***Early Voting Turnout Light***
Only about one in five of Watkinsville’s 2,247 registered voters is likely to decide whether Chuck Garrett or Carolyn Maultsby holds Post 1 on City Council through the end of this year.
At the end of early voting on Friday, 296 voters had cast a ballot in the 14 days of early voting in the special election.
All seven of the voters who had requested an absentee ballot had returned that ballot.
The Northeast Health District added 107 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Friday, and nine confirmed deaths attributed to the disease.
The 107 added cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths compare with the 99 cases and the two confirmed deaths added in the week ending June 4.
The average of 15.3 new cases per day for the week ending on Friday compares with the average of 14.1 new cases per day for the week ending on June 4.
The Oconee County Board of Education on Monday will be asked to award a $3.1 million contract for the 10-classroom addition to Colham Ferry Elementary School, the first expenditures from the Education Local Option Sales Tax approved by voters in March.
Construction is expected to begin in late summer and be complete for the next school year.
Brock Toole, chief operations officer for Oconee County Schools, presented the recommendation that the contract go to Amacher Bros. Construction Company of Atlanta at the School Board’s work session on Monday.
Early voting slowed to a trickle on Monday, with only 11 persons casting a ballot in the Watkinsville Special Election that will fill the position of Mayor and Post 1 Council Member.
As of the end of the day on Monday, a total of only 232 voters had cast a ballot, and two more had returned an absentee ballot.
The total of 234 ballots cast is 10.4 percent of the city’s 2,247 eligible voters.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday adopted a $58.5 million Fiscal Year 2022 budget that anticipates a reduction in the county’s property tax rate.
The size of the reduction has not yet been specified, however, and it isn’t likely to be enough to offset inflationary growth in the tax digest.
The Board has scheduled three hearings on the new millage rate for July and August leading up to adoption of the rate on Aug. 3.
The Northeast Health District added 99 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on Friday and two new confirmed deaths attributed to the disease.
The 99 added cases of COVID-19 compare with the 141 cases and the four confirmed deaths added in the week ending May 28.
The average of 14.1 new cases per day for the week ending on Friday compares with the average of 20.1 new cases per day for the week ending on May 28.
The Oconee County Board of Education has authorized the sale of $37.2 million in General Obligation Bonds for capital projects approved by voters in the Education Local Option Sales Tax referendum on March 16.
The Board took the action in a special called meeting that followed a budget hearing held by the Board on May 18.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners finalized the action by approving the resolution at it meeting on Tuesday evening.
