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Votes at a glance: Oconee County commissioners approve budget, contracts, appointments and capital projects
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Summary
At its June meeting the board approved the FY26 budget and fee schedule, awarded contracts for grounds maintenance and a roundabout, ratified an IGA with the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority, approved insurance renewal and made multiple board appointments.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners recorded a series of formal actions Tuesday on the consent agenda and individual items, including adoption of the FY26 budget, contract awards, intergovernmental agreements and multiple board appointments.
Key actions recorded by motion and voice vote:
- Adopted FY26 budget and fee schedule. The board recorded a general-fund budget of $45,704,250 and a total budget across all funds of $83,700,551; the board stated there is no tax increase based on the estimated digest. No further amendments were reported at the meeting.
- Grounds maintenance contract award. The board awarded grounds maintenance (county property mowing excluding roadside mowing) to Hausman for $618,987.19 with an additional $56,006.75 budget for as-needed mowing. The contract is one year with up to four automatic renewals.
- Roundabout construction award. The board awarded ITB 25-04-018 for construction of a roundabout at New High Shoals Road and Union Church Road to CMC Inc., the lowest responsive bidder, at $740,267.49. Project budget set at $755,363.49 to include geotechnical testing and permitting costs; the project will be funded through local/regional allocations previously approved by the board and Georgia DOT funds. Contract duration specified at 180 days after notice to proceed; the contractor must begin within 14 days of notice.
- Ratification of right-of-way donations to the Georgia Department of Transportation to support corridor/intersection improvements tied to a state project.
- Ratification of an IGA for professional financial services between Oconee County and the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority. The authority will compensate the county $1,500 per month, billed quarterly, for up to five years to support project financial reporting and pay-application work.
- Insurance renewal. The board approved FY26 property and liability renewal with ACCG IRMA with coverage unchanged, a $10,000 deductible and a premium of $439,156 after a $23,114 FY25 safety credit.
- Appointments. The board made multiple appointments by motion: Jeffrey B. Watson to the Oconee County Board of Tax Assessors (term to 3/31/2028); Linda Lindstrom and Amy Hartlet to the County Animal Service Advisory Board; Stan Ruth to the Family and Children’s Services Board (term 7/1/2025–6/30/2030); appointments to the Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission (Judy Pope, John Lawson, Angela Young, Ashley Sorrels, Amara Andros); and appointments to the Tourism and Visitors Bureau (Stephanie Van Dyke, Disha Hagwood, Casey Deming, Amber McCall Deutsch) with terms noted in staff materials.
- Consent agenda. The board approved the consent agenda as submitted.
Motions were carried by voice vote on each item; the meeting transcript records “Aye” and “Motion carries” for these actions but did not include a roll-call tally with individual commissioner votes. Staff presentations cited available funding sources for the roundabout (including previously approved LRA/Georgia DOT funds) and said right-of-way closings are in process for that project. For the grounds-maintenance contract, staff indicated that necessary budget amendments would be included for the life of the contract.
