The Okmulgee County Board of County Commissioners meeting held Monday was relatively brief, but the most notable discussion centered on the Emergency Management Department’s recent response to critical infrastructure issues in the county, including a prolonged water outage and a hazardous spill along a city street.
Okmulgee County Emergency Management Director Jeffrey Moore reported on two major operations that took place over the past week. First, his department coordinated with District 1 to provide emergency water services to residents affected by a multi-day outage in Rural Water District #7. Water buffalo tanks were deployed from District 1 and placed for public use during the three- to four-day shortage.
“Thanks for allowing us to use District 1 for those residents,” Moore stated during the report, acknowledging the assistance provided by county personnel in delivering relief to the impacted area.
The second incident involved a potentially dangerous hydraulic fluid spill that spanned approximately five to six blocks of roadway in the city of Morris. According to Moore, a John Deere spray rig malfunctioned on the corner of Highways 62 and 52, leaking all of its hydraulic fluid and posing both environmental and public safety concerns. Emergency Management worked quickly to activate the county’s emergency response plan and mitigate the spill.
In addition to emergency operations, Moore noted that his department had conducted new-hire safety training and had also assisted McIntosh County over the weekend by hosting driver training exercises at District 3’s barn. The obstacle course was used for Oklahoma emergency vehicle driver certification training.
The Board, composed of Commissioners Michael Wallace (District 3), Steve Ward (District 2) and Ernie Ferreira (District 1), moved swiftly through the remainder of the agenda. All three commissioners were present.
Approvals included:
• Officers Reports – Sheriff’s Office and Election Board submitted their August reports for the record.
• Blanket Purchase Orders were approved for several departments: District 3: Burnett Hardware ($400), Cintas uniforms ($500) and RPI Supplies ($500); County Assessor: Fuel ($400); District 1: Cintas uniforms ($200)
• Employee Forms were approved for updates within the Commissioner’s Office, including Requisitioning & Receiving Officers.
• Allocation of Taxes: The board unanimously approved allocations of the Alcoholic Beverage Tax and the Motor Vehicle Tax.
• Reimbursement Claims: Claims were approved for both the District Attorney’s Office and the Election Board Secretary’s salary.
• Cash Fund Appropriations were approved following a brief discussion.
A proposed agreement between LexisNexis Risk Solutions and the County Treasurer’s Office was discussed and approved. The agreement would allow the Treasurer’s Office to access up-to-date taxpayer address information using the LexisNexis platform, which was described as a more timely and accurate tool than the current system.
Under New Business, a property platting issue was brought before the board involving the Mills Crossing Subdivision, which includes 120 acres that had been divided into seven parcels. Five of those parcels had already been sold, with six new water meters installed. It was clarified that no new roads were added, and existing roads (Creager Road and 240 Road) were being used. County officials agreed to cross out dedication language, ensuring no county responsibility for road maintenance would be assumed.
