Lincoln County commissioners took their midmonth meeting to Prague Tuesday, talking briefly about an upgraded and enlarged County Facility that could include a jail, judicial facilities and county administrative offices.
But Chairman Lee Doolen said, “That’s not coming anytime soon because it carries an estimated $40 million price tag.”
That led to his comments about providing ambulance service to the rural areas in Lincoln County, as he noted that “Stroud and Chandler are subsidizing services now. I know Chandler is wanting to pull back to the city limits,” Doolen noted.
Doolen said the ambulance issue would require a millage increase or probably a ¾ cent sales tax to fund it.
Paul Simpson, Rural Defense Fire Coordinator for the Central Oklahoma Economic Development District (COEDD) asked Doolen, “Thought you were going to take it to the public for a 522 Ambulance District”?
Doolen’s response was, “We’re getting input from the people now.”
The question arose would this allow the smaller communities to each have an ambulance?
Doolen said the service would be set up through an Authority and added, “If the community desired to.”
Simpson mentioned that REACT Ambulance Service covers part of Jacktown, Meeker and Prague now, noting that Midwest City covers part of Jacktown and Wellston currently.
The commissioners, following discussion, tabled awarding a bid for Fairground lighting until their March 2 meeting.
Brad Russell, owner of A&B Electric, Inc., spoke up on the issue. He told the commissioners he had submitted the low bid by $10,000 and that his bid met all the specifications required. Yet, he said, he knew nothing about the Lincoln County Fair Board meeting and only one of the three contractors who had bid on the project being invited to it.
“Only one of the three contractors was invited after the bid opening,” he advised the commissioners.
The Fair Board recommended to the commissioners that the high bid by Jackson Electric be accepted.
Commissioners decided to table the issue and asked that all three contractors be invited to the March 2 commission meeting along with members of the Fair Board’s executive committee.
On another item, the commission agreed to sign a contract with Jon’s Mid America Fire Apparatus for the Fallis Fire Department for a Used 1999 Pumper for $39,000. The amount was the low bid by $25,000.
In other business:
-Commissioners approved interlocal jail agreements with the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and City of Chandler.
-Accepted and signed a Plat for an addition named Scissortail Estates for Lincoln County Investments.
-The commission approved a resolution reimbursing $3,184 received from the Lincoln County Inmate Trust Fund to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s General Fund Medical Account. -They approved a resolution accepting a reimbursement of $531.66 from the Stroud Regional Medical Center to the Sheriff’s General Fund Medical Account.
-A resolution was approved appointing requesting, receiving, inventory officers for District 2.
-A resolution was adopted to declare property as surplus and disposing of the property for District 3.
-Another resolution was approved accepting a policy implementing digital signatures in Lincoln County. County Clerk Alicia Wagnon said Lincoln County is the first county in Oklahoma to do it.
The next commission meeting will be at 9 a.m., March 2, at the courthouse in Chandler.