Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Special Master Rejects Citizen Complaint Against Oconee County Commission Chairman

Evidence Lacking

Oconee County Special Master James Warnes has rejected the complaint filed by Sarah Bell against Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin Davis, saying that Bell had not provided evidence of a violation of the Ethics Ordinance establishing standards for county commissioners

“This report should terminate this matter,” Warnes wrote in a letter he sent to Michael Pruett, standing in for County Attorney Daniel Haygood, who has been out of town.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Called Meeting Of Oconee County Recreational Affairs Committee To Reconsider Greenway Along Oconee River At Barnett Shoals

Part Of Larger Project

The Oconee County Citizen Advisory Committee on Recreational Affairs is holding a called meeting at 5 p.m. tomorrow in the Community Center at Veterans Park to reconsider a proposed greenway along the Oconee River near the Barnett Shoals Dam.

In July, the Advisory Committee turned down a recommendation of a joint subcommittee that the county use Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue to purchase easements on two key properties along both sides of the river that would be the centerpieces of the greenway.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Oconee County Issued Permit For New Office Building On Daniells Bridge Road

East of ITS Building

Construction crews last week began assembling equipment and materials in preparation for pouring the foundation for another two-story office building that will be part of the University Parkway Office and Technology Park at 2500 Daniells Bridge Road.

The building will join two others under construction in the quickly-developing area around the Oconee Connector, SR 316 and Virgil Langford Road.

One of those, a storage facility complex of two three-story buildings, is visible across SR 316 from near the site of the office building to be constructed on Daniells Bridge Road.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Citizen Bell Refiled Her Ethics Complaint Against Oconee County Chairman Davis, Charging Interference With County Work

Email Documents Submitted

Sarah Bell on Monday morning refiled her complaint against Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis charging violations of the county’s ethics ordinance.

Bell contends Davis violated several provisions of the code when the county spent, at Davis' initiative, nearly $10,000 for design work for the reconnection of Old Mars Hill Road with Mars Hill Road itself.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Oconee County To Hold A Hearing On A Landfill, Discuss An Overlay District, Consider Zoning For A Business Park–All On Tuesday

Landfill Permit Denied

Oconee County is holding three meetings on Tuesday dealing with a permit for the county’s inert landfill, the Mars Hill Road Overlay District, and a rezone request for a business park at the corner of the U.S. 441 bypass and New High Shoals Road.

Two of the meetings actually overlap.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Oconee County Commission Chairman Attempting To Put Himself At Center Of Email Flow In County

Despite Organization Chart

At a meeting of Oconee County Department heads on Sept. 9, Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin Davis took a bold step to attempt to change the impact of the county’s organizational chart.

Davis said that the county is “making some adjustments in our procedures,” according to notes Davis made of the meeting.

Thursday, October 08, 2015

Oconee County Animal Control Board Heard About Citizen Concerns Near End of Three-Hour Meeting

New Facility Needed

When the six members of the Oconee County Animal Control Advisory Board began their meeting last night, they were facing an audience of nearly 30 people in a small, overly warm room at the Community Center in Veterans Park.

A few people drifted in and out as the nearly three-hour meeting progressed, but when the Advisory Board let the citizens speak at two hours and 20 minutes into the meeting, 25 people were still present.