Democratic State Rep. Eric Gisler began his second Town Hall meeting on Saturday with an update on legislation under consideration in the Georgia House of Representatives and a summary of his position on the legislation.
Gisler said he will vote against House Bill 1116, which is designed to eliminate local property tax for homesteaded property in 2032, because local governmental leaders in both Oconee and Clarke counties are opposed. His House District 121 includes parts of both counties.
The Oconee County Board of Education does not have any plans to add a third high school in the near future, given the current decline in enrollments in the Oconee County Schools system.
The Board is anticipating some future growth in enrollments and is monitoring the zoning and the issuance of building permits, but both high schools are under capacity and can absorb some growth.
The Georgia State Election Board last week voted to send to the Georgia Attorney General for further investigation a complaint filed against the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration about qualification for the 2024 Watkinsville Council races.
The Board took that action after former Mayor Bob Smith told the Board that three candidates wanted to run for the three Watkinsville Council seats in 2024 but did not qualify because the date of qualification had changed from past years and because the interested persons did not know of the change.
Oconee County government will lose $9.8 million in property tax revenue if the legislation being considered by the Georgia House of Representatives is approved in its current form, while each of the county’s four cities will lose between $13,504 and $306,307, and Oconee County Schools will lose a whopping $32.2 million.
For the counties, Watkinsville, and Bogart, the loss likely can be offset by reallocating some of the revenue from the county’s 1 percent Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), if the legislation being considered is modified to allow that use of LOST funds.
Jeff Hood touched a fresh wound when he asked the first question at the Oconee County Board of Commissioners Town Hall meeting last week.
Hood wanted to know how the county is going to “make up the missing revenue” if the state prohibits local governments from collecting property taxes on homesteaded property, as the Republican Party House leadership has proposed.
The Oconee County Boards of Education on Monday agreed to spend $917,178 for improvements at Oconee County Elementary school, including replacement of the gym roof, metal siding, and floor activity area and replacement of the floors in the outside classroom pod.
The Board also approved spending $899,748 for new digital scoreboards for the North Oconee High School and Oconee County High School stadiums.
Principals at Oconee County primary, elementary, and middle schools informed parents through their December newsletters that Oconee County Schools has updated its policy on use of electronic devices by students effective July 1 of this year.
The new policy requires that all cell phones and personal electronic devices must be turned off and stored away during the “bell-to-bell” school day.
