Oconee County ATAX commission adopts FY26 supplemental budget, funds deputy to patrol county parks

The Oconee County ATAX Commission voted to approve a supplemental fiscal year 2026 budget that shifts tourism-related spending out of the county general fund, funds a full-time deputy to patrol unmanned park locations, and reallocates operations and marketing duties for Visit Oconee.

The commission’s treasurer reviewed revenue trends and projections before the vote, saying collections are “about 5.3% above last year” and that through February they had brought in roughly $37,000 more than the same period the previous year. The treasurer told the panel the commission’s compliance software has helped grow annual lodging tax collections from about $320,000 five years ago to over $1 million today.

The supplemental budget consolidates local ATAX (local accommodations tax) receipts into a single flat fund and moves several items that had been supported by the county general fund — seasonal park staffing, visitor economy support and park operations — onto the ATAX fund. The commission’s materials show a local ATAX fund balance of about $1.259 million and an FY26 collections estimate of $11,207,000. The treasurer estimated the state-side 65% ATAX share at roughly $374,308 for next year.

Among the new recurring items approved in the local ATAX budget is a sheriff’s deputy, paid by ATAX dollars, whose primary nonemergency duty will be year-round patrolling of unmanned parks and recreation sites to deter vandalism and other unwanted activity. The commission discussed how the sheriff’s office will retain command of the deputy and how the county will track the position’s output principally through patrol logs; ongoing salary and fringe costs were estimated to drop to about $73,000 annually after one-time equipment purchases are removed from the first-year budget.

Commissioners and staff discussed additional operational items included in the supplemental budget: outsourced high-window cleaning at park facilities, increases for seasonal staff wages (part-time wages moved from $13.50 to $15.75 and scheduled to rise to $16.00 on Jan. 1), utilities for county museums, expanded park maintenance line items, and internet costs for museum locations. The commission also approved moving visitor-economy support fully onto ATAX so the county would no longer fund tourism from the general fund.

The commission separately approved the statutorily required 65% and 30% allocations of state ATAX funds. The 30% allocation, by statute, must go to an outside organization with an ongoing tourism promotion program; Oconee County currently directs that money to Visit Oconee. Staff told commissioners the Visit Oconee staffing structure will change after upcoming retirements, with some positions reallocated or outsourced to realize an approximately $101,000 reduction from last year’s 30%-funded operations.

A state-contract purchase for a replacement mower for a county park was also approved and will be paid from ATAX funds rather than the general fund. Several capital projects and park improvements were reviewed during the meeting, including completed gateway signage, dock replacements funded in part by a DNR grant, shelter and building repairs, shoreline restoration, playground replacements under future review, and electrical inspections required at unmanned locations by the U.S. Army Corps (the commission will seek licensed contractors to perform those inspections).

Commissioners voted to approve the supplemental local ATAX budget, the 65% fund allocations, the 30% fund allocations and the mower purchase by voice vote. The commission’s staff noted the ATAX fund must be spent within two years of receipt under statute and said they plan to encumber and designate projects to avoid a large, unused fund balance.

The commission set deadlines for the fall grant cycle (applications due Aug. 15) and scheduled its next meeting for Aug. 21 at 10 a.m.