Council opts for same tax rate

Oconee County’s tax rate for 2016 will remain the same as it was last year.  The council last night considered its options, as outlined by acting auditor Christy Hubbard.  Those options included dropping the tax rate by one mill.  The school district will benefit in the amount of an extra $735 thousand dollars from a new Duke Energy assessment.  In a related action, the council voted 3 to 2 to postpone final reading of a $16 million general obligation bond ordinance.  The taxpayer-backed bond issue would provide money for projects such as construction of a new Westminster magistrate building and new facilities for Tri-County Technical College.  Edda Cammick said she wants to see something in writing, other than a memorandum of understanding, from Tech about projects both on the Pendleton campus and at the Oconee Information and Technology Park.   Joel Thrift took issue with Wayne McCall’s idea that the Westminster magistrate office be moved to Oakway to occupy part of the former school building which the county is in the process of acquiring from the school district.