Oconee County voters approved by large margins the sale of liquor by the drink in restaurants throughout the county and its cities and continuation of the 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for another six years.

Unofficial results show 65.4 percent of those who cast ballots approving of liquor by the drink, and 65.1 percent approving of SPLOST.

Both referendums were approved in all 13 of the county’s precincts by wide margins.

The liquor referendum also passed in each of the four cities in the county.

It now is up to the Board of Commissioners as well as to the mayors and councils of the four cities to decide if they want to pass ordinances allowing for the issuance of licenses in their jurisdictions.

Only the BOC has indicated that it plans to do just that, and such an ordinance would only affect the unincorporated parts of the county.

For more, visit Oconee County Observations.