The Okmulgee County Board of Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday following Monday’s Veterans Day recognition and celebration. The meeting opened with a prayer, the pledge and approval of the previous meeting’s minutes.

Approved blanket purchase orders included the following: District 1, S&H Auto for $1,000; District 2, RPI for $1,000 and Cintas for $700; and District 3, Cintas for $900, RPI for $800, O’Reilly’s for $900 and Anchor Stone Co. for $93,500.

Additional approvals included the alcoholic beverage tax ($20,120) and the motor vehicle tax ($14,800), to which one attendee jokingly remarked, “More drinking, less driving.”

The board also approved a cash fund request for appropriations and the payment of claims, including a 324a claim for the Bristlecone Rd. project. An invitation to bid for road materials over a six-month period was also approved.

The commissioners discussed an estimated overage related to ongoing courtroom renovations. Judge Pandee Ramirez invited the commissioners to visit the site and observe the progress, mentioning possible changes to flooring and paneling. An overage of $3,700 was requested and subsequently approved.

Okmulgee County Emergency Management Director Jeff Moore provided a weekly update, reporting on recent storm impacts and flooding, with some areas experiencing 11.5 inches of rain. Moore also discussed efforts to install new storm sirens in critical locations and ongoing work to resolve a water leak in the southern part of the county.

Discussion then shifted to county inventory, with the board considering actions for non-compliance, including the possibility of halting future purchases until complete inventories are filed. They will seek a formal legal opinion from the district attorney’s office on potential actions for inventory non-compliance.

At the close of the meeting, County Assessor Ed Johnson and Sheriff Eddy Rice commended the Election Board Chair and her team for their professionalism and the excellent management of the election process.