Last Updated on January 31, 2022, 2:44 PM | Published: January 31, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — In a brief special meeting of the Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) on Monday, the Commissioners approved a 14-day burn ban, and moved forward the renovation of the Courthouse Annex sixth floor.
Additionally, notice was given that the County’s Emergency Management Department, capably led by David Barnes, is watching the weather developing for later in the week.
Following executive session, the commissioners voted to accept the District Attorney’s office being removed as counsel in a Civil Rights case.
Burn Ban
Oklahoma County has been under a burn ban for the past 14 days, as of Monday.
At Monday’s meeting, Emergency Management Director David Barnes addressed the Commissioners on the topic.
Since there has been very little precipitation over the last month, and no strong hope of meaningful rain in the near future, 30 counties in Oklahoma have declared burn bans. Most of those counties are in proximity to the I-35 corridor running north and south through the center of the state.
The Commissioners voted unanimously to enact another 14-day burn ban for Oklahoma County.
Barnes reminded the commissioners that freezing precipitation like what is expected later in the week does very little to alleviate the conditions that could lead to fires, especially in high winds.
Annex Renovation
For the past several years the Oklahoma County Courthouse Annex, where most County business is done, has been undergoing extensive renovations, largely to ameliorate asbestos and to make the building more efficient and less unpleasant looking.
The next step in the process is to renovate the sixth floor of the building. That floor will hold the Public Defender’s Office, as well as the offices of County Commissioner Districts 1 and 3.
Currently, those offices are in renovated spaces in the Investors Capital Building that abuts the Annex immediately to the East.
The work has been awarded to Caddell & Co. LLC. The contract came through the State of Oklahoma’s Department of Job Order Contracting Performance, instead of being bid through the traditional County open bidding process.
The price tag for the work is $2,372,005.60.
Winter Storm
During comments from commissioners, BoCC Chair and District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan pointed out that bad weather is forecast for this week, and unlike recently, the forecasts are growing more dire as the weather approaches.
Maughan, on behalf of Barnes, reassured the commissioners and the public that the Emergency Management Department is keeping a close eye on the weather, and that the county will be prepared to meet the storm. County employees have been given a phone number they can call for updates on closures in the coming week.
DA Conflict of interest
When the Board returned to open session following an Executive Session a motion was made to accept the District Attorney’s Office refusal to represent the Board in upcoming litigation.
The DA’s Office is “conflicted out” of the case, according to counsel, meaning they have a conflict of interest and cannot represent the County in this case. The DA is the default legal counsel of the BoCC, and the County in general.
The reasons for declaring a conflict of interest were not discussed in open session.
The case, however, is a high profile one, and the details of the case may suggest why the DA would not be able to represent the County in the suit.
The case, styled Foreman et al. v. The County of Oklahoma County et al., may be remembered by readers as the “Baby Shark” case.
The four plaintiffs in the case allege that while incarcerated at the Oklahoma County Detention Center (Jail), detention officers subjected the detainees to torture by playing the children’s song “Baby Shark” repeatedly at all hours. The plaintiffs claim this torture denied them sleep, peace of mind, and mental health.
The suit, in the US District Court of the Western District of Oklahoma, names as defendants Oklahoma County, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority (Jail Trust), and the detention officers who are accused of the torture.
Free Press will continue to cover that suit and other litigation against the County relating to conditions in the Jail.
The Board of County Commissioners meets next on February 7 at 9:00 a.m.
Columnist covering local government in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County from May 2019 through June 2023.
