Last Updated on August 6, 2023, 2:52 AM | Published: October 3, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — The Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) met two times to handle County Business, and allocated $11,406,660 of our County’s portion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money from the federal government.
Monday’s meeting had the odd distinction of happening in two separate sessions. District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan and District 3 Commissioner Kevin Calvey were absent at the 9 o’clock meeting as they attended the funeral of former Secretary of State Kay Dudley. With only one Commissioner present, some formalities were handled before recessing to reconvene at 3:00 p.m.
Marty Peercy reports Local government
ARPA Allocation
One part of Oklahoma County’s ARPA allocation was $10,000,000 for “revenue replacement” to make up for deficiencies in collections during the height of the pandemic, which is still ongoing worldwide.
In an act referred to legally as “supplanting,” the Commissioners voted to move that allocation into the County’s General Fund Capital. This move allows the County to use ARPA funds as a supplement for costs of building a new Jail.
While perhaps technically legal, the federal government has distinctly prohibited the use of ARPA money for building new jails. In this case, the BoCC, like many other state, county, and municipal governments, moved one infusion of money into another spot to unencumber it from its intended source.
According to the agenda item, the money will be used for site acquisition, utility relocations, and environmental mitigation.
Jail Allocations
The Board also approved a long slate of ARPA allocations recommended by the Policy and Governance Committee, made up of deputies from each district. Those allocations weigh in at $1,406,660, largely for projects at the existing Oklahoma County Detention Center (County Jail).
- Avigilon System upgrades, Jail: $479,964
- COVID testing, Jail: $171,024
- PPE, Jail: $71,617
- Quarantine Pod, Jail, $58,530
- LiveScan Fingerprint, Jail: $17,577
- Full Body Scanner, Jail: $137,500
- Deep Cleaning, Jail: $4,915
- Undisclosed COVID-19 Amendment, Jail: $123,916
- COVID Medical Claims, Benefits & Retirement: $329,185
- COVID-19 PPE Nitrile Gloves, Jail: $9,447
- COVID-19 Disposable Face Masks, Jail: $780
- COVID-related Deaths-Cremations, Social Services, $2,205
There was no discussion of these items during the Commissioners’ consideration for funding. The difference between the line item of PPE for the Jail and the line items for specific kinds of PPE was not expressed.
Burn Ban
Following several weeks of drought, today Emergency Management recommended to the Board that a 14-day burn ban be initiated. Fire department officials across Oklahoma County concur on the need for the burn ban.
The burn ban was approved and will last for 14 days, ending on October 17 unless extended by the Board.
The BoCC will meet again on October 17 at 9:00 a.m.
Columnist covering local government in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County from May 2019 through June 2023.
