View this email in your browser

April 21, 2023

Friends,

I hope this update finds you doing well. Via executive order, the governor reinstated me on March 30th. Serving you on county council is one of the greatest honors of my life and I look forward to continuing to serve you. Thank you for your continued support and your prayers.  

In other news, we’ve been prepping for garden season up on the mountain. Our children, especially our 9 year old daughter, love working in the garden. If you do not currently grow a garden, I encourage you to start, especially if you have young children. It really generates quality family time, and you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor at the dinner table.

What could be more fun than playing on a tractor? Our tractor blew a head gasket, but fortunately our friend and neighbor Perry Smith let us borrow his to till our gardens.

Budget

We are currently in the process of developing the county budget for FY 2023/2024. I have previously held the minority opinion against the last two budgets which grew county government at a rate that far surpasses inflation and the growth of the county.  

The growth of the county budget since 2016 has grown just over 45% while inflation and actual growth in the county during the same time period is just over 20%. Average annual growth of the county budget since 2016 is 5.7% and the average annual growth of inflation + population is 2.96%. Each budget year that exceeds the rate of inflation + growth has a compounding effect on future budgets, contributing to a heavier burden on tax payers.

In total, since 2016 the county general fund appropriations were $50,643,316 higher than had the budgets been limited by the growth of population and inflation.

For calculation purposes I used annual census data for population, and Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for February of each year the respective budget would be approved in. I used February because it would be the most recent data available prior to a proposed budget being presented to council.

It is evident from the data that appropriations have grown at an alarming rate since 2016. This trend is unsustainable in the long run and places taxpayers at risk of bearing a greater financial burden.

As we look towards the future, it is imperative that we adopt sustainable budgeting practices. While Oconee County has been fortunate to experience a period of growth in tax revenue, this trend is not sustainable in the long run. Recent indicators of an impending recession suggest that it is imperative to swiftly adjust our spending habits. We must exercise fiscal responsibility and ensure that our budget aligns with our inflation and county growth.

The county administrator’s initial recommended budget for FY 23/24 was $67,072,222. During the Finance Committee meeting last Tuesday I made a motion, which passed 3-2, to direct the county administration to re-develop the budget to less than $65,231,000. The $65 million represents our ceiling as it corresponds to growth of the county + inflation.

I will provide further details on the budget in the next update.

Economic Development

Borg Warner— announced plans invest $42.7 million to expand its facility in Oconee County. The company’s investment will create 122 new jobs.  

The investment will support Borg Warner’s new electric vehicle (EV) business. The additional investment will allow the company to significantly increase its manufacturing capacity. You can read more details about the expansion HERE.

Council Changes

During the April 18th county council meeting I was elected Chairman, Don Mize was elected Vice Chairman, and Glenn Hart was elected Chairman Pro Tem for the remainder of 2023. Serving as chairman is primarily an administrative role, however I am honored to serve the county in this capacity.  

The council also appointed several new members to various county boards and commissions.  

Appointments to the planning commission was Brit Adams (Council District 3), and Mickey Haney (At-Large).

Dr. Trent Smith was appointed to the Agricultural Advisory Board for council district 2.  

Jim Henderson was appointed to the Board Of Zoning Appeals for council district.  

Two At-Large seats were filled on the Building Codes Appeals Board with the appointment of Vickey Smith, and Kenneth Owen.

High Density Student Housing

In a unanimous 0-5 vote Tuesday night on an ordinance to approve a $3 million dollar incentive agreement for a high density residential/student housing project near Paw’s Diner on HWY 123 was defeated on the third reading.  

I’m pleased that council unanimously opposed giving incentives to the high density residential development that would bring in hundreds to thousands of new residents/students that will consume county services and resources and further congest our roads on that end of the county.

Ordinances Up For A Vote In May

There will be a 2nd and 3rd Reading and public hearing of the following ordinance in May.  All Ordinances require 3 readings and a public hearing.  

ORDINANCE 2023-05 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE FEE-IN-LIEU OF TAX AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN OCONEE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND A COMPANY KNOWN TO THE COUNTY AND REFERRED TO FOR THE TIME BEING AS “PROJECT EVPACK AFFILIATE,” DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 19, 2017; AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS.

ORDINANCE 2023-07 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING, PURSUANT TO TITLE 12, CHAPTER 44 OF THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA 1976, AS AMENDED, THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF A FEE-IN-LIEU OF AD VALOREM TAXES AND SPECIAL SOURCE REVENUE CREDIT AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN OCONEE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND PROJECT MADE, ACTING FOR ITSELF, ONE OR MORE CURRENT OR FUTURE AFFILIATES AND OTHER PROJECT COMPANIES (COLLECTIVELY, “COMPANY”); PROVIDING FOR A FEE- IN-LIEU OF AD VALOREM TAXES INCENTIVE; PROVIDING FOR A SPECIAL SOURCE REVENUE CREDIT; DEVELOPING A JOINT COUNTY INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS PARK BETWEEN OCONEE COUNTY AND PICKENS COUNTY SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE PROPERTY OF THE PROJECT AS PART OF THE PARK; AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF ONE OR MORE GRANT AGREEMENTS; AUTHORIZING THE CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN REAL ESTATE FOR PROJECT MADE; AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS.

ORDINANCE 2023-08 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY OWNED BY OCONEE COUNTY TO MOUNT NEBO BAPTIST CHURCH, PROPERTY CONSISTING OF APPROXIMATELY .14 ACRES AND BEING A PORTION OF TAX MAP # 256-00-01-006, AND AUTHORIZING THE RECEIPT OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY OWNED BY MOUNT NEBO BAPTIST CHURCH, PROPERTY CONSISTING OF APPROXIMATELY .0034 ACRES AND BEING A PORTION OF TAX MAP # 256-00-04-019; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO.

You can view detailed information on the above ordinances HERE.

Road Maintenance

The SC DOT has closed Burnt Tanyard Rd. due to an issue with the bridge. Please see the detour below.

If you have an issue with a county road, whether it be a pothole, clogged culvert, etc, please go HERE to fill out a work request.

Meeting Schedule

The county council will meet on the first, and third Tuesday of the month in May.

All regular council Meetings are held at 6pm in the county office complex on Pine Street in Walhalla.

You can view the livestream of the meetings as well as view previous meetings on the county YouTube channel by clicking HERE.  

You can download meeting agendas and all associated backup material HERE

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if I can ever be of assistance.  

If you missed my previous newsletter and would like to read it now, you can do so by clicking HERE

Please share the sign up link with friends and neighbors who would like to stay informed and direct them to OconeeToday.com to subscribe to my newsletter.    

-Matt