by Paula Peterson,

asst to editor

The Jackson County Facilities Authority meeting was held at 9:30 a.m., just prior to the Commissioners meeting, on Monday, June 21. The minutes of the May 17 meeting were approved, with chair Anthony Fixico absent. Commissioner Dale Dunn substituted for him. County Clerk, Christi Hair gave the financial report. Jackson County sales tax is down a little at $112,047.90 and use tax is also down at $5,504.96. Interest earned was $19.45, and the total in the Facilities Authority account is $41,808.12.

There was no action taken on filing of disclaimer on Case No. CV-2010-22.

In new business, Christi Hair received a letter of engagement from Ralph Osborn to audit the Facilities Authority. Hair will submit the minutes and bank statements prior to the audit, which will cost $2000. Dunn mentioned he finally received a quote on fixing the front of the courthouse. It was from MidContinent Restoration Inc., with a base bid of $18,419. That excludes some materials. Dunn said he will go over the quote with Phil Burk. The Insurance adjuster had originally estimated $18,000-$20,000 for the job and the County has received $8,000 upfront to begin repairs.

The meeting adjourned at 9:45 a.m.

Between the Facilities Authority meeting and the Commissioners meeting, Dunn spoke with Phil Burk. Since the repair amount on the front of the courthouse will exceed $10,000, the process will have to be performed on a bid basis. Dunn reiterated the information he had said in the former meeting for those officers that were not present. Dunn said Joe D. Hall thinks the job will end up being much bigger than expected. Inspections should determine whether other fascia could fall off the other courthouse walls.

The minutes of the Monday, June 14 meeting were approved, along with a blanket purchase order for the Health Department. There were no reports. During the officer's reports, Christi Hair reported that the county employee retirement will go up to 16.5 percent, beginning July 1 (2010-2011). The elected officials remained at 15.5 percent. Next year (2011-2012), the elected officials will go up to 16.5 percent and the employee rate will remain the same.

Dunn reported that lightning hit at the gravel pit and there will be an insurance adjuster coming to assess damage.

Multiple leaks in the water pipes have sprung in the courthouse. Leaks in Judge Darby's office and one in Christi Hair's office will be repaired. Gerald Sherill Jr. said the roof is still leaking over the Assessor's Office.

Dunn also reminded officers on the CBRI funding school in Clinton tomorrow at noon. He also said the Bid school had good attendance, with about 30 people showing up.

The Jackson County Blood Drive will be held July 15. Posters will be on display. Sign-up sheets will be available for appointment times. The donations will be given in the Blood Mobile in the north parking lot.

County Treasurer, Janet Wright, presented the information on the Treasurer's resale deeds from the June 14 sale. The number of parcels prior to the sale was 66, with 19 sold on June 14. Fifteen parcels were sold to individuals, and four to the county. The total funds collected prior to the sale from taxes, mowing, demolition, interest and fees was $49,243.39. Total dollars collected on those sole to individuals was $17,469.82. For the parcels sold to the county, $14,150.84 was lost. Wright's office is already planning for the next sale.

The commissioners approved the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) having a yard sale in the south parking lot of the courthouse on July 10. This sale will benefit their operational expenses.

The commissioners approved agreements between Jackson County and both Muskogee Youth Services for $23.27 per day per child and Texas County for their Texas County Juvenile Detention Center for $29.36 per day per child.

The Oklahoma State Auditor's Office recommended changes in compensation for people employed by the JC Election Board. Now they will be paid for their time, not be given comp time off. The entity which is holding the election will need to reimburse the county for this time. This will apply to school elections, municipal and special purpose elections. The commissioners adopted this procedure with Resolution 2010-36.

The transfer of $650 was approved from the OSU Extension Office M&O account to the travel account.

In new business, Dunn said he received a bill from the Auditor's Office which shows costs and funds expended. No payment was necessary.

County Emergency Management Director Jerry Gibson presented the commissioners with information on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds received to this point. These include funds for the December snow storm and the Jan.-Feb. ice storm. FEMA reimburses certain claims at a 75 percent rate, while the county will receive reimbursement for allowable claims at a 12.5 percent rate from the state. These funds will take a lot longer to receive. The county's share is also 12.5 percent. Combining these two weather-related disasters, District 1 has now received $15,302.55; District 2 - $9,920; District 3 - $10,917.11; Sheriff's Office - $11,437.02. The total received is $47,576.68. Reimbursement for road repairs and debris have not been included yet. Gibson said money for debris abatement is running out, but Jackson County has been able to have their debris reimbursement locked in at $201,000. Road repair, minus gravel and ongoing work is guestimated at $73,000. This will need to be audited when done.

There were no public or vendor participation items. The claims were all approved. The meeting was adjourned at 11 a.m.