All Kingfisher County commissioners announced plans Monday to attend a Circuit Engineering District 8 meeting Wednesday in Alva where district auction policies are to be discussed.

Commissioners Heath Dobrovolny, District 3; Ray Alan Shimanek, District 2, and Jeff Moss, District 1, announced plans to attend the CED meeting where changes in the district’s used equipment auction requirements will be discussed.

Shimanek is Kingfisher County’s designated CED board member and regularly attends all meetings.

Commissioners throughout northwest Oklahoma have found it profitable to use the auction to dispose of surplus, mostly older, equipment, which often provides prices higher than trade-in values.

The major change in the auction policies is requiring an 8% removal penalty for equipment after it has been committed to the auction and sale booklets have been printed.

The Oklahoma Cooperative Circuit Engineering District’s board of directors has proposed the change. The 8% penalty will be determined by the OCCED board based on industry standards such as “Machinery Trader” and-or “Last Bid.”

If a county decides to purchase its equipment back, it will be required to pay the 8% commission fee (6% to the auctioneer and 2% to the CED).

If a county consignor feels there are extenuating circumstances to pull back equipment, the commissioner may attend an OCCEDB meeting to state his-her case.

Additionally, all titled equipment must have titles submitted in a timely manner so that VIN and other information are matched at time of delivery.

The CED board proposed changes also state that failure to comply with the new policies could jeopardize participation in future auctions.

The Northwest District auction normally is held at Elk City each spring.

Commissioners also approved calling for six-month bids on road and bridge materials and roadway work for all three districts. The bids are to be submitted by 4 p.m. Dec. 9 to the office of County Clerk Jeannie Boevers. The bids will be opened at the commission’s regular meeting on Dec. 12.

Commissioners are calling for bids early this year in order to avoid a problem they encountered a year ago. When they requested bids on oil and chip work, they received no bids because scarce commodity supplies had already been committed elsewhere by contractors.

Daniel Craig, small business manager for Chisholm Trail Technology Center, appeared at the meeting to report that CTTC is in the process of developing a Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL) training and testing center which is expected to open in the spring.

CTTC has purchased five acres north of Watonga for the center and has begun construction.

The Center will provide a more convenient location for companies and government entities who hire CDL drivers to send potential employees to gain required certification to operate big rigs.

Commissioners approved their meeting schedule for next year, which will be approximately the same as this year – 9 a.m. each Monday, except when a holiday falls on a Monday. On those weeks, the meeting will be held on the ensuing Tuesday.

They also set the board meeting schedule of the county 911 emergency calling center for 10 a.m. Jan. 17, Feb. 21, March 20, April 7, May 15, June 20, July 17, Aug. 21, Sept. 18, Oct. 16, Nov. 20, and Dec. 18.

Courthouse holidays for 2023 include Jan. 3, (a Monday since New Year’s Day falls on Sunday), Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 16; Presidents Day, Feb. 20; Easter-Good Friday, April 7; Memorial Day, May 29; Juneteenth, June 19; Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, Sept. 4; Columbus Day, Oct.9; Veterans Day, Nov. 10; Thanksgiving, Nov. 23-24; Christmas, Dec. 25-26.

Permits for pipeline crossings across county roads approved included:

• H.D.C. Ag – four-inch and 12-inch lines located three miles north and two miles east of Dover, District 2.

• McDonald Land Services – 12-inch line located four miles east and two miles north of Okarche, District 1.

• Ovintiv USA, Inc. – three-inch poly line located four miles west and two miles south of Loyal, District 3.

• McDonald Land Services – 12-inch lay flat line located four miles north and three miles east of Okarche, District 1.

Reimbursements from the state for the offices of election board and the district attorney offices also were approved.

Present besides the commissioners were Boevers as official minute clerk, and County Engineer Nik Smith.