Last Updated on February 22, 2022, 12:10 PM | Published: February 22, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — The Board of County Commissioners of Oklahoma County (BoCC) met on Tuesday morning to handle routine business and three agenda items that were not routine.
The Commissioners voted to extend the county-wide burn ban for an additional 14 days as drought conditions continue.
They went on to approve another $30,000 contract for “expert consulting services” in pending litigation against the County for a death in the Jail.
And finally, the Commissioners approved an “energy efficiency” audit from OG&E, at no cost to the County.
Much of their time of the meeting was spent in executive session handling annual reviews of department heads.
Marty Peercy reports Local government
Expert Services
The BoCC approved a contract for “expert consulting services” with the TASA Group and David Medical Services, PLLC.
The contract calls for a private contractor, Ryan D. Herrington, MD, to review all records pertaining to a detainee’s medical state at the time of her incarceration at the Oklahoma County Detention Center. The Contractor will then provide expert testimony pertaining to the decedent’s medical condition.
Readers may recall that Free Press recently reported on a separate $30,000 contract for “expert services” in this same case.
Another item on Tuesday’s agenda pertaining to said case, was for a $2,000 contract for investigative services. District 3 Commissioner Kevin Calvey requested that item be stricken after a conversation with a representative of the District Attorney’s office.
Burn Ban
As central Oklahoma is still experiencing drought conditions, a county-wide burn ban has been extended for another 14 days.
Outdoor cooking on approved and safe equipment is exempted, but other fires are prohibited.
Readers who may be interested in exemptions from the burn ban should call their local fire department to seek guidance.
The BoCC will meet again before the current ban expires, and will consult with Emergency Management to determine if the ban should be extended further at that time.
Personnel
Ten department heads from the County had annual reviews during the BoCC’s executive session on Tuesday.
After the Commissioners returned to open session, Commissioner Calvey moved for a 2% salary increase for each of the department heads, retroactive to the beginning of 2022.
Calvey explained that this wasn’t the final word on salary increases, but that this would be a base for individual increases.
The Commissioners passed the raise unanimously.
Energy Audit
Keith Monroe, Facilities Director for the County, brought an item to the BoCC, and a companion item to the Public Buildings Authority (a public trust made up of the County Commissioners). The items requested permission to allow OG&E to perform an energy efficiency audit of the County’s facilities.
OG&E offers this service to schools, governments, and large industrial/commercial facilities.
When the audit is completed, Monroe’s team will be able to identify upgrades and improvements to make County buildings more efficient.
OG&E, through this program, is able to subsidize those improvements.
The BoCC meets again on March 7 at 9:00 a.m.
Columnist covering local government in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County from May 2019 through June 2023.
