The Oconee Brief

Council Vice Chairman Don Mize and I participated in the Oconee County Republican Party town hall on October 15. We discussed property taxes, Flock cameras, the county’s financial review, roads, residential growth, economic development, and other issues facing Oconee County. Thank you to Barry Sanders and the Oconee County Republican Party for hosting, Perry Smith for moderating, and everyone who...

Property values increased significantly through reassessment, but that does not mean your taxes increased by the same amount. In this update, I explain the millage rollback, why some property owners may still pay more or less, where actual tax increases are coming from, and what to expect when tax bills arrive. Subscribe to receive new posts and updates. This is a public episode. If you would like...

An update on the Flock audit logs, why County Council took up the issue during Wednesday’s special meeting, and where things stand today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit matthewdurham.substack.com

Friends, Fewer than 400 people live in the Town of West Union. On August 11, the town voted to annex 268 acres for a development of roughly 400 homes. The only thing connecting that property to the town is a railroad corridor about three miles long that West Union annexed in 2024. South Carolina law says a railroad track does not make two properties contiguous. I spent the last several days with t...

Where do we draw the line? On August 18, Oconee County Council will bring forward the Protection from Mass Surveillance Ordinance. The Constitution is not somebody else’s job to defend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit matthewdurham.substack.com

Before the Corinth-Shiloh fire tax district existed, Oconee County ran that station for about $460,000 a year. Two paid firefighters, around the clock. Today it costs $1.3 million, and the people inside that district carry it alone. This week I walk through the whole thing, start to finish: how the district got created, why the tax bills jumped, the property fight over the firehouse, the consolida...

There are cameras across Oconee County reading your license plate. Every car, every day, whether you have done a thing wrong or not. County Council never voted on them. There was no ordinance and no public hearing. Most of you never heard a word about it, and until folks in this county started reaching out to me, neither had I. In this episode I lay it out plainly. What these cameras do, the real...

Several residents raised concerns about the condition of Blackwell Bridge after photos circulated online. I take you beneath the bridge to show you exactly what we found after meeting with SCDOT engineers. We’ll separate fact from speculation, discuss the challenges facing South Carolina’s aging infrastructure, and talk about what comes next. Government should be transparent, and sometimes the bes...

Chairman Matthew Durham breaks down the July 7, 2026 Oconee County Council meeting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit matthewdurham.substack.com

In this episode I break down a developer lawsuit, the primary, and why none of it is over. Don Mize won District 3 with 64 percent of the vote. But a Democrat is on the ballot in November, that seat is more split than people think, and it flips if Republicans stay home. I also cover Tuesday’s budget. It’s balanced, it’s revenue neutral, and it does not raise taxes. And I walk through the Chattooga...

Tonight I went live on Facebook to discuss what we uncovered during today’s Oconee County budget workshop. Not everyone is on Facebook, so I decided to share here. What we are finding is deeply concerning. For years, County Council appears to have been given financial reports and budget numbers that did not accurately reflect actual expenditures. Spending exceeded council-approved budgets by milli...

Just wrapped up the May 5, 2026 Oconee County Council meeting. In this episode I walk through what happened tonight and what it means going forward. We start with the three proclamations Council read at the top of the meeting — honoring the Walhalla High School Lady Razorbacks, recognizing Peace Officers Memorial Day, and observing the National Day of Prayer. Then we get into the policy. The big i...

Chairman Matthew Durham breaks down the April 21, 2026 Oconee County Council meeting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit matthewdurham.substack.com

I sit down with Oconee County Administrator Stewart Jones to break down his first 100 days on the job. We discuss what he found when he stepped in, the issues facing county government, and the actions being taken to restore accountability and fix what wasn’t working. This is a straightforward look at where we are and where we’re headed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this w...