developed and is surrounded by residential and school properties.
Fran Thompson and Andrea Wellnitz told Oconee County Democrats that they are running as a team for spots on the Oconee County Board of Education.
Both said they are seeking to improve transparency in the schools, to guarantee that the school environment is a safe one, and to make sure the schools serve the social and emotional needs of all students.
As a result of a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Verizon Wireless will be able to build a cell tower on 42 acres on McRees Mill Road off Barnett Shoals Road despite denial of a permit for the tower by Oconee County in 2014.
Oconee County Commission Chair John Daniell announced the court ruling and subsequent negotiations at the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday night, just before the Board approved a change to its Utility Accommodation Ordinance to regulate small cell telecommunications technology.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners is considering contracting with the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce to handle economic development rather than employ a county economic development director.
Under the proposal, the Chamber of Commerce would designate a staff person to manage economic development for the county.
Oconee County has successfully transitioned from its old wastewater treatment facility at Calls Creek on the northeast of Watkinsville to a new one still under construction at the same site.
The switchover from the old treatment facility to the new took place earlier this month, and all of the county's sewage coming into the plant is now being handled by the new facility.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday will consider a revision to its Utility Accommodation Ordinance to address small cell technology and other new technologies being utilized in the telecommunications industry.
The proposed revision follows a moratorium passed by the Board at a called meeting on Aug. 16 barring the issuance of permits and the acceptance of applications for permits for the installation of wireless communication devices and facilities in the county's rights of way.
