Campaign Finance Reports Show Candidates in Oconee County’s Competitive State Legislative Races Had Different Financial Resources

***McKillip Fully Self-Funded His Campaign***

The seven candidates in competitive races in tomorrow’s election to represent Oconee County in the Georgia General Assembly entered the final weeks of the campaign in very different financial positions, according to their Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports.

Marc McMain, one of three Republicans running for the party’s nomination for Senate District 46, was sitting on $201,023 in unused money, having spent $113,710 since the first of the year, more than three-quarters ($87,908) of that going to campaign consultant War Room Strategies.

Early Voting For May 19 Party Primary and Nonpartisan Elections In Oconee County Ahead Of 2022 With Increase In Democratic Votes

***Precincts Open At 7 a.m. To 7 p.m. On Tuesday***

One in five of Oconee County’s 34,013 registered voters (20.0 percent) has cast a ballot for the May 19 Party Primary and Nonpartisan elections as of the end of early voting on Friday, up from 16.7 percent at that same point four years ago.

The increase in voting compared with 2022 is largely the result of increased voting in the Democratic Party Primary. Democratic Ballots at this point make up 27.8 percent of the ballots cast.

Oconee County Sheriff Focused On School Safety And Immigration In Presentation To County Democratic Party

***Praised Collaboration With Oconee County Schools***

When the Oconee County Democrats invited Oconee County Sheriff James Hale, a Republican, to speak to them last week, they asked him to talk about two issues, school safety and immigration.

Hale obliged, spending more than 50 minutes talking and answering questions about various aspects of those two topics.

Oconee County Board Of Education Approves Tentative Fiscal Year 2027 Budget With Cuts In Staffing, Drop In Millage Rate

***Told Proposed Cuts Reflect Declines In Enrollment***

The Oconee County Board of Education on Monday night gave approval to a $122.5 million preliminary Fiscal Year 2027 budget, up 1.6 percent from the $120.5 million budget for the current fiscal year.

Revenue is projected at $120.7 million, and the budget is balanced by a transfer of funds from the General Fund Balance, or money held in reserve.

Oconee County School Board Told Proposed Route For SR 15 Truck Bypass Will Not Adversely Affect Colham Ferry Elementary School

***Route Could Impact School In Future***

One of the three alternate routes the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has proposed for a truck bypass linking SR 15 with U.S. 441 south of Watkinsville would pass near the property line for Colham Ferry Elementary School, but it would not require any changes at the school.

If the Board of Education decides to expand the school or do updates or repairs, it will have to get state approval, and the state Department of Education could require construction of a berm and modifications of such things as windows to accommodate the dangers of truck traffic.

Early Voting For May 19 Primary Increased In Week Two, With Democratic Ballots Making Up Larger Share Than Four Years Ago

***Friday Was Heaviest Voting So Far***

Early voting for the May 19 Party Primary and Nonpartisan elections is running just ahead of early voting in the those elections in 2022, with 9.8 percent of the county’s 34,014 voters having cast a ballot by the end of the second week of early voting on Saturday.

Of that total, 3,214 votes were cast Advance In Person, up from 2,516 at that same point two years ago, when the county had 32,034 registered voters. The 3,214 is 9.4 percent of registered voters this year versus 7.9 percent four years ago.

Oconee County Unveils $85.5 Million Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget With $3.1 Million For New Emergency Medical Services Department

***Millage Rate Not Set***

Oconee County Finance Director Melissa Braswell on Tuesday night presented to the Board of Commissioners and the public an $85.5 million total budget for the county for Fiscal Year 2027, up 2.1 percent from the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

Included is a $49.0 million General Fund Budget, up 7.2 percent from the $45.7 million General Fund Budget adopted last June for the current Fiscal Year.