Oconee County Elections Board Rejects Petitions For Recall Of Bishop Mayor, Council Members After Review Of Submitted Documents

***Applications Did Not Meet Requirements Of Law***

The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration on Tuesday turned down the Application Petition of a group of Bishop residents that would have been the first step in initiating a recall election for the mayor and three members of the Bishop Council.

The Elections Board took that action after reviewing the application documents submitted the day earlier and determining that Greg Montgomery, designated as the Petition Chairperson on the four Recall Application Petitions, is not a registered voter in Bishop or in Oconee County and had not actually signed the petitions.

Oconee County Commission Approves Rezones For Car Wash And Oil Change Shop At Epps Bridge Centre And For Nearby Hotel

***New Office Buildings Also Approved***

Oconee County commissioners, in quick succession on Tuesday night, approved rezone plans for a car wash and oil change shop at Epps Bridge Centre II, for a small office complex just north of Watkinsville, and for a hotel on Parkway Boulevard near Epps Bridge Centre.

No one other than the applicants or their representatives spoke in favor of any of the three rezone requests, and no one spoke in opposition. With almost no discussion, the commissioners approved all three unanimously.

Oconee County Schools Now Has Resource Officers In Five Of Its 12 Schools, Board Of Education Informed At Monday Work Session

***High Schools And Middle Schools Have SROs

Only a little more than a month after approval of an agreement setting up a School Resource Officer (SRO) program for Oconee County Schools, officers have been assigned to five of the system’s 12 schools.

Kevin Yancey, Director of Student Services at Oconee County Schools, told the Oconee County Board of Education at its work session on Monday (March 3) that, as of that day, the third officer had been assigned to the system’s three middle schools.

Number of Oconee County Students Enrolled At Private Schools Increased This School Year; Home Schooling Intentions Also Up

***Prince Avenue, Westminster Report Increases***

Nearly 1,000 students who live in Oconee County were attending private schools last October, up by 85 students from October of 2023.

The largest number of those Oconee County students in private schools in October were attending Prince Avenue Christian School, Athens Academy, and Westminster Christian Academy.

Oconee County Superior Court Judge Condemns Two Properties For SR 316 Interchanges at Virgil Langford Road, Oconee Connector

***$35,600 and $69,300 Offered For Less Than One Acre***

Oconee County Superior Court Judge Eric Norris last month issued orders condemning two pieces of property owned by Deferred Tax LLC that are needed by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) for construction of the interchanges of Virgil Langford Road and the Oconee Connector at SR 316.

Norris also granted GDOT additional easements and access rights needed during the construction of the two interchanges.

Pro Costco Rally Draws Crowd Carrying Signs In Support of Wholesaler

***Hour-Long Rally Outside Epps Bridge Centre***

Twenty eight people, one with a dog on a leash, turned out around noon on Friday at the intersection of the Oconee Connector and Parkway Boulevard to show their appreciation to Costco, which has been steadfast in its support of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program.

The rally, which began at 11:30 a.m outside Epps Bridge Centre and lasted an hour, resulted from the initiative of Pam Davis of the Oconee County Democrats and Karen Covi of Indivisible 10.

Legal Challenge To Oconee County Elections Board Continues With New Request Filed With Georgia Supreme Court

***Motion For Recusal Filed***

Oconee County resident Suzannah Heimel has filed a motion asking Georgia Supreme Court Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren to recuse herself from the Court’s dismissal of Heimel’s appeal of a lower court decision regarding an action of the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration last August.

The state Supreme Court on Feb. 18 dismissed Heimel’s appeal of an Oct. 24 ruling by Oconee County Superior Court Chief Judge Lisa Lott denying Heimel’s request for a writ of mandamus directed at the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration.