Advisory board amends staff‑position request to back Soil and Water Conservation District; approves letter of support

At the meeting the Oconee County Agriculture Advisory Board voted to amend its budget request so that the county staff position it is seeking would align with and support the Soil and Water Conservation District’s request for an agricultural assistant.

A board member moved to amend the county staff position request to be in support of the Soil and Water Conservation District request; another board member seconded the motion and the board approved the amendment by voice vote. The advisory board discussed the rationale at length: members said Soil and Water already tracks a farm inventory, assists with conservation easement inspections and engages daily with farmers, and that placing the requested position inside Soil and Water would build on existing capacity rather than create duplicative roles.

The board also voted to send a written letter of support, to be drafted by a board member, to county council and to soil‑and‑water leadership. The board moved that the letter — prepared by the board member who offered to draft it — be approved by the board and sent to Councilman Durham (copies to Soil and Water leadership). Members approved that motion by voice vote.

Both votes were carried by the advisory board during the meeting; counts were recorded by raised hands rather than a roll-call tally and no formal vote tally was provided in the public transcript.