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September 19, 2021

Friends,

I hope that this update finds you doing well.

Fall is upon us, and it’s a great time of the year to get out and enjoy the numerous trails we are blessed with here in Oconee County. Oconee is home to more trails than any other county in the state.

My children on a recent hike to the river

Reassessment

This is a reassessment year for the county, which has led many to fear the possibility of a tax increase. However, Chairman John Elliott made a campaign promise that residents would not see any tax increase and that the millage rate would be reduced to accommodate any increases in property values due to reassessment.

The reassessment values are based on 2020 values, which should be lower than the historical highs we’re currently seeing in the real estate market. Based on the reassessment values, county auditor Christy Hubbard recommended an overall millage reduction of 8.1 mills. The value of a county mill is now $602,982, up from $586,604 in 2021.

What’s the bottom line on your tax bill if council adopts Mrs. Hubbard’s millage recommendation? Well, that depends on what affect reassessment had on your property.

I will use $100,000 of residential property value for an easy example.

For the 2021 tax year the property taxes due on $100,000 of residential property was $442.80.

If your property value increased due to reassessment by 5% ($5k), the tax bill for 2022 would be $446.46, a $3.66 increase.

A 10% ($10k) increase will give you a tax bill of $467.72, a $24.92 increase.

A 15% ($15k) increase in property value would give you a tax bill of $488.98, an increase of $46.18 or a 10.4% increase over the $442.80 that you paid last year.

You can view tables with the above breakdowns as well as other scenarios HERE

Will your tax bill remain unchanged as promised by John Elliott? More than likely not. However, there is an appeal process if you disagree with your assessment value. I will explain the appeal process in a future newsletter.

Change In State Law

If you have farm structures, a recent change in state law could reduce your overall tax burden. Farm buildings are now tax exempt from property taxes. This affects 5,784 structures in Oconee County equaling $1.3 million in assessed value, or $300,000 in property taxes.

Economic Development

Impact Housing, a modular home manufacturer, announces a $30 million investment in the Oconee Industrial and Technology Park bringing 215 new jobs to Oconee County—Operations are expected to begin in August of 2023. Please click HERE to read the full press release, as well as learn how to apply for a career with Impact Housing.

Sewer South— OJRSA Executive Director Chris Eleazer announced that the Sewer South Project is ready to go out to bid. The project is designed to provide sewer service to I-85 Exits 1 and 2. The original estimated price tag of $5.3 million is surely to have increased during our current state of inflation. I’ll give more updates on Sewer South as they become available.

Site Work At The Golden Corner Commerce Park— County council approved $1.5 million to grade 60-90 acres of the 322 acre Golden Corner Commerce Park to make the property more marketable to manufacturers. You can read WGOG’s article HERE.

Partnership With Anderson County To Construct A Joint County Sewer Plant In Southern Oconee County—In the last months newsletter I wrote about a potential partnership with Anderson county to construct a regional sewer plant. During the August meeting, the county council chose not to pursue the partnership. You can read last months newsletter HERE.

Ordinances Up For A Vote In September

There will be a first reading of the following ordinances at the September 20th meeting. All ordinances require three readings and a public hearing. You can view detailed information on the below ordinances HERE.

ORDINANCE 2022-22 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 32 OF THE OCONEE COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES, IN CERTAIN LIMITED REGARDS AND PARTICULARS ONLY, BY ADDING A PROVISION PROVIDING FOR PREAPPROVAL BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IN RELATION TO SUBDIVISION PLANS SUBMITTED FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO OCONEE COUNTY FOR PROPERTIES WITH ROAD FRONTAGE ON U.S. HIGHWAY 123, BETWEEN THE OCONEE COUNTY - PICKENS COUNTY BORDER AND THE EASTERNMOST BOUNDARY OF THE CITY OF SENECA; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO.

ORDINANCE 2022-23 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 26 OF THE OCONEE COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES, IN CERTAIN LIMITED REGARDS AND PARTICULARS ONLY, TO ALLOW FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF SIDEWALKS IN COUNTY RIGHT-OF-WAYS; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO.

ORDINANCE 2022-24 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 38 OF THE OCONEE COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES, IN CERTAIN LIMITED REGARDS AND PARTICULARS ONLY, BY REVISING THE LOT SIZE AND DENSITY STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO THE LAKE OVERLAY DISTRICT; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO.

ORDINANCE 2022-25 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF A LEASE AGREEMENT BETWEEN OCONEE COUNTY AS LESSOR AND JULIE IBRAHIM AS LESSEE FOR CERTAIN OFFICE SPACE LOCATED AT THE OCONEE COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT, 365 AIRPORT ROAD, SENECA, SOUTH CAROLINA; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO.

There will be a third and final reading, along with a public hearing, at the September 20 meeting on the following ordinance.

ORDINANCE 2022-21 AN ORDINANCE TO SUPPLEMENT ORDINANCE 2021-14, WHICH APPROPRIATED AND AUTHORIZED THE EXPENDITURE OF TWO MILLION AND 00/100 ($2,000,000.00) DOLLARS OF LOCAL CORONAVIRUS FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDING RECEIVED BY OCONEE COUNTY (“COUNTY”) UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (“ARPA”) FOR PURPOSES OF THE SALEM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT (“PROJECT”), BY APPROPRIATING AND AUTHORIZING THE EXPENDITURE OF AN ADDITIONAL FIVE HUNDRED, FIFTY THOUSAND, AND 00/100 ($550,000.00) DOLLARS FOR THE PROJECT, SO THAT THE TOTAL APPROPRIATION AND EXPENDITURE AUTHORIZATION FOR THE PROJECT WILL NOW TOTAL TWO MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED, FIFTY THOUSAND, AND 00/100 ($2,550,000.00) DOLLARS; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERETO.

Again, you can view detailed information on the above ordinances HERE.

Road Maintenance

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.

Elections

There are a couple of Meet and Greets scheduled for the District 1 & 3 School Board candidates.

District 1’s Meet and Greet is scheduled for 10-11:30 am on Saturday, September 24 at the Keowee Key Event Center. Use the South Gate entrance off of Highway 183. District 1 candidates are Dean Bare, the incumbent; along with challengers Amanda Holder and Keri Unsworth

District 3’s Meet and Greet will be held Saturday morning, October 1 from 10-11:30 am at Senior Solutions, 101 Perry Ave, Seneca. District 3 candidates are incumbent Sandra Sloan along with challengers John Fallon, Jeremy Hobbs, and Riley Johnson.

These two events will be a great opportunity to meet all the candidates in one location, and to ask them some good questions.

In last months newsletter, I stated that there were no other contested races in the county. That is no longer true, as Oakway resident Perry Smith has announced his write-in candidacy for South Carolina House District 2. The seat is currently held by 28 year incumbent Bill Sandifer.

Oconee County Republican Party

Click HERE to read a statement from OCRP Chairman David McMahan.

Mixed-Up City Folks

The above picture is on the wall in The Farm Cafe down in Crossroads.

Meeting Schedule

The county council returns to meeting twice per month in September, with meetings being held on the first and third Tuesday of the month.

All regular council Meetings are held at 6pm at 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. 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 Durham