Hennessey Board of Trustees member Richard Simunek quizzed Kingfisher County commissioners Monday regarding the county sales tax funds dedicated to fire departments.

County commissioners earlier approved a Hennessey Fire Department request to solicit bids to expand the current fire station.

Commission Chairman Heath Dobrovolny confirmed the amounts of money in the Hennessey Fire Department’s sales tax accounts – $744,693 in the half-cent account and $251,648 in the quarter-cent account – and observed that the department had done a good job in saving its funds over the years.

Simunek inquired if the funds would have to be transferred to a Hennessey town account to be expended, to which Dobrovolny explained that the funds belonged to the Hennessey Fire Department to be drawn out as needed.

Simunek also asked if the sales tax funds would be available in the future, citing the department’s plans to buy a $900,000 vehicle after the $1 million station project is completed.

Dobrovolny and District 1 Commissioner Jeff Moss explained that the sales tax funds would be available as long as county residents continue to approve levying the tax. The taxes are allocated to each county fire department equally. Dobrovolny said that because of recent oil drilling activity in the county it appears that substantial sales tax funds will be available in the future.

The taxes are collected by the Oklahoma Tax Commission and allocated to local government entities based on tax election document approved by citizens.

The current taxes still have several years to go before they are up for renewal.

Regarding a question about the availability of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which the Hennessey Fire Department plans to use for partial payment of the fire station expansion, Dobrovolny said the validation request has been submitted to the Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector’s office.

County commissioners approved the department’s requested funding allocation at an earlier meeting. ARPA funds must be expended by 2026, Dobrovolny said.The sales tax funds are available until the accounts are depleted and cannot be used for any other purpose.

Asked if the ARPA funds could be used for water lines and fire plugs, Dobrovolny replied that regulations restrict usage to fire-fighting equipment and bunker gear.

Commissioners approved the second low bid – $229,000 – on a road grader for District 2 from Cummins Equipment on the motion of Clay Vincent. first deputy for Commissioner Ray Alan Shimanek.

Vincent, who represented District 2 at the meeting in the absence of Shimanek who has contracted Covid, said Shimanek asked that the low bid of Caterpillar – $199,000 – be rejected because of service concerns.

The Caterpillar sales representative, Dusty Bittle, left the meeting after commissioners approved the Cummins Equipment bid.

A third bid was received from Yellowhouse Equipment in the amount of $234,211. Commissioners opened the bids at a special called meeting Tuesday, Jan. 4, due to a mixup in the opening date in the bid publication, but tabled action until Monday’s regular meeting.

Commissioners accepted a sole bid of $12,000 from Anderson Equipment Co.of Edmond for the purchase of a 2015 Freightliner truck, which had been damaged in a roll-over accident.

They also approved a solicitation of bids for remodeling the new county health department and premium pay documentation for the county election board, monthly reports from the sheriff, county clerk, assessor, health department, a list of surplus equipment to be sold at the Circuit Engineering District auction sale at Elk City on March 11 and 12 and a request for a right-of-way permit for Ovintiv for a 12-inch water line located three miles east and three miles south of Kingfisher, District 1.

A Covid update from the state health department showed an increase of 27 cases in the county from last week. Cashion showed nine active cases, up three; Dover with no cases, down one; Hennessey six, up six; Kingfisher with 28 cases, up 14;Loyal with no change at zero cases; Okarche with 10, up five, and Omega with no cases, unchanged.