tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015Thu, 21 May 2026 01:42:41 +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)Blogger3067125tag: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 +00002026-05-15T00:00:27.607-05:00***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)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-3793674903677275604Sat, 18 Apr 2026 04:10:00 +00002026-04-17T23:10:08.623-05:00***GDOT Does Not Identify A Preference*** More than 300 people turned out at the Oconee County Administrative Building on Thursday to get close-up views of the three routes the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is offering as alternatives for a truck bypass linking SR 15 with U.S. 441 south of Watkinsville. The crowd started gathering at 4:30 for the 5 p.m. opening of the key exhibitshttp://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/large-crowd-turns-out-for-gdot-open.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-1181965560923091192Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:27:00 +00002026-04-13T07:14:11.740-05:00***Board Chair Said Decision On Actual Sale Not Yet Made*** The Oconee County Board of Education has decided to take the required legal step to issue $12.1 million in General Obligation Sales Tax Bonds to be retired by funds from the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) voters approved in November. The bonds will be sold at interest rates not to exceed 5.5 percent per yearhttp://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/oconee-county-board-of-education-takes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7649673152706436673Sun, 12 Apr 2026 05:50:00 +00002026-04-12T07:39:38.630-05:00***Two Candidates Speaking Locally*** The contest for the Democratic Party nomination for Congressional District 10 has become quite visible in recent weeks in Oconee County, as both of the active candidates have appeared before groups, each making the case that she is better able to flip the traditionally Republican district in November. Lexi Doherty, who represented the party in the contest http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/democratic-party-primary-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-2254352167632528118Sat, 11 Apr 2026 04:04:00 +00002026-04-10T23:04:02.878-05:00***Resolution Went Out On Friday*** The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration has asked Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special session of the General Assembly to address the unresolved problem with the QR Code used to tabulate election ballots. Elections and Registration Board Chair Jay Hanley said a copy of a resolution approved by the Board went out on Friday by regular mail and by http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/oconee-county-election-board-asks-gov.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-4185247039833368723Thu, 09 Apr 2026 03:32:00 +00002026-04-08T22:58:12.689-05:00***EMS Launch Likely By End Of Calendar Year*** The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night voted unanimously to create the county’s own Emergency Medical Services (EMS) operation. In addition to formally making that decision, and in support of it, the Board also voted unanimously to spend $1.1 million for five F-350 Ford trucks and $0.8 million to equip those truck as ambulances.http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/oconee-county-commissioners-vote-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-9039891368050957032Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:24:00 +00002026-04-07T22:42:06.995-05:00***Plans Differ In Location, Length, Cost*** The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has identified three routes for the planned SR 15 truck bypass of Watkinsville that it will present at its Public Information Open House (PIOH) scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. on April 16 at the Oconee County Administrative Building, 7635 Macon Highway, north of Watkinsville. Listed as a First Alternative is http://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/citizens-at-april-16-gdot-open-house.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30714015.post-7457016505519681007Mon, 06 Apr 2026 03:46:00 +00002026-04-05T22:46:19.903-05:00***Plan Is Before Board Of Commissioners On Tuesday*** Deferred Tax LLC will be back before the Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night with its latest plan for development of the 46.9 acres it owns on the Oconee Connector between Mars Hill Road and SR 316 stretching to Virgil Langford Road. This time, Deferred Tax is proposing a two-building, 26,000 square foot retail center withhttp://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/04/developer-of-shopping-center-at-oconee.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lee Becker)0