Dec. 21 – Rogers County commissioners pushed aside several agenda items during their regular Monday meeting.
One such agenda item was a proposal to create a provincial employee benefits program to recognize outstanding provincial employees. Commissioners Dan DeLozier and Ron Burrows decided to wait until the Jan. 6 meeting to take action because District 2 Commissioner Steve Hendrix was absent.
Todd Wagner, the county’s attorney, said state law gives county commissioners the authority to create such a program, for which he had written a draft resolution.
“The best approach would be to have the Board of County Commissioners recognize this authority and then pass a resolution endorsing that,” Wagner said. “The statute provides that each department and division office may expend funds from its operating funds for recognition awards, and that those awards may be presented at a formal luncheon and banquet ceremony.”
Wagner said his resolutions allow each county department to set their own standards for recognizing their employees.
Burrows said he liked the idea, but wanted to set limits on how much each department could spend on awards since they would be funded with taxpayer money. Wagner said the statute does not address boundaries, so the commissioners could likely set them if they wanted.
“I don’t want another line item to appear in our budgeting process,” Burrows said. “…I think there really needs to be some very specific parameters around how much money can be spent.”
The commissioners also accepted a $50,000 quote to repair or remove a faulty microwave link between Chelsea and Rogers State University.
Catoosa Fire Chief Dicus Benton said commissioners will have to make a decision next week because Rogers County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Jon Sappington was not at the meeting.
They also decided to reject the only bid the county had received for a shipping container for the shooting range the sheriff’s office was building.
The sheriff’s office sent out five bids but received one in return: a $7,300 quote from Technology International, based in Lake Mary, Florida.
DeLozier said the offer was excessively expensive, and Burrows said he would prefer to source a shipping container from a local seller.
“Do we need to have this shipped here from Florida?” Burrows said. “I appreciate their offer, I really don’t want to discount that, but I know Catoosa has two [vendors] that just comes to mind.”
Most of the items commissioners approved Monday were purchases or contract agreements.
Commissioners approved a $225,000 contract with Shuterra, a vegetation management company based in Kingfisher.
Burrows said he has had problems with tall Johnson grass, a weed that grows along many county roads, and that hiring Shuterra would make it cheaper for the county to manage. He said it could take several years for improvement.
DeLozier said hiring Shuterra would “damn sure” save the county a lot of money because his crews mow along county roads five times a year.
They also agreed to donate their $100,000 annual contribution to the Rodeo Arena Interlocal Cooperative, a trust that manages the Will Rogers Stampede Arena.
Burrows praised DeLozier for his work with the co-op and the improvements the trust has made to the arena.
The commissioners decided to dedicate the remainder of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to the operating costs incurred by the county in administering the funds.
Wagner said Dec. 31 is the deadline to obligate ARPA funds, and spending them to cover costs will ensure every cent is used.
“We spent this money very well and made sure we used it in a lot of different areas,” DeLozier said. ‘I think we were one [the governmental entities] which I think they did a good job.”
