Kingfisher County commissioners re-elected the same officers for the year 2024 at their first meeting of the new year Tuesday.

District 3 Commissioner Heath Dobrovolny will continue to serve as chairman and District 1 Commissioner Jeff Moss will continue as vice chairman.

The action came on the motion of District 2 Commissioner Ray Alan Shimanek.

Commissioners began the policy of retaining the same officials at their 2023 meeting, ending a policy of rotating the presiding officers annually.

Shimanek made the motion to keep the same officers with a big smile.

He explained last year when he made the same motion that Dobrovolny and Moss who live in Kingfisher and vicinity can more easily handle the additional responsibilities that go along with the executive offices.

He dubbed Dobrovolny the “courthouse commissioner.”

Although commissioners have different titles, they work together harmoniously and have equal responsibilities in serving the county.

Commissioners took several actions advancing major road projects in Districts 1 and 2 Tuesday.

Commissioners approved purchase of rightof- way parcels near the Phillips Bridge over Kingfisher Creek on East Lemon Road at a cost of $18,699.24.

Moss said the bridge, a major local travel artery, which had been closed since May 2017 for safety reasons, is expected to see construction begin this year, possibly by May.

He said all environmental studies have been completed by the county and that state and federal funds have been secured to assist with the bridge replacement, projected to cost about $4 million.

The road is a busy local thoroughfare.

Two action items related to the Dover-Crescent Road received unanimous approval.

One right-of-way parcel purchase for $1,525.68 received approval along with another for six parcel purchases totaling $8,042.80.

The rights-of-way purchases are intended to reduce flooding along the Dover-Crescent Road, which is scheduled to undergo another three miles of paving added during the new year.

Commissioners approved right-of-way approval for Blake Production Co. to install a electric line across a road located seven miles east and one mile north of Loyal in District 3 and approved a transfer of a REAP grant totaling $17,456 from the county general fund to Rural Water District 3 for the purchase and installation of two backup generators at its well sites.

Deputy County Clerk Emily Lee served as minute clerk for the meeting.

Construction of a new courthouse parking area where the old jail was located has been completed and is awaiting the concrete curing process to end before opening for use.