County Government Operations To Return To Normal By May 14

Oconee County will begin bringing its employees back to work with the goal of having county government operating under normal conditions by May 14, Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell said last week.

The county’s Parks and Recreation Department also will develop plans for a phased re-opening of the county’s parks, Daniell told Commissioners at the agenda-setting meeting on Tuesday.

Daniell cautioned that all plans could be altered as circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic change.

Commissioners also got their first look at the expenditure side of the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, showing $31.6 million in General Fund spending, up from $30.5 in the current fiscal year.

The presentation did not include Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax spending or spending by the county’s Water Resources Department.

County Finance Director Wes Geddings also said he was not prepared to present the revenue side of the budget, saying he needed more time to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the county’s economy.

Daniell also presented to the Board the latest version of a Joint Use Agreement with the Oconee County Board of Education that will require the county to begin paying the school system–on a phased in basis--for use of school recreational facilities.

Daniell told the Board the county does not plan to reciprocate by charging the school system for use of county facilities.

The Joint Use Agreement is on the agenda for discussion at the Board of Commissioners virtual meeting that begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

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