COVID-19 Dominated Oconee Commission Agenda-Setting Meeting

COVID-19 both altered the physical arrangement of the agenda-setting meeting of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday and dominated its content.

The Commissioners were spread around the Commission Chamber at the Courthouse, rather than seated at their usual places at the front of the room.

Only two citizens, one from The Oconee Enterprise and the other to record for the Oconee County Observations blog, were allowed inside the Chamber.

Staff were spread around the room and outside in the hall, with no more than 10 persons allowed in the room at any time.

The meeting was live streamed via Facebook after an attempt to do the same via YouTube failed.

The Commission did not vote to put any item on the consent agenda, which would have limited discussion when the Board meets on April 7, and citizens were asked to send comments in advance to County Clerk Kathy Hayes.

Discussions of the county’s and community’s response to COVID-19 took up more than 10 minutes of the 27-minute-long session. Included was an update on hospital preparedness and warnings from Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell to those not complying with the county’s emergency order.

Before talking about the disruptions of the coronavirus, Daniell offered a moving tribute to Commissioner William “Bubber” Wilkes, who passed away on March 21, as the county began its response to the virus.

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