Oconee County Industrial Development Authority Debated Sale Of Real Estate In Meeting Closed To Public

The Oconee County Industrial Development Authority yesterday (Monday) spent nearly two hours in a meeting closed to the public.

Contrary to the state open meetings law, the Authority voted to go into executive session not in an open meeting, as required, but rather in one already closed to the public.

The group asked county Economic Development Director J.R. Charles and Oconee County Chamber of Commerce President Kay Keller to copy what appeared to be some type of legal contract about an hour into the meeting, but it adjourned without taking any action on that contract.

The Authority is scheduled to meet at 7:30 tomorrow (Wednesday) morning to take up again discussion of the contract, and it again is likely to go into executive session.

County Attorney Daniel Haygood confirmed this afternoon that the issue is a contract for sale of property and noted that the IDA–which operates with taxpayer dollars–only owns property it wants to sell at one location–its Gateway Technology Business Park south of Bogart.

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

Pictured: Door Separating Public From IDA.