Commission Approves MOU With Chamber For Development Services

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night voted 3 to 0 to approve a modified Memorandum of Understanding contracting with the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce for economic development services formerly provided by county staff.

In introducing a series of changes to the original Memorandum, Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell said he was responding to criticism of the original document.

That document created an Economic Development Council, which Daniell had said would not be covered by the state’s open meeting and open records laws.

Rather than stipulate that the Economic Development Council follow the state’s open meetings and open records laws, the new document eliminates the oversight body entirely and increases the reporting to the Board of Commissioners by the Chamber from semi-annually to quarterly.

The approved MOU leaves unspecified how the state’s open records and open meetings laws apply to the work of the Chamber covered by the contract.

In other action on Tuesday night the Board approved a variance request allowing Scott Boswell to decrease the buffer on the eastern side of the shopping center he is developing at Mars Hill Road and SR 316 from the normally required 50 feet to 15 feet for two lots at the front of the center and 25 feet for five lots at the rear.

Boswell wanted a 10-foot buffer for all seven lots.

For more on the story, with a video of the Board of Commissioners meeting, please go to Oconee County Observations.