Perhaps, no tax increase after all!

In a long afternoon meeting, the Oconee County Council approved re-worked budget figures that avoid a tax increase during an election year.  A series of cuts along with a draw from the county’s profitable rock quarry appear to be enough to avoid the potential for a 2.1 tax mill increase.  The lone dissenter yesterday was District Four’s Joel Thrift, who is worried about the impact to the quarry and its operations.  The vote was 3 to 1 with one member, District Two’s Wayne McCall, absent.  The county’s total spending for the next year remains above the $44 million figure.  Council’s vote yesterday will show up in the form of an amendment to be voted on during a full budget reading May 17. The county’s budget writers caught a break yesterday when told by the Tri-County Tech president that his college, for now, won’t need an allocation of $446 thousand dollars toward a bond payment of Oconee’s share of a planned new building on Tech’s main campus.