Watkinsville Council and Other Updates

Good city council meeting tonight. We approved changes to our land use code that will allow recreational facilities -- everything from tennis courts to swim centers to climbing walls to places like Pump it Up -- in the Employment Center and Commercial Corridor areas. This will allow Zion Skate Park -- a privately run skateboarding and rollerblading facility -- to set up off of Morrison Street. Hopefully this will give kids and teens who want to skate a safe, supervised place to do so, and allow future recreational facilities in areas that have the infrastructure for traffic or the type of buildings that allow for indoor recreation.

We also approved several business licenses and discussed an updated solid waste ordinance for the city, which will likely be adopted next month once we work through some issues on concrete pads and screening for dumpsters at businesses (exciting, I know). Budget wise we are on track but next month we should know more based on Local Option Sales Tax Revenues. We are also going to check into voluntary recycling options for city residents as part of trash pick up (likely with a fee).

Also, if you catch a hard copy of the Oconee Enterprise this week, be sure to read the story on residential property values. It appears that the Tax Commissioner's office is beginning its annual "campaign to justify increasing property values" a few months early this year. I'm sorry, but the premise -- that if you hold on to your house long enough you can get a return -- doesn't hold water. There is a cost to holding onto your home, especially if you have to or need to move. Anyone with any sense in Oconee County knows that we are overbuilt, that the vast majority of property values are flat or down. So lets not hide from that fact. We've all benefited from pretty aggressive increases in property values over the past 5-10 years. See my previous rant on property assessments here.

It's a little bit far afield for me, but if you ever wonder what is wrong in Atlanta, here's an indicator from the AJC:

Franklin has estimated it would cost at least $20 million to hire, train and equip 200 officers. The police department currently has 1,633 sworn police officers and 79 recruits who are on track to becoming officers, said Sgt. Lisa Keyes, a police spokeswoman.

What???? That is $100,000 per officer -- is that normal? Seems unbelievable. They should already be trained. And they can share vehicles. I still own a rental unit in Atlanta, and believe me, they need more police, but this explains why they have budget problems.

Back to the local scene, there is also a front page story in the OE about the demise of Creekside as well as significant coverage in the Athens Banner Herald earlier this week. Folks, whether you call it Green Hills or Creekside, the only question about this course is how in the world it made it so long. For most of its history, it was poorly maintained and has always been 15 minutes from civilization in any direction. There are too many quality and affordable golf options in this area for it to make it. Having financing with the now defunct The Community Bank out of Loganville did not help either. Moving ahead, Creekside would make a great passive recreation area if it could be picked up cheaply by Oconee -- install some horse, running, mountain bike trails that requires minimal maintenance but mostly let it return to the wild. There are beautiful woods and great terrain out there. There is also lot of history in that area that is disappearing (see item below) so it might be neat to preserve some space out there. And if you are looking for outstanding local public golf courses, start with newly renovated UGA and Lane Creek and the Georgia Club. There are many more.


Last thing -- two fascinating stories and photos in the Athens Banner-Herald's Oconee section today about Barnett Shoals Dam (wonder if Georgia Power is renewing its lease on the Dam next year?). This was a mile or two upstream from the old wire bridge (pictured) that connected Oconee and Oglethorpe Counties that is the namesake of Wire Bridge Road. Roy Ward -- his art and his knowledge -- is a gem in our community that should be recognized more often.

Photo credit: Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Division of Archives and History, Office of Secretary of State

Election Recap and Analysis

Wow. A very interesting night. First, a few overarching thoughts and then we'll take a look at the BOC races individually. This is my first attempt at post-election blog punditry, so take it for what it's worth.

• First and foremost, congrats to all who took time to throw their hats into the ring for elected office. I applaud everyone with the courage and conviction to put their name on the line and take the time to campaign, and if elected, to serve. This is what makes our country great. Tonight likely marked the end of the road for long-time Oconee Commissioner Don Norris, who has served our county for many years. Thanks Don for your years of service.
• Voters are not thrilled with what is happening in Oconee County. The candidates most closely identified with the status quo lost or were challenged most strongly.
• With Norris losing, the often narrow 3-2 balance on many Oconee County BOC votes may have shifted. Chuck Horton and Margaret Hale, often on the losing ends of 3-2 votes and perceived as being the most moderate of the Oconee Commission members on a number of issues, won by wide margins against well-financed opposition.
• I am suprised that Paul Broun defeated Barry Fleming by such a large margin. Having a congressman from our county is always a positive, so this is good news for Oconee and a strong endorsement of Paul Broun's maverick approach rather than Barry's more typical political style.
• Bill Cowsert won Oconee by a bit more than I expected; this is great news. Kudos to Tommy Malcom for a strong, well run campaign.
• Alcohol was probably a factor in the Oconee races, but not the deciding factor. Jim Luke and Melvin Davis won re-election despite supporting and pushing it through. Don Norris lost after supporting it.
• The board of election races played out largely as expected. While Ashley Hood worked incredibly hard, it is tough to overcome the "brand exposure" Kim Argo received with years of teaching in the Oconee County school system. Most of us who went through Oconee Schools in the 80s or 90s certainly remember Mrs. Argo. Bottom line: we will have a strong, diverse board to choose our next superintendent.
• New media has made its mark in Oconee. It is obvious that online versions of traditional media, various activist blogs and e-mail lists in the community are educating voters and helping them turn out. Whether it is AVOC, Oconee County Observations, Oconee Democrat, The Oconee Enterprise, The OnlineAthens Blogs, The Oconee Leader, Small Town Politics, or even archived audio on WGAU, there is much more information readily available to the average voter than there was four years ago as journalists and activists alike dive deep into the records and background of candidates. There is also much more discussion around the issues online. This has been a trend at a national and regional level for several election cycles now and has finally trickled down to Oconee. This is a double edged sword locally just as it is nationally -- inaccurate, incomplete or unvetted information is much more likely to be posted on these "new media" sites than traditional media, which presents challenges to candidates.

Individual Races

• The Chairman's race was much closer than many -- including myself -- expected. Despite having significantly less funds and visibility in the community than Melvin Davis, Sarah Bell came within 100 votes of being elected. I was stunned when the Civic Center precinct, whose voters technically should be among the largest beneficiaries of recent county efforts (the new park, announced Mars Hill Road expansion, etc.) voted for Bell by more than 100 votes. Maybe the geography of this district has changed in recent years, but it used to be a solid "pro-growth" precinct. However, this district also now includes the old Briarwood Baptist Church district, and Briarwood has always been known for its opposition to alcohol. If many Briarwood members live in this district, this could have been a factor.
• One of Chairman Davis' closest allies, Don Norris, drew strong opposition in John Daniell. Norris was closely identified with embracing rapid, suburban-style growth and also most supportive of the county's current form of government. He also floated the idea of moving the courthouse out of Watkinsville, upsetting many of the electorate, and was faced with conflict of interest allegations from a citizens group. He was defeated after years of active service on the board. In the end, there were probably just too many issues lined up against Don for him to win this time.
• Incumbents Chuck Horton and Margaret Hale -- widely perceived as more moderate in their growth approaches and seeking a more collaborative approach in local government -- won despite facing strong challengers. This despite both of the challengers receiving laudatory editorial coverage in the county's largest newspaper and the support of many in the Republican party establishment. The fact that Mike Maxey did not run closer to Horton, despite his large expenditures and extensive advertising, indicates that a majority of citizens value Horton's experience and balanced, objective approach to growth issues. I do hope Mike will run again in the future -- he had a strong platform and a lot to offer.
• Incumbent Jim Luke, who has been independent on a number of issues and our representative in the regional reservoir efforts, won over tough challenger Johnny Pritchett. Jim has a strong base of support in North Oconee, but perhaps more critically, has been responsive to citizens, is respected by other regional government leaders, and clearly articulates his own reasons for his decisions based on research and experience.

Overall, Oconee is left with an experienced board of commissioners with a balance that probably accurately reflects the overall mood of the community. Lets hope that the next four years will be among our most successful ever as we deal with the local and macro-economic challenges that are coming our way. Oconee is still an incredible place to live, with wonderful communities, cultural resources, civic pride, parks, homes, greenspace, schools, and most importantly -- great people. There is work to be done, but by pulling together we can certainly keep it that way!

Political and Transportation News

Some local political and transportation news you shouldn't miss:

1) Paul Broun is claiming that he has saved the USDA's Phil Campbell Agricultural Research Center in Watkinsville. I really hope this is the case, as the center and the greenspace it provides is great for the community. I have not heard positive reports about this from anyone other than Rep. Broun.

2) Senator Bill Cowsert has been named one of Governor Perdue's floor leaders in the Senate. As I said in my earlier post, the level of promise and potential Cowsert has -- and the respect he gets from his colleagues -- make him the easy choice in the upcoming primary vote. While I don't always agree with the Governor and his laid back approach to governing, this is a significant assignment for Sen. Cowsert. Athens paper covers it here.

3) Well, nobody has officially notified the city of Watkinsville (despite our financial participation in the project), but the Oconee Enterprise is reporting that the Mars Hill widening project is moving forward. I have decidedly mixed emotions about this effort. Frankly, I have zero interest in seeing the whole corridor "opened up to commercial development" as the article says. Just what we need: another sprawling route full of strip malls, poorly planned commercial (see the recent Auto Zone and attendant shopping area at Butler's Crossroads for a good example of this) and the occasional subdivision entrance. While the road needs some improvements, the track record of GDOT road expansions ever being viable routes for cyclists and pedestrians (and for having any redeeming aesthetic value) is not good. We have been working hard to make sure the stretch in the Watkinsville city limits is designed and handled in a quality way that respects the existing business and institutions in the community while addressing traffic needs.

Bottom line, if there is one thing Oconee needs, it is stronger aesthetic planning guides governing the appearance of commercial and office buildings on commercial corridors. Extensive landscaping, buffers, brick buildings, hidden or buried power lines, generous sidewalks, street trees, landscaped (rather than concrete) medians should all be the norm for any road widenings. Lets hope "the new" Mars Hill includes these features.

City Council and Candidate Forums

City Council meeting was pretty low key last night. We approved the 2009 budget at $100,000 less than the 2008 budget. We still anticipate dipping into our reserves, which seems to be a trend among local governments recently. The city is beginning to construct its wish list for the upcoming SPLOST proposal, so feel free to offer up some ideas on that. The City Council is hopeful that the county will engage the cities as participants in the SPLOST effort this time around.

Below you'll find video from the recent candidate forums. There has been much discussion about this in the local media as to whether they were biased or not, but I won't rehash -- just watch and choose for yourself. There will also be additional forums sponsored by the Oconee Chamber on June 16 and 17 that you may also want to attend if you're interested in our County's future.

Also, while we're on the topic of video, our local BOC deserves a major pat on the back for moving quickly to arrange and post video of their meetings on the county website. A good step, although I hope they will keep them up longer than a week. We may want to look into something similar in the city when the budget situation is a bit better.



Candidate forum for Chair of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners from Farmingtony on Vimeo.



Candidate Forum for the Four Posts of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners from Farmingtony on Vimeo.



Part 2 of the Candidate Forum for Chair of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners from Farmingtony on Vimeo.


Candidate Forum for Oconee County Coroner from Lee Becker on Vimeo.

Water, Water Everywhere

Billy Vaughn is back at the Oconee Enterprise, and he writes an interesting column today in the business section about whether we can have business growth without water. Of course we can't. But the real question is this: can we have business growth and still reduce our use of water? The drought will (eventually) go away, but hopefully the memories of our local governments will be a bit longer. Some painless solutions to using less water include low flow faucets, toilets that use less water per flush, building to Earthcraft standards, etc.

So the answer, of course, is yes, we can continue to grow while using less water. Lots of other communities do it. We have just been taking this resource for granted, and like many other infrastructure issues locally, regionally, and nationally not planning or conserving effectively.

The real issue of water use in Oconee and other counties in NEGA that has to be considered is how to fund new reservoirs assuming our future involves less use per person or structure. The old formula (in very simple terms) involves issuing bonds based on future usage rates, which are closely tied to residential and business growth. Even assuming moderate growth in Oconee, are we essentially requiring aggressive growth by guaranteeing our bonds with projected revenues from usage growth? In the face of what are likely semi-permanent water bans, -- and at minimum strong consumer bias against excessive water use, it doesn't seem wise. Are the days of water as a revenue stream over? We probably need to consider some new ways to fund our water sources.