Oconee County Commissioners Say They Are Opposed To Proposed Truck Bypass Route Of Watkinsville That GDOT Consultants Favor

***Large Crowd Turns Out For Called Town Hall Meeting***

All five of Oconee County’s commissioners on Tuesday night said they were opposed to the close-in route for a truck bypass linking SR 15 with U.S. 441 south of Watkinsville that consultants for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) said they are considering as the recommended route.

The commissioners were joined in that opposition by Georgia House District 121 Rep. Eric Gisler and Georgia Senate District 46 candidate Ray Smith, both of whom were in the audience of more than 80 at the called Board of Commissioners Town Hall Meeting.

Forums Scheduled At Two Oconee County Venues For Candidates Seeking To Represent County In Atlanta And Washington

***Farm Bureau, Enterprise, Observations Are Hosts***

Forums scheduled two nights in a row in Oconee County next week will give voters a chance to hear candidates for state House District 120, state House District 121, and state Senate District 46 answer questions on issues in the Nov. 3 election.

On Sept. 23 candidates will be asked to respond to questions from directors of the Oconee County Farm Bureau on issues that impact farmers and rural Oconee County.

Democrats Defend Opposition To Elimination of Homeowner Property Tax, Citing Resultant Increase In Sales Tax, Cuts To Police, Schools

***Also Note Adverse Affects On Renters, Businesses***

Democrats in the Georgia House of Representatives, in a meeting at the Bogart Library last month, argued that their opposition to legislation in the General Assembly earlier this year that would have eliminated the property tax for homeowners was based on opposition to the resultant increase in sales taxes.

They also said elimination of property taxes on homeowners would have transferred the tax burden to renters and businesses and would have resulted in cuts to police, schools, and other local services.

Oconee County Schools Granted Approval To Raise Funds For Upgrade To Facilities Through the State Education Tax Credit Program

***Goal Of $1 Million Set***

Oconee County Schools has received approval of its application to the Georgia Foundation for Public Education (GFPE) allowing it to raise money through the PEACH Education Tax Credit program for upgrades to its Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs.

The money Oconee County Schools is able to raise from donors will be used for development of “innovative 21st-century learning environments across Oconee County Schools' CTAE labs and specialized spaces,” according to the application submitted by Oconee County Schools to the Foundation.

Georgia Transportation Department Releases More Detailed Map For Jimmy Daniell Road Closure And Detour At SR 316

***Blow-Up For Meriweather Road Closure Included***

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has released a new detour map for the closure of Jimmy Daniell Road at SR 316 scheduled for Sept. 14, underscoring that travel along that major artery in the county is about to get much more difficult.

The very busy intersection of the Oconee Connector with SR 316 now also has a flashing sign indicating that a change in the traffic pattern there will begin on Sept. 18.

In Meeting With Oconee County Democrats, Veteran Political Journalist Lists Reasons For Governor Calling Special Legislative Session In Fall

***Bluestein Says Decision Will Be Affected By November Election***

During his one hour and 15 minute meeting with Oconee County Democrats last week, veteran political journalist Greg Bluestein told inside stories, laughed about the tactics of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, speculated on career paths for Ossoff and others politicians, discussed the current campaigns, and predicted plans of the Georgia General Assembly.

Bluestein said that the Georgia General Assembly “likely” will be back in session after the elections in November, and the probability of that happening will increase if Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms wins the governor’s race.

Walton County Chair Reported Plans To Sell Water From Hard Labor Creek Reservoir For Data Center, Without Oconee County Involvement

***Plan Fell Through When Center Moved To Different Site***

Walton County Board of Commissioners Chair David Thompson reported to the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir Management Board last week that his efforts to obtain $7.5 million from a company wanting water from the reservoir for an additional data center in Social Circle have been unsuccessful.

Thompson said the approach from the data center operator came after Archer Western, contractor for the $141.5 million treatment plant under construction on the reservoir, said it was an ideal time to reverse an earlier decision to scale back the plant from 16 to 12 million gallons per day.