School leaders talk budget with county officials

Apparently some ground work has been laid between Oconee County leaders and the school district as to the size of the next budget for the public schools. Dr. Michael Thorsland, county superintendent, announced last night that district officials have held “informal meetings” with some members of the new Oconee County Council that took office January 1. “I feel like those meetings were very positive just to gain some understanding,” Thorsland said. District leaders pledged to county leaders that they are resolved to go another year within the constraints of the existing 110.1 mills for operational purposes. The thinking there, he explained during last night’s work session of the board of trustees, is that there won’t be enough new growth to the county’s tax rolls this year to justify a tax increase for next year.