Committee reviews proposed fee increases for delinquent tax notices, library fines, parks and camping

Oconee County budget staff presented proposed updates to the county fee schedule on May 6, covering delinquent tax‑notice fees, library overdue fines, park parking and nonresident camping rates. Committee members discussed cost recovery, equity and resident exemptions; no formal fee ordinances were adopted at the session.

Miss Brock (staff member) outlined several proposals and said the changes were “appropriately reflected” in the fee schedule after earlier conversations with council members. She noted a prior council suggestion to increase initial delinquent‑tax processing fees and the incremental fees charged during the tax‑collection process but presented the figures for discussion rather than as final decisions.

Details discussed (discussion only): - Delinquent tax notices: Brock said a council member had suggested increasing the “first cost to $25 and the fourth cost to $1.50” to create incremental increases during the delinquency process. Another committee member, Mr. Durham (committee member), said the processing cost for the first notice should be about $12 and recommended increasing the final fee for termination/tax‑sale processing toward $50 to cover county costs. Committee members emphasized not wanting to be “punitive on somebody already in a hole” while also recovering processing costs. - Library fines: Brock said the library’s overdue fine has been 10 cents (noted as a carryover from the 1980s or 1990s) and the recommendation on the fee schedule is to increase it to 25 cents; lost‑book charges remain tied to replacement cost. - Parks and recreation fees: Brock described a proposal to raise daily vehicle parking at county parks from $3 to $5 per vehicle and to set boat-and‑trailer daily parking at $10 per vehicle. She clarified the daily rate was per vehicle, not per person, and that county employees with county ID would use resident rates. - Nonresident camping: Brock said current nonresident camping rates are $25 per night (non‑waterfront) and that staff recommended increasing the nonresident rate to $30 and waterfront nonresident to $40 per night — increases of $5 and $10 per night, respectively. Enforcement uses identification checks and booking records.

Committee members asked for time to consider equity and collection burdens; no final changes were voted on at the May 6 session. Brock invited follow‑up questions and indicated the fee schedule pages will be part of later budget ordinances if the committee directs them forward.