Lincoln County commissioners voted 2-1 this week to approve redistricting of the three county commissioner districts.
The redistricting takes effect Jan. 1, 2022.
On Tuesday, the day following the meeting, Assistant District Attorney Randall Wiley during a phone interview confirmed the effective date. He pointed to a state statute that says, “The vote has to be recorded in a resolution.”
He further noted, “The statute also says the resolution has to state an effective date. I’ve asked the County Clerk Alicia Wagnon to place on the next commission meeting agenda an item to correct the resolution according to the statute.
“The statute says the effective date of the redistricting shall be Jan. 1, 2022. The effective date is not optional,” Wiley emphasized. “It’s set by statute.”
During Monday’s meeting, Chairman Lee Doolen had said the redistricting actually takes effect 15 days following the November 2022 election.
District 2 Commissioner Marlon Miller made the motion to move District 1 into Prague and District 3 to the west end of the county. District 1 Commissioner Carl Munson seconded it.
Miller and Munson voted in favor and District 3 Commissioner and chairman of the commission Lee Doolen voted against it.
Doolen started off the discussion by saying, “I don’t agree with this at all. A lot of people in Prague don’t agree to this either,” he noted.
Miller stated, “We’re elected to represent the entire county and our district. This is closer to making it even. The north side of the county has less population.”
He also said, “Historically, the districts have split the money three ways.”
A Prague area resident, who said he had worked for the city of Midwest City 40 years, claimed, “I don’t know of anyone in Prague who likes this. We’re not in favor of this,” he said.
Munson asked the man, “Are you in favor of allocating the money to the extra miles? Forty-four percent of bridges 20 feet and over are in my district,” he told the Prague resident.
Munson also said, “Before I vote on this item, we need to talk about the next agenda item.” That item was to discuss reallocation of county funds in light of redistricting.
However, later, while they were still discussing redistricting, Wiley told them, “Your options are either to approve it or talk about it some more. You’re running out of time,” he reminded them, concerning the deadline to have redistricting completed.
“It’s the only way to get it done,” Miller asserted. “It’s been wrong for a long time. This is something we’ve been working on a long time. You have a piece of the pie that is less traveled and a piece of the pie that is more traveled,” he said.
Doolen believed, “This is a pretty drastic change. I can’t vote for this. I can’t make a decision on the money without a formula,” he added.
Doolen actually made a motion that he believed was better, but that motion died when it failed to get a second.
Miller further noted, “It’s the only way to get it close,” while later acknowledging, “I know it’s going to be tough on Lee.”
In other action, the commissioners awarded a bid of $54,500 for the purchase of a water tender apparatus for the Kendrick Fire Department.
Paul Simpson, Rural Fire Defense coordinator for the Central Oklahoma Economic Development District (COEDD), reviewed and recommended the only bid submitted from Combined Volunteer Fire Department in Texas be approved.
He explained $30,000 of that will come from Kendrick Fire Department’s sales tax money and the remaining $24,500 will come from the Town of Kendrick.
The commissioners approved a REAP grant application for District 2. Miller advised them the money will be used to fund about one-half mile of a county road with four inches of asphalt.
They approved a Service Dog Etiquette Class in Safety Training Schedule for $600. County Clerk Alicia Wagnon said the woman teaching the class will teach up to three classes in a single day and as many people who want to attend may do so.