tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015Sat, 06 Jun 2026 03:43:16 +0000Calls Creek wastewater plantMars Hill RoadAnimal ControlBishop BypassRocky Branch LASEpps Bridge CentreDaniells Bridge RoadHard Labor Creek Regional ReservoirJamie BoswellFalls Of OconeeCaterpillarJimmy Daniell RoadOconee County BudgetNews and comments about developments in Oconee County, Georgiahttp://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/noreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)Blogger3074125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-224009698891082378Sat, 06 Jun 2026 03:43:16 +00002026-06-05T22:43:16.441-05:00***Hotel Off Virgil Langford Road In Final Permitting Stage*** The developer of the large, upscale athletic club on Plaza Parkway across from Costco is asking the county to allow it to change its development plans to eliminate the proposed hotel and substitute instead two medical office buildings. The 14.3 acre parcel has been cleared and graded for the proposed athletic facility and hotel, buthttp://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/06/developer-asking-oconee-county-planning.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-5112147406376476874Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:17:29 +00002026-06-03T07:32:32.367-05:00***State Senate District 46 Candidates Lead Off*** The Republican Party Stumping Ground forum got off to a contentious start on Monday as Doug McKillip and Marc McMain, seeking the party’s nomination in the state Senate District 46 race, tussled over gambling, property tax relief, campaign financing, party affiliation, and other matters. The event ended nearly two hours later with a sharp http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/06/oconee-county-gop-stumping-ground-forum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-6712267154404528289Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:20:42 +00002026-06-01T10:33:51.865-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-schools-administrator.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7888036975802198563Sun, 31 May 2026 03:45:02 +00002026-05-30T22:45:02.005-05:00Democratic 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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/only-five-days-of-early-voting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-5761766613898961835Tue, 26 May 2026 04:48:10 +00002026-05-25T23:48:10.388-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-memorial-day-program.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-521999522592029494Mon, 25 May 2026 04:48:39 +00002026-05-25T12:25:50.276-05:00***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 $http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/cut-to-school-resource-officer-program.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-77350080630976176Sat, 23 May 2026 01:53:38 +00002026-05-22T20:53:38.188-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-commissioners-agree-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-8347103123824880528Wed, 20 May 2026 05:28:56 +00002026-05-20T09:17:21.698-05:00***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. ashttp://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-voters-approve-renewal-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-6849235401277071855Tue, 19 May 2026 02:08:16 +00002026-05-18T21:16:56.263-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/campaign-finance-reports-show.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-246470528941989859Sun, 17 May 2026 03:48:46 +00002026-05-17T11:24:28.120-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/early-voting-for-may-19-party-primary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7424291814207721529Fri, 15 May 2026 05:00:27 +00002026-05-24T14:51:30.468-05:00***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. Hale said he had started working http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-sheriff-focused-on-school.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4928730689175899381Wed, 13 May 2026 03:53:09 +00002026-05-14T23:16:11.884-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-board-of-education.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-790835885207310507Mon, 11 May 2026 04:21:00 +00002026-05-10T23:21:07.575-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-school-board-told.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4946981539396490519Mon, 11 May 2026 01:36:00 +00002026-05-10T20:36:32.327-05:00***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 twohttp://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/early-voting-for-may-19-primary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-3930196063139218353Sun, 10 May 2026 03:45:00 +00002026-05-09T22:52:30.026-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-unveils-855-million.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7338087529697081558Wed, 06 May 2026 06:01:00 +00002026-05-06T01:03:05.291-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/oconee-county-commission-votes-to-send.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4103232881979935482Tue, 05 May 2026 03:57:00 +00002026-05-04T23:06:54.720-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/final-oconee-county-republican-party.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-1619110232942389296Mon, 04 May 2026 03:09:00 +00002026-05-04T11:58:02.284-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/georgia-transportation-department-data.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4387946336076880988Sun, 03 May 2026 05:12:00 +00002026-05-03T00:12:50.799-05:00***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 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/05/early-voting-for-may-19-primary-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-264670818562204087Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:39:00 +00002026-04-29T23:47:09.433-05:00***Possible Outcome Is Resolution Directed To GDOT*** The Oconee County Board of Commissioners has put on its agenda for its meeting next Tuesday (May 5) discussion of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) plans for a truck bypass linking SR 15 and U.S. 441 south of Watkinsville. The Board took this action at its Agenda Setting meeting on Tuesday (April 28) after citizens appeared http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/oconee-county-commissioners-put.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-8963413139535173358Wed, 29 Apr 2026 04:19:00 +00002026-04-28T23:19:33.196-05:00***Oconee County Only System In State With 5 Star Efficiency Rating*** Oconee County Schools collected less than $1 million from its Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) in February, the first time collections dropped below the $1 million benchmark since February of last year and the first time collections have fallen below those from the same month a year earlier since http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/oconee-county-school-board-receives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7091756711855366983Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:05:00 +00002026-04-27T11:36:40.929-05:00***Supreme And Appellate Court Candidates Made Pitches*** More than 300 people turned out Saturday for a four-hour-long Democratic Party Voter Fair at the Oconee County Civic Center on Hog Mountain Road sponsored by the Democratic Party Committees of Congressional District 10 and hosted by the Oconee County Democratic Party Committee. Candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/oconee-county-democratic-party-hosts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-5119395716035527672Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:35:00 +00002026-04-24T22:36:53.733-05:00***All Candidates Asked About Citizen Access*** The first question to each of the five candidates who participated in a nonpartisan forum Tuesday night for Oconee County's state legislative races was about the candidates’s plans for seeking citizen input once they are elected. “A lot of us are very frustrated that people who say they represent us refuse to meet with us,” retired University of http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/citizens-pose-questions-at-forum-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-3563784811156865588Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:52:00 +00002026-04-19T23:00:22.185-05:00***Voters Pose Questions Directly At Nonpartisan Forum*** Three opportunities for voters to meet with candidates whose names will be on the May 19 General Primary and Nonpartisan Ballot are scheduled for the week before or just as early voting begins on April 27. Candidates for the contested Democratic and Republican primaries for Senate District 46 and the contested Republican primary for http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/nonpartisan-candidate-forum-two-party.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-187316705196627018Mon, 20 Apr 2026 01:13:00 +00002026-04-19T21:07:33.774-05:00***Said Offers Not Reflect Market Value Of Property*** The Oconee County Board of Education has rejected two offers it received for 42.7 acres on U.S. 441 north of Bishop that the Board purchased in 2007 as a possible school site but that are now considered to be surplus property. Board Chair Michael Ransom said on Thursday that the Board instructed Superintendent Melissa Butler to inform the http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/oconee-county-school-board-rejects.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0