After jokingly remarking he would skip over the COVID-19 report by City-County Emergency Management Director Steve Loftis at Monday’s county commissioner meeting because it was so depressing, Commission Chairman Ray Alan Shimanek invited Loftis to speak.

The county court clerk’s office, which was closed temporarily last week after one employee tested positive for the virus, was open again Monday after all other employees tested negative.

Loftis reported the county had 116 cases reported since the pandemic began, with 26 cases currently active.

(By Tuesday, the case count had risen to 119, with all but 25 cases recovered.)

Of those, Kingfisher has 16 cases, Okarche and Hennessey, four each, and Dover and Cashion, one each.

Loftis said that Gov. Kevin Stitt announced at a press conference Friday he would use federal funds to provide personal protective equipment (PPE’s) for state schools when they open. The state emergency management office will be tasked with that job. Loftis said he didn’t know yet if local offices will be required to be part of the operation.

During the action item portion of the meeting, commissioners approved state reimbursements for the election board and district attorney’s offices for the month of July, resolutions to dispose of surplus (outdated) computer equipment for the county treasurer’s office and a declaration as surplus of several items (a desk, laser printer, a computer and two scanners) for the county clerk’s office, four road crossing permits for Ovintiv Energy Co. and four for McDonald Land Services – all-temporary 12-inch water lines and all in District 3.

The Ovintiv permits are for the following sites: seven miles west and six miles north of Okarche, four miles west and two miles north of Okarche nine miles west and three miles north of Okarche and five miles west and two miles north of Kingfisher.

The permits for McDonald Land Services included the following locations: one mile north and one mile west of Okarche, two permits for one site five miles west and four miles north of Okarche, and one site five miles west and one mile south of Kingfisher.

District 1 Commissioner Jeff Moss and District 3 Commissioner Heath Dobrovolny joined Shimanek in making all actions unanimous.

County Clerk Jeanie Boevers, who served as minute clerk, and County Engineer Nik Smith also attended the meeting.