Commissioners Hear Report on Dolvin Property

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners took no action Tuesday regarding the Dolvin property located at 22 Main Street in Watkinsville.

The county has the option to either renew the lease of the Courthouse Annex at a current price of $83,000 or purchase it for $1 million.

At the meeting, Abe Abouhamdan, chair of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, reported to the Board that members of the committee had unanimously voted in favor of purchasing the property.  

Though all 9 members of the 14-member Committee who were present supported the purchase, they initially expressed concerns about how the public might perceive the price tag, Lee Becker reported in his Oconee County Observations blog on Monday.

The property is currently valued at about $660,000, according to the Oconee County Observations post.

Abouhamdan said his Committee had looked at several aspects of the property including location, amount of lease that the county pays already, size of the tract of land, and availability of special-purpose, local-option sales tax funds to purchase it.

“The cost of rent over the past five years would have almost paid for half of the property,” Abouhamdan said. “If you look at the location in proximity to the courthouse, it will be a familiar location for people who use it.”

The property, located just across the street from the Oconee County Courthouse, is currently leased by the county, and houses offices for the Planning and Zoning, Environmental Health, and Code Enforcement Committees.  There is also an office for the county coroner.

Some residents disagree with the decision to purchase the property, however, and a few showed up at the meeting Tuesday to address the board with their concerns.

“It appalls me to think that we are going to pay more than the tax accessed value for a property in this economy,” said Pamela Hendrix. “I don’t mind paying property taxes, but I want the Board to be smart with my money. I’m asking them to carefully negotiate the price.”

Another county resident, , suggested the county get an appraisal of the property before making a decision to purchase.  Chairman of the Board Melvin Davis said an appraisal had not been carried out.

The Board may take up the issue at a later date, but no timeline for discussion or action was mentioned.

In other business, the Board of Commissioners:

• Approved a FY 2012 contract with the Georgia Department of Human Services for Oconee County Family Connection.
• Approved a proposal for the o be redesigned by Vivify Creative, Inc.
• Interviewed applicants for Cultural Affairs and Tourism Committee, Land Use and Transportation Committee, Planning Commission and Recreational Affairs Committee.
• Discussed an ordinance imposing a 911 charge for prepaid wireless service. State legislature passed an ordinance that would impose a 75 cent fee at the time of purchase for prepaid wireless phones and minute cards, which would be paid back to the county based on population. County Attorney Daniel Haygood said there is currently no charge for prepaid wireless phones and this fee would spread the burden of cost for a county 911 operator station, which costs the county about $570,000. The board placed the item on the agenda for the July 5 meeting.
• Discussed amendments and revisions to the FY2011 budget.
• Discussed the renewal of FY 2012 Property and Liability Insurance.