Commissioners Criticize House Bill, Discuss Internet Investment

Oconee County commissioners used the Town Hall meeting on Tuesday night to vent their frustration with proposed House Bill 302, which would prohibit them for imposing design standards on one and two-family residential properties as part of zoning.

Commission Chair John Daniell said the bill “will be a serious impact” on the county’s ability to make the recently adopted county Comprehensive Plan “a reality.”

Commissioners Chuck Horton, Mark Saxon and Mark Thomas also criticized the bill as an attempt to circumvent home rule and thwart the concerns of citizens of the county.

Horton asked people in the audience to contact the county’s two representatives in the Georgia House stating their opposition to House Bill 302 in hopes of defeating it.

About 75 citizens turned out for the Town Hall meeting, held at Oconee Veterans Park, and voiced concerns about a variety of issues.

Dominant among those raised were problems with Internet service in the county and a desire for more pickleball courts at the county’s parks.

Commission Chair Daniell told the audience the county’s is considering investing in infrastructure to improve Internet service but isn’t likely to add new pickleball courts in the near future.

The commissioners will have another chance at their agenda-setting meeting on Tuesday night to publicly voice their opposition to House Bill 302. They are scheduled to consider a two-page resolution criticizing the legislation.

For more on this story, with a video of the Town Hall meeting, please go to Oconee County Observations.