Anti-Defund Police Bill Will Have Little Impact In Oconee

Oconee County Rep. Houston Gaines promoted his House Bill 286 as a way to keep local governments from reducing funding of police, but its focus is quite narrow and it will have limited effect in Oconee County if it becomes law.

The bill would constrain the budget decisions of the City of Watkinsville, but it would not affect budgeting in the county’s other three cities or of Oconee County government itself.

The bill targets cities with police departments and the 12 counties in the state that also have police departments.

Bishop, Bogart, and North High Shoals do not have police departments, and Oconee County obtains its police service from Sheriff James Hale, who is elected by the citizens.

Hale and the other sheriffs in the state’s 159 counties are not covered by HB 286.

Gaines was the author of House Bill 286, but Marcus Wiedower, who also represents Oconee County in the General Assembly, was a cosponsor.

Both’s Gaines’ 117th House District and Wiedower’s 119th also include parts of Clarke County, which has its own police department as part of the unified Athens-Clarke County government.

The Athen-Clarke County government definitely will be impacted if Gov. Brian Kemp signs HB 286 into law or allows it to become law without his signature.

In unrelated action, the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration last week issued a call for a special election on June 15 for Mayor of Watkinsville and Post 1 on Council and set qualification for April 12 to 14 for the two elections.

Marvin J. Nunnally, Economic Development coordinator for Athens Technical College and a Watkinsville native, announced on Monday that he plans to qualify for Post 1.

For more on this story, please go to Oconee County Observations.