Oconee County Schools Administrator Says Reduction In Funding For SRO Program In Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Is Not A Cut In Program

***All 12 Schools Will Have Officer, He Says***

The reduction of funding in the Oconee County Schools Fiscal Year 2027 Budget to allow for 14 School Resource Officers rather than 16 does not reflect a “cut” to the School Research Officer (SRO) program, Oconee County Schools Chief Financial Officer Peter Adams said on Thursday.

The withholding of funding for two positions that were requested by Oconee County Sheriff James Hale still allows for one officer in each of the system’s 12 schools and two supervisors, Adams said in the second and final of two hearings on the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget. (SEE NOTE AT BOTTOM.)

Only Five Days Of Early Voting Scheduled For June 16 General Primary Runoff, With Republican Top Of Ballot Races Still Not Fixed

Democratic Lieutenant Governor Race Still Open

Oconee County voters wishing to participate in the June 16 General Primary Runoff will have only five days of early voting, beginning Monday, June 8, and ending on Friday, June 12.

The runoff is particularly important for Republicans, since the party has not yet selected its candidates for the U.S. Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Secretary of State.

Oconee County Memorial Day Program Moved To Herman C. Michael Gym As Weather Once Again Forced Event Indoors

***About 200 People Participated***

About 200 people gathered in the gym at Herman C. Michael Park on Hog Mountain Road on Monday (May 25) to honor the memory of those who gave their lives in foreign wars and recognize the sacrifices of their families.

The program had been scheduled for the Veterans Memorial at the entrance to Oconee Veterans Park across the street from Herman C. Michael Park but was moved indoors because of the weather–the third year in a row the program was held indoors because of bad weather.

Cut To School Resource Officer Program Funding In Fiscal Year 2027 Highlighted In Oconee County Board Of Education Budget Hearing

***Cut Is Fiscally Responsible, Finance Director Says***

Oconee County Schools Finance Director Peter Adams, in his presentation on the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget on Thursday (May 21), told the Board of Education that the budget he has prepared for them includes three “significant reductions” in spending.

The budget eliminates 14 school employees, cuts the operating budget by 3.3 percent, or $431,000, and cuts $436,074 from funding provided to the Sheriff for the School Resource Officer program, he said.

Oconee County Commissioners Agree To Decommissioning Of LAS Wastewater Treatment Site In Preparation For Construction Of Park

***Work Should Be Completed By Fall***

Oconee County commissioners on Tuesday night, at their agenda setting meeting, gave tentative approval to spending $1.4 million on the decommissioning of the Rocky Branch Land Application System (LAS) wastewater treatment site.

The decommissioning of the 246-acre site on Rocky Branch Road should begin four to six weeks after the commissioners give final approval to the agreement at their meeting on June 2 and can be completed two months later, according to Water Resources Department Director Adam Layfield.

Oconee County Voters Approve Renewal Of SPLOST; Primary And Nonpartisan Election Turnout Fails To Match Level Of Four Years Ago

***Tight Race Locally For Republican State Senate***

Oconee County voters approved renewal of the county’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on Tuesday, by a lower margin than they approved the tax six years ago.

Oconee County Republican voters gave a tiny edge to Marc McMain as their choice to represent them in the state Senate District 46 race and picked Gary “Ward” Black Jr. as the preferred candidate for House District 120.

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.

Oconee County Commission Votes To Request That GDOT Delay Decision On Truck Bypass Linking SR 15 And U.S. 441

***Board Asks For Consideration Of Route Inside City***

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night officially and unanimously asked the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to slow down its planning for a truck route linking SR 15 and U.S. 441 south of Watkinsville.

The request came in the form of a resolution passed by the Board after a crowd of a just more than 100 gathered in the Commission Chamber of the county Administrative Building in anticipation of Board action on GDOT’s stated plans for a bypass.

Final Oconee County Republican Party Meeting Before May 19 Primary Featured Unopposed School Board, County Commission Candidates

***Unopposed House 121 Candidate Also Spoke***

Oconee County Republican Party Chair Kathy Hurley invited five office seekers to her final "Cavalcade of Candidates" last week, as early voting was just getting underway, but only Kate Patterson was an unknown to the group.

Patterson, who is on the Party Primary Ballot as the nominee for Post 2 on the Oconee County Board of Education, is running unopposed in the May 19 election.

Georgia Transportation Department Data Base Shows Decrease In Volume Of Traffic Passing Through Center Of Watkinsville

***Volume Drop May Not Mirror Congestion***

Based on data gathered by the Georgia Department of Transportation as part of its Traffic Monitoring Program, the volume of traffic flowing through downtown Watkinsville on Main Street decreased from 2019 through 2024, the most recent year for which counts are available.

This is true based on actual counts from a monitoring location at the center of Watkinsville and on projections from those counts.

Early Voting For May 19 Primary And Nonpartisan Election Off To Slow Start–Mirroring Early Voting In May 2022 Election

***Friday Voting Heaviest So Far***

After six days of early voting for the May 19 Party Primary and Nonpartisan elections, 1,277 of Oconee County 34,515 registered voters have cast a ballot, a just slightly higher percentage than had cast a ballot after six days of early voting in the May 2022 elections .

Another 41 voters have returned a mail ballot, bringing the total number of voters who have cast a ballot by the end of the day on Saturday to 1,318, or 3.8 percent of the total eligible voters.