At their regular meeting on Monday, the Okmulgee County Board of Commissioners heard from Rose Lynch, Interim Director of the Okmulgee County Homeless Shelter, who provided an update on the shelter’s operations and requested emergency funding from the county.
Lynch acknowledged past challenges, including leadership and management changes, but noted improvements in grant management and transparency.
“Our books are fully open,” Lynch stated, offering tours for anyone interested in seeing the shelter’s operations firsthand.
She reported that over 75% of the shelter’s clients secure hous- ing and stable employment and highlighted partnerships with local businesses such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Polyvision and Coca-Cola. Lynch emphasized the importance of securing jobs beyond minimum wage.
In addition to serving Okmulgee County, the shelter also assists McIntosh, Hughes, and Okfuskee Counties. Lynch expressed hope for continued support from previous funding sources, faith-based communities and neighboring counties.
In other business, the board approved:
• A blanket purchase order for Emergency Management (Comdata for fuel)
• A signed resolution to appoint Commissioner Michael Wallace as the CED 2 board member
• Invitations to bid for courtroom improvements and election ballots
• Payment of claims, including one for the Bristlecone Road project
• A requisitioning and receiving officers form for the Liberty Fire Department No action was taken regarding the “Prairie Estates” and “Journey’s End II” plats. Discussion on the land division requests was tabled pending review by the district attorney’s office to prevent future issues.
The board approved surplusing various office equipment, including tables, chairs, desks and filing cabinets from the county clerk’s office, as well as additional items from the treasurer’s office.
Two separate resolutions designated funds to Flooring Liquidators for $7,605.91 and $4,432.90, respectively.
Under new business, the commissioners discussed a request to borrow office space for a week to accommodate moving office furniture.
Emergency Management Director Jeff Moore reported on recent emergency responses, including a semi-truck crash involving hazardous materials on Highway 75 and a train-truck collision resulting in a fatality near a cemetery. He also detailed water trailer operations and ongoing tornado recovery efforts, which can be found in his full report.
Executive Assistant Jamie Steph provided an update on inventory reporting, noting that the last of the fire departments had submitted their inventories. However, auditors found missing asset numbers in some reports. Steph emphasized the importance of complete documentation and stated that inventories must be submitted through the county clerk’s office.
