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Politics & Government

Commissioners Appoint Horton to Reservoir Board

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners appointed Commissioner Chuck Horton to the Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir Management Board Tuesday night, and left open the possibility for a local citizen to join as an alternate.

re-appointed two board members and two alternates to oversee the proposed construction of a regional water reservoir project Tuesday. They also appointed a third and left the door open for a local citizen to weigh in on the $350 million project.

Commissioner Jim Luke and County Finance Director Jeff Benko return to the Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir Management Board as voting members with two year-terms.  Commissioner Chuck Horton was appointed in place of Hank Huckaby, who .  Huckaby, former state representative of District 113, had served on the board as a citizen voting member. 

In recent weeks, Oconee County Commissioners have expressed a with a , who had experience with the project as an alternate member.

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"I would really like to have one of our people that's been there to serve going forward," Commissioner Jim Luke said. Luke is chairman of the regional board.

Some members of the public still would like a local citizen represented on the regional board,  Commision Chairman Melvin Davis said.  He also offered his opinion that a citizen could offer a valuable perspective.

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“The citizen can see the magnitude of a project of this nature, and I think it gives the public the knowledge that not just staff and elected officials are making decisions - it's taxpayers,” Davis said.

Lee Becker, a University of Georgia journalism professor and local blogger who also contributes on Oconee Patch, asked the commission to consider an application from a citizen to be a voting member.  

“Having a citizen appointed to the Hard Labor Creek Board was a good idea then, and I think it's a good idea now,” Becker said. “Not appointing a citizen to replace Mr. Huckaby would be a mistake it seems to me, both from a symbolic point of view and a practical point of view. Hank Huckaby brought more ideas to the Board. I think all of you have acknowledged that [another] citizen would do that as well.”

The reservoir project, which is projected to be completed by 2015, has slowed recently due to a lack of funding and over-estimation of demand for water from future customers, Becker noted in a blog post.

So far, officials have acquired half of the land they said they needed in the original plan for the reservoir, Luke said Tuesday.

According to the current agreement, Oconee County is allowed to appoint three voting members to the Hard Labor Creek Management Board, with at least one member serving a dual role as a county commissioner. Each member must also have an alternate, which should be other commissioners or county employees.

In his motion to appoint Horton, Luke proposed that commissioners revise the intergovernmental agreement to allow a citizen to be considered as an alternate.

Typcially, each voting member and their respective alternate attend meetings and all offer input. Alternates have voting authority only when their respective voting member is absent.

The Board of Comissioners approved the extension of two-year terms to current alternates Oconee County Utility Director Chris Thomas and Alan Theriault, the county's administrative officer.

Before officials fill the third and final alternate seat, the local government will consult with attorneys representing both counties and consider the cost of legal fees to amend the document, Luke said.

“It can be done, but the question is whether it can be done without spending a significant amount of money," he said.  

 

 

In other business, commissioners approved:

  • A petition to refinance a 2003 General Obligation Bond, which was used to finance the construction of Oconee County Veterans Park. Refinancing the bond would save an estimated $500,000, according to County Finance Director Jeff Benko.  
  • An agreement to update the county's pre-disaster mitigation plan with a $15,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 
  • A 2010 tax digest digest error of $1,366, which will reduce the county's tax collection by $398.
  • An agreement with Coca-Cola to approve a $35,000grant, which will be used to upgrade basketball courts at

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