Oconee County Citizens Will Get Their First Chance To See Next Year's Budget In Two Weeks

Work on the county’s budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is taking place out of the public view, but in two weeks, citizens will know how the Board of Commissioners has reconciled the nearly $2.8 million gap between requested expenditures and anticipated revenue.

The $2,747,549 funding shortfall was presented to the commissioners in their last public meeting on the budget–a work session on March 25 held in the Grand Jury Room at the Courthouse in Watkinsville.

If the patterns of the past are being repeated, the five Commissioners have been meeting in the weeks following in small numbers–less than the three members that would make a quorum–with Finance Director Wes Geddings, County Administrative Officer Jeff Benko and possibly others.

On May 26, at 6:30 p.m., the Commissioners are scheduled to unveil the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget, letting citizens know if the proposed 3 percent increase in water and sewer rates has been approved, if other fees for county services have been changed, and–most importantly–if the county’s millage rate will be increased, maintained, or even rolled back.

For more on the story, please go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: County Administrative Officer Jeff Benko, County Clerk Jane Greathouse, Commissioner Mark Saxon.