Three new county officers, effective early next year, attended Tuesday’s weekly meeting of Kingfisher County commissioners.

Attending were Mike Sparks, District 2 commissioner; Emily Lee, county clerk, and Aaron Pitts, sheriff.

All three will take their new positions after an induction ceremony in the District Court room at the county courthouse on Jan. 2, 2025.

The three new officials will be succeeding three longtime county officers who are retiring at the end of their current terms: District 2 Commissioner Ray Alan Shimanek, County Clerk Jeannie Boevers and Sheriff Dennis Banther.

Actions taken during during the meeting included:

• Opening bids and tabling action on the Big 4 Fire Department headquarters project.

(Two bids were opened, one from Built Construction Co. of El Reno of $103,750 and the other from RPC Operating Co. of Kingfisher of $94,738. Action on the tabled bids is scheduled at next week’s meeting after study.)

• Approval of calling for new bids on labor and material to upgrade the courthouse electrical system.

• Approval of Katrina Hertensen as receiving offi cer for all sheriff and jail accounts.

• Approval of an interlocal agreement between HBACBuy and Kingfisher County, a state purchasing agreement.

• Appointment of Sparks as the commission’s rep-NEW resentative on the Circuit Engineering District No. 8 board of directors beginning in January. He will succeed Shimanek on the board.

• Approval of monthly reports for the offices of sheriff, treasurer, county clerk, assessor, court clerk, election board, health department and the court clerk’s preservation fund.

• Approval of appropriations for the month of October,

• Tabling action for additional study of a letter of support for Oklahoma Cooperative Engineering District board of directors for a low carbon transportation materials grant funding to reduce levels of embodied greenhouse gas emissions on Oklahoma’s county roads and bridges.

(A proposed letter says that 41 counties may benefi t from 58 road and bridge projects on the County Highway System under the grant initiative. Suggested enhancements include intersection improvement, grading, drainage and surface enhancements, resurfacing, widening of roads, emergency relief maneuvers, pavement rehabilitation and implementation of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resurfacing [3R] strategies.) • Approval of a final plat for Trail’s End (phase 1) housing development, changing tracts to lots, near Cashion. • Approval of a disaster emergency proclamation regarding flood damage, already done, of $150,000 or greater (a state-funded program). All commissioners were present – Jeff Moss, District 1, chairman; Shimanek, District 2, vice chairman, and Anthony Schwarz, District 3 – along with Pitts, Sparks, Lee, Boevers as minute clerk, James Matousek, assistant Hennessey fire chief, County Engineer Nik Smith and Gang Li, principal of Architects in Partnership (AIP) of Norman.