Greene County Sheriff Donnie Harrison and District 4 County Commissioner Ernie Filice were among the speakers at last week’s quarterly Citizens Involvement Committee (CIC) meeting at the Lake Club at Reynolds, Lake Oconee. Well attended, the CIC was formed as a non-profit corporation open to property owners of both Reynolds Lake Oconee and Reynolds Landing.
According to Chairman Steve Broadbent, a former John’s Creek Council person in north Fulton County, the members of the committee share a common interest in the activities and actions of Greene County government.
Additionally, it serves to inform members of local and state regulatory agencies as they affect member’s properties and lifestyles. Reynolds properties contribute more than 75 percent of tax dollars to the county’s digest.
“It is our intention to be a positive influence in shaping policies and initiatives to meet community needs and accommodate change,“ Broadbent said.
Ernie Felice shared some interesting statistics relative to his district which encompasses Reynold’s properties.
According to Filice, a report is generated by the state of Georgia which takes into account statistical data gathered from the 159 counties.
The most current report showed that Greene County had the highest listing prices in the whole state. However, according to data from the Georgia MLS, the bulk of home sales were in just 24 of Georgia’s counties, with Fulton County having the most sales under contract during the early Spring of last year.
Mary Luster is the new board chairperson for the Lake County Board of Realtors.
“Just looking at our volume of sales in the last year is indicating we are a billion-dollar sales organization here in Greene County,” Luster said. “Certainly, the Reynolds’ properties are supporting that figure and it is an indication of how popular the county and its amenities are with both the lake and award-winning golf courses.”
Both Filice and County Manager Byron Lombard spoke to the challenges an ever-growing and popular county experiences and the successful passage of key zoning initiatives aimed at ensuring strategic growth while protecting a way of life many here have enjoyed.
“Following our community input sessions to last year’s strategic planning, we put into place these initiatives which include land use development and zoning classifications,” Felice said. “But, we are mindful of why people move here – the quality of life, quality county services, low-density new builds, the environment and the most cited, safety.”
Both Felice and Lombard claimed that all initiatives put in place show the county’s strong financial strength.
“We have not incurred one dime from general funds,” Lombard said. “This is important as we have strengthened our services, roads and bridges, redistricting the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and much more.”
Lombard asserts that the county focus has been looking at trends for future development and making land use parcels specific.
Eight different character areas of the county afford more flexibility. Most of the growth has occurred outside the lake area and has moved into rural Greene County. Conflicts have occurred, but solutions have been seen due to working within specific steadfast solutions.
Lombard stressed the importance of safety and the changes that have happened keeping that top of mind.
“A significant change was converting from volunteer fire stations to 24-hour manned paid departments,” Lombard said. “We also have new law enforcement cameras, new equipment, a new jail renovation, and a new $515,000 fire truck housed here in Station 10 inside Reynolds. Despite all this, we are a lean county, make the most from tax dollars yet have realized mileage reductions every year.”
Harrison went over some safety statistics and by large measure showed that the county has very low crime with the majority of crimes committed last year being of theft origin.
Seventy-five inmates reside at the jail, two traffic fatalities occurred, seven aggravated assaults and 1,380 traffic tickets were issued.