tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:56:31 +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)Blogger3151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-1424698786790482963Thu, 05 Nov 2026 04:31:25 +00002026-11-04T23:42:13.171-05:00***Citizen Reports Interaction With Boswell*** Oconee County’s representative on the state Transportation Board, Jamie Boswell, has not responded to state House District 121 Rep. Eric Gisler’s request for assistance in obtaining information on the proposed SR 15 Truck Bypass of Watkinsville. Boswell said on Wednesday that instead “Jason Dykes out of the Gainesville office responded to Mr. http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/11/oconee-county-commissioners-updated-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-8321097654624200822Wed, 04 Nov 2026 07:44:31 +00002026-11-05T15:02:13.067-05:00***Republicans Win All Three State Legislative Races*** At a time when Republican elected legislative leaders are proposing to cut property taxes and shift to sales taxes, voters in Oconee County on Tuesday night chose the opposite. A proposal to renew the county’s Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) failed, with 53.3 percent of the voters rejecting extension of the http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/11/oconee-county-voters-reject-tsplost.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7762436155923238058Tue, 03 Nov 2026 01:54:53 +00002026-11-02T21:05:21.758-05:00***Representation Has Been By Clarke County Resident*** Voters in the northern part of Oconee County will be represented in Atlanta in January by someone not from neighboring Clarke County for the first time since Oconee County was split into two parts in House legislative redistricting in 2011. Both Democrat Suzanna Karatassos and Republican Ward Black, on the ballot in tomorrow’s 120 House http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/11/voters-in-oconee-countys-northeast.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-9072013433151843065Mon, 02 Nov 2026 04:56:36 +00002026-11-02T00:07:49.477-05:00***Also Suggests Options For Session In January*** Only just more than a handful of people turned out for the Town Hall meeting House District 121 Rep. Eric Gisler called last month to discuss data centers, but he stuck to his plan of reviewing bills proposed in the last session of the General Assembly before stating his position. The state currently is exempting data centers from paying both http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/11/georgia-house-district-121-rep-gisler.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-397208412681378896Sun, 01 Nov 2026 23:03:47 +00002026-11-02T00:11:17.711-05:00***Concern About Truck Bypass Voiced*** Oconee County is set to add 54.1 acres to the 828.6 acres in the south of the county already shielded from development through its Farmland Protection program, bringing the total number of tracts covered by this type of preservation easement to 15. Thad Padgett, Chair of the county’s Farmland Preservation Committee, reported to the Board of Commissioners http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/11/oconee-county-commissioners-give.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7564468224476644101Sun, 01 Nov 2026 04:08:11 +00002026-11-02T00:28:10.497-05:00***Interim Regional Library Executive Director Announced*** Construction will begin soon on expansion of the Oconee County Library at Wire Park in Watkinsville to create additional study space and a children’s activity room. Toby Mayfield, Assistant Director, Regional Services at Athens Regional Library System, told the Oconee County Library Board of Trustees at its October meeting that she is http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/oconee-county-library-at-wire-park.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4095681400388090996Sat, 31 Oct 2026 02:44:58 +00002026-10-30T22:30:23.400-05:00***Use Of Absentee By Mail Ballots Has Declined*** A rush of Advance In Person voting on Friday in Oconee County brought the total number of votes cast at the end of early voting for the Nov. 3 election to 16,401--up by 445 from the number cast at this point four years ago. With a decline in Absentee By Mail voting and an increase in the number of registered voters in the county, the turnout http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/at-end-of-early-voting-oconee-county.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7749240387297920255Fri, 30 Oct 2026 03:15:26 +00002026-10-29T22:48:35.052-05:00***Republicans Benefit From Out-Of-State Funding*** The three Republicans seeking to represent Oconee County in the Georgia General Assembly in January raised $216,138 among them in the 11 weeks following Aug. 1, compared with the $126,392 raised by the three Democrats in those races in that time period. The three Republicans spent $219,250 of their campaign money in the period leading up to http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/campaign-finance-reports-show-advantage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-5031012784531195265Mon, 26 Oct 2026 03:45:00 +00002026-10-25T23:07:27.859-05:00***Election Of 2018 Offers Republicans Hope*** The Nov. 6, 2018, election is casting a shadow over the Nov. 3, 2026, election. In that 2018 election, voters in House District 121 rejected Democrat Jonathan Wallace, who won a special election in November of the previous year and had served only one legislative session, and replaced him with Republican Marcus Wiedower. Last December, after http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/question-nov-3-election-will-answer-was.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-3179641203036483762Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:44:01 +00002026-10-25T16:44:01.361-05:00***Absentee Mail Balloting Down Dramatically*** After two weeks of early voting, 31.1 percent of Oconee County’s registered voters have cast a ballot, down from 33.0 percent of the registered voters who had cast a ballot at this point four years ago. Included in the count of votes cast as of the end of the day on Saturday were 10,236 Advance In Person ballots and 531 returned Absentee By Mail http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/early-voting-in-oconee-county-lags.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-161185645285549360Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:29:51 +00002026-10-24T16:18:33.467-05:00***Says Boswill Will Respond To Gisler*** Georgia Transportation Board Member Jamie Boswell will respond to a letter from Georgia House District 121 Rep. Eric Gisler asking for assistance in obtaining information about the proposed Truck Bypass of Watkinsville, the executive secretary to the Transportation Board said on Thursday. Gisler sent a letter to Boswell’s Georgia Department of http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/georgia-transportation-board-secretary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-1668680858954347312Fri, 23 Oct 2026 03:24:31 +00002026-10-22T22:24:31.429-05:00***Only Private Providers Offer Pre-K In County At Present*** Oconee County Schools has begun planning for the potential launch of a Georgia Pre-K program for the 2027-2028 school year, Jennifer Whitaker, Chief Academic Officer for the system, told the Oconee County Board of Education at its meeting on Monday. The district plans to submit an application to the Georgia Department of Early Care http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/oconee-county-schools-planning-to-seek.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4493082065741951750Thu, 22 Oct 2026 04:25:24 +00002026-10-21T23:33:13.846-05:00***Lack Of Funding For Multi-Use Trails Questioned*** Only 11 citizens showed up at the final Oconee County Commissioners Town Hall Meeting of the year on Tuesday night, but Commission Chair John Daniell gave his usual updates on county projects before opening the floor for questions. The Town Hall was designated as an opportunity for citizens to ask questions about the Transportation Special http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/oconee-county-commissioners-get-few.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-8009807464279952862Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:41:14 +00002026-10-21T19:58:44.887-05:00***Goal Is To Identify Needed Legislation*** The federal and state Constitutions give citizens protection from surveillance by governments, but they do not provide protection against surveillance by individuals or nongovernmental agents. At present, there are few restrictions in Georgia on how individual companies, such as Flock Safety, manage the data they gather through Automated License http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/town-hall-meeting-on-flock-cameras.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-901546550296131563Sun, 18 Oct 2026 03:49:34 +00002026-10-17T22:57:52.639-05:00***Oconee Turnout Far Ahead Of Neighboring Counties*** After the first week of early voting for the Nov. 3 election, 4,984 Oconee County voters had cast a ballot, down from 5,556 after the first week of voting in the comparable election of 2022. The drop in voting reflects in part the fact that only five days of early voting took place in the first week of early voting this year, compared with http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/turnout-in-shortened-first-week-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-978816062048333618Fri, 16 Oct 2026 05:12:47 +00002026-10-19T13:58:25.613-05:00***Republicans Also Refused To Answer Written Questions*** The three Democrats seeking to represent Oconee County in the General Assembly in January took critical stands on data centers in a forum with representatives of the local scientific community last week. Suzanna Karatassos, running in House District 120, and Ray Smith, running in Senate District 46, said they want a moratorium on http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/three-democrats-running-for-oconee.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-3590424901229554893Wed, 14 Oct 2026 02:48:58 +00002026-10-14T08:40:49.714-05:00***Total Outpaces Comparable Elections in 2022 And 2018*** In the first day of early voting on Tuesday for the Nov. 3 election, 1,105 Oconee County voters cast a ballot, up by 282 from the comparable election four years ago and up by 392 from the November election in 2018. The 1,105 voters on Tuesday represents 3.2 percent of the eligible voters, while the 823 first day voters in 2022 http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/early-voting-off-to-strong-start-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-3606518445003606633Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:53:11 +00002026-10-12T23:12:38.163-05:00***Early Voting Starts Tomorrow*** Shelia Edwards and Peter Hubbard made it clear in their meeting with Oconee County Democrats earlier this month that they are running as a team with the goal of taking control of the state Public Service Commission from the Republicans. “I tell everybody that there's no win for us if you elect Peter and don't elect me,” Edwards said, “because we'll be in the http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/democratic-candidates-for-state-public.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-3166303222986473737Sun, 11 Oct 2026 03:23:24 +00002026-10-11T18:23:19.611-05:00***County Acted Before Meeting With Watkinsville Leaders*** The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $275,000 contract with WSP, an international professional services company with offices in Kennesaw, for a traffic study of downtown Watkinsville. Included will be the collection of data on traffic corridors and congestion in the city, including average daily traffic and http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/oconee-county-commissioners-approve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7537203220620128554Fri, 09 Oct 2026 04:39:51 +00002026-10-08T23:49:50.221-05:00***Citizen Voices Concern About Voting In Long-Term Care Facilities*** Oconee County mailed out 571 absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election on Monday (Oct. 5), the first day ballots could be issued, Jennifer Stone, Assistant Director of Elections and Registration, told the Board of Elections and Registration at its meeting on Monday. The county also issued 49 electronic ballots to voters http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/oconee-county-election-board-gets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-8858119691520350747Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:48:52 +00002026-10-08T09:06:57.205-05:00***Three Candidates Invited To Speak*** Although three candidates on the November ballot were invited to the September meeting of the Oconee County Republican Party to speak, the meeting quickly turned into a pep rally, strategy session, and warning about the consequences of Republican candidates not winning in November. Oconee County Republican Party Chair Kathy Hurley began the meeting by http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/oconee-county-republican-party-meeting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4168272240512862245Mon, 05 Oct 2026 05:34:20 +00002026-10-05T00:51:09.817-05:00***Hospitals Agree To Consider Further Change In Two Years*** The Oconee County Board of Commissioners last week gave initial approval to an agreement with St. Mary’s Hospital and Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center that transfers responsibility for 911 emergency medical care and transportation services to the county on Dec. 31. The agreement will replace the current contract the two http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/oconee-county-commissioners-give.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-2391693330694258771Fri, 02 Oct 2026 05:10:26 +00002026-10-02T11:19:13.880-05:00***Bridge Foundation Work At Connector To Begin Next Week*** The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) last week released detailed plans for construction of the SR 316 and Oconee Connector interchange to show SR 316 flying over the Connector rather than the Connector flying over SR 316. GDOT announced on Thursday (Oct. 1) that bridge foundation work on the future east bound SR 316 bridge http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/10/georgia-transportation-department.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4054871628685500939Mon, 28 Sep 2026 19:44:08 +00002026-09-28T15:00:16.479-05:00***Broad Support For Oconee County Agriculture Voiced*** All four of the candidates in state Senate District 46 and state House District 121 spoke out in opposition last week to the plans currently under consideration by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) for a truck bypass linking SR 15 and U.S. 441 south of Watkinsville. Speaking at a Candidate Forum organized by the Oconee http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/09/candidates-at-farm-bureau-forum-oppose.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-1289572632487377417Sat, 26 Sep 2026 06:27:02 +00002026-09-26T01:39:59.700-05:00***Gaines Does Not Participate*** The seven candidates seeking to represent Oconee County in the General Assembly in Atlanta and in Congress in Washington interacted cordially in a Candidate Forum on Thursday, sometimes agreeing in response to questions from an audience of more than 90. At many times in each of the four sessions in the Forum, however, the candidates took very different http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/09/differences-among-candidates-seeking-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1