The Creek County Board of Commissioners’ regular meeting took place on Tuesday, February 18th (moved from Monday, the 17th, which was Washington’s Birthday, a federal holiday) at 9 a.m. at the Collins Building in Room 103. All three county commissioners were present, Chairman Newt Stephens from District 1, Leon Warner from District 2, and Lane Whitehouse from District 3, and Court Clerk Jennifer Mortazavi was also in attendance.
ACCO Deductible
Creek County Planner Wendy Murray spoke with the commissioners about using the ACCO (Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma) deductible fund to pay for damages sustained at the courthouse complex and jail during the May 2019 storms. There was considerable discussion about waiting for FEMA to reimburse the County for 75 percent of the $25,000.00 deductible that we had to pay for storm damage in excess of $140,000.00. The money has already been spent for repairs and the ACCO claims are to reimburse the county, particularly the jail fund, which took the brunt of the damage. This passed unanimously.
Alcoholic Beverage Tax
The allocation of Creek County Alcohol Beverage Tax is as follows: Total, $28,319.67. The lion’s share of the tax is for sales of alcoholic beverages in Sapulpa at $15,887.33. The smallest amount is for Shamrock at $79.30. This is a similar amount to the months in the past, even with the inclusion of the Superbowl expenditures.
Network Infrastructure Refresh
Another notable action concerned the bid for a Network Infrastructure Refresh (new internet and possibly phone system) for several County facilities, including the Collins Building on Lee, the CEM (Emergency Management) Building on Oak, the Election Board Building on Hobson, and the Drive-Thru Bank Building on Dewey. Safety, IT, and Human Resources Director Tim Quinton formally suggested choosing the bid from CastleCom, LLC, out of Tulsa. Commissioner Warner said he tended to agree and noted that they had the low bid. He calculated that a 3-year contract with CastleCom would roughly average out to $140,000.00, which is lower by $10,000.00 -$140,000.00 from the other bids.
Quinton also recommended overhauling the phone system in tandem with the internet infrastructure. It will cost less in the long run, and other county offices using the system have good things to say about it. It would be a “definite upgrade to what we have now,” said Quinton.
Commissioner Stephens and a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department both have high hopes for the company’s service, citing positive reviews from other county employees, such as those with the jail and Sheriff’s Department.
Warner inquired about the time frame for completing the updates, and Quinton responded that it was not clear, but that it would be in a timely manner. All 3 commissioners approved awarding the bid to CastleCom.
For detailed information on the project, including each item included in the “refresh,” visit the Invitation to Bid on the County’s website.
Logbook Contract
LOGBounty Treasurer Don Engle asked if the Creek County Safety Committee could purchase daily logbooks to log equipment used in the Highway Departments, and it was questioned why regular tracking of county equipment was not being done already.
Warner said that “it’s smart to keep records” and that this “needs to be happening” consistently in each district. He also suggested setting a budget for the Safety Committee in future years so they can make sure they have what they need to operate properly.
Treasurer Engle said they had bids from Merrifield Office Supply and Mid-West Printing Company, both in Sapulpa. He elected to proceed with Mid-West Printing’s bid of $855.00, which was considerably lower-priced, and this was unanimously approved by the three commissioners.
Public Welcome
The Creek County Commissioners meetings are held every Monday at 9 a.m., in the County Commissioners’ Conference Room, Suite 103, at the Collins Building, 317 East Lee. These meetings are open to the public. The current agenda can always be found here.
E. B. Thompson contributed to this story.
