The Okmulgee County Board of Commissioners met for their regular meeting on Monday, engaging in a lengthy discussion regarding the “Journey’s End” plat in the north end of the county, with a focus on zoning and utility permissions.

During the meeting, discussions about the plat centered on legal and practical concerns raised by the DA’s office. ADA Greg Stidham pointed out that the plat referred to an Okmulgee County Planning Commission as the authority for revising or abolishing property restrictions, but no such entity appears to exist.

“There are just so many things in there like that that give me pause as to whether it’s in the county’s best interest,” Stidham stated.

Jerry Wilkins, owner of Journey’s End Land Group, was in attendance and acknowledged the oversight, explaining that the surveyor likely used generic language, unaware that the county lacks a planning commission. The matter is further complicated by the fact that many of the lots have already been sold.

Wilkins explained that after selling the lots, additional requirements from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) caused delays.

“So now we have people that are there, they’re trying to move into their homes, and they can’t get their water and septic,” Wilkins stated, expressing concerns about time sensitivity and potential legal ramifications.

Additional concerns were expressed regarding some zoning challenges and the condition of some neighboring properties.

“There are a lot of trailers. There are some burned-down trailers out there, a lot of trash, and, I mean, some of these yards out there are really in poor shape,” Wilkins stated. “There could be a $500,000 house and, then around the corner, there could be a, you know, $1,000 trailer.”

He told the board that this led to lost sales, with potential buyers deterred by the state of the surrounding areas. Wilkins added that their offers to help clean up those properties at no cost to the owners were declined. He did not expound on the extent of that help or the timeline of those cleanup efforts.

Wilkins acknowledged the difficulty in imposing certain restrictions, given the existing mix of higher-end homes and more modest dwellings in the area.

After some deliberation, Commissioner Erik Zoellner proposed a motion to approve the plat pending Stidham’s review and approval of the necessary revisions, specifically removing references to the nonexistent planning commission. The board approved.

In other business, last week’s meeting minutes were approved, as were the payment of claims and the monthly officers’ reports from the County Assessor and the Sheriff ’s Office (which included reports for June, July, and August). Three employee forms were approved for District 3: one full-time and two part-time.

The board also approved the use of Use Tax funds to pay $7,000 to Stone Horse Construction and another $16,500 to Mastercraft Marble and Granite.

The commissioners made a motion to approve Guy Engineering as the point of contact for the low water crossing project on Creager Rd., allowing the firm to move forward with the necessary public meetings and right-of-way acquisitions.

Later, an invitation to bid for Courtroom #2 improvements was approved, with Judge Deborah Reheard mentioning possible cooperation between the existing technology contractor and potential bidder to avoid unnecessary drilling and find other ways to save money on the improvements.

The commissioners next discussed and approved the Treasurer’s Investment Management Policy. County Clerk Tonya Day explained that this policy was needed for the county to regain its S&P Global ratings, noting that previously, there had not been an official policy in place.

The board also approved a Sheriff ’s Office funding grant agreement. Sheriff Eddy Rice explained that these state-approved grants help provide funding for sheriff salaries and allow the department to offer stipends to its employees.

Just before voting to go into an executive session, the board heard the weekly report from Okmulgee County EM Director Jeff Moore. Moore missed the first half of the meeting to respond to an incident involving a concrete truck that had rolled over near Gun Club Rd.

There were no changes to the county’s inventory report in the last week. Discussions regarding the county radio communications were tabled until next week.