As the 2024 General Election approaches, candidates are outlining their goals for the counties future, and addressing key community concerns. Jay Paul, the chairman of Oglethorpe County's Board of Commissioners, spoke at an interview last Tuesday regarding pivotal local topics, and his own plans for the upcoming term.
The issue of taxes and how they are allocated throughout the county was the first topic brought up in the interview.
Paul revealed that nearly 77% of your tax bill is used to fund school activities and purchases. He quoted "The school is a large operation and they need a lot of money to function."
The remaining 23% of the tax bill is divided up among numerous county departments such as the Oglethorpe County Sheriffs Department, and Oglethorpe County EMS.
During a Board of Commissioners meeting on July 1st, a county resident spoke regarding the condition of the dirt road in which he lives on. Many other residents have similar questions regarding dirt roads, specifically, why their dirt road has not been paved. When questioned about this topic, Paul revealed his thoughts on the upkeep and paving of dirt roads.
Commissioner Paul stated that there is an estimated 490 miles of roads in Oglethorpe County. This number is split in half between dirt roads and paved roads. A recent estimate showed that the average cost to even begin paving a dirt road is $500,000.
"I just have no intention of turning a dirt road into a paved road," Paul said, "When you pave a road, it actually encourages the growth of it. I have some people who come to saying, 'I don't want you to pave my road.'"
Paul recognized that there are issues in certain areas of the county, but he credited his predecessor, Billy Pittard, and Adam Nation for how they handled the upkeep of roads throughout the county.
In 2023 the average US internet speed was 219 megabits per second. A test done in Oglethorpe County showed that the average speed was only five to ten megabits per second. When asked if there was a plan in place to provide more efficient internet service, Paul revealed that he had little to no control over actions regarding the internet.
"There is a plan in place, but Will Brown, the chair of the Economic Development Authority, is the best authority to answer that question for you."
The final topic brought up in the interview was voting. Statistics show that of the 10,975 registered voters in Oglethorpe County, only 3,206 participated in this years primary elections. When asked his thoughts, Commissioner Paul revealed this.
"Well first and foremost...when a person chooses not to vote, they're not using their voice. Therefore if you choose not to vote, why complain?"
"If you look back at just the history of what some groups went through for the right to vote, and if people don't vote for what others went through to fight for their right to vote, that's an insult to those people in the past."
As the interview concluded, Paul was thanked for his time and was eager to share more information. Paul also stated that he urges everyone to vote in the upcoming election.
For more information about voting, please visit the following websites.
To conclude, I would like to thank everyone for reading this article. I would like to apologize for the delay in this being released, I have been trying to get interviews and stories to have so I will not have another long delay. Once again, thank you all, and have a great rest of your day.
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