By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
EL RENO – With one new Canadian County commissioner already seated and a second to follow soon, two important documents have been signed as part of the transition.
Canadian County Commissioners, at their weekly meeting Dec. 19, voted 3-0 to approve resolutions for “final inventory audits” for District 1 and District 3.
These audits are conducted whenever an elected county commissioner leaves office to ensure county-owned property remains in the county’s possession and is accounted for.
District 1 Commissioner Marc Hader will leave office Dec. 31 after serving two, four-year terms. His successor is Tom Manske, who won the June 28th Republican primary and will begin his county service on Jan. 1, 2023.
“This is done anytime there’s a change in leadership,” Commissioner Hader said. “With Tom coming in and my going out, we want to make sure that I haven’t sold something I shouldn’t have, or I haven’t taken something to the house (the belongs to Canadian County).”
There are no negative findings in District 1’s final inventory audit report.
New District 3 Commissioner Tracey Rider, also elected in this summer’s primary, already has been serving for about four weeks.
Rider is finishing an expired term because past Commissioner Jack Stewart resigned Nov. 22 to join the Oklahoma State Senate.
Stewart, the new District 18 senator, spent 12-1/2 years as Canadian County’s District 3 commissioner.
The only item listed in District 3’s final inventory audit report is a “spray unit that had been previously sold by the district, but the inventory record card had not been disposed of timely.”
District 3 personnel will “prepare a resolution to dispose of the item when allowable to correct the official record.”
District 1 and District 3 staff performed the inventory audits “for each other,” Commissioner Hader noted, sharing his appreciation.
They visually verified 100% of the fixed assets on file and visually inspected 100% of the consumable inventory on hand.
Final inventory audit resolutions were signed by District 1 chief deputy Lacey Dawson, District 1 foreman Justin Atkinson, District 3 chief deputy Dean Walker, and District 3 receiving officer Jennifer Conner.
Both District 3 Commissioner Rider and District 1 Commissioner-elect Manske will receive the oath of office in early January to start the next four-year term.
Also being sworn in will be County Assessor Matt Wehmuller, elected without opposition to his fourth term.
New Canadian County Treasurer Jay Arnold will officially begin the next four-year term July 1. He was elected without opposition after Carolyn Leck announced she was retiring with one year left on the current term.
TRENCHING COUNTY ROADS
Canadian County’s right-of-way permit application is being amended.
County commissioners, at their Dec. 19th meeting, approved adding language that requires pre-approval to trench county roads.
“I would never allow a utility (company) to trench across a paved road,” Chairman Dave Anderson said.
In other business, county commissioners approved:
- An Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) county road action report showing 4-1/2 miles of Waterloo Road in District 1 – four miles east of Cemetery Road and one-half mile west of Frisco Road – are not Canadian County’s maintenance responsibility.
- Seeking bids to install a generator at the District 2 shop. This is a significant investment – but one that’s needed due to power outages, Commissioner Anderson noted.
- Seeking bids for used vehicles for the County Sheriff’s Office. These will be Dodge Chargers, 2019 or newer models.
Undersheriff Kevin Ward presented the weekly Canadian County jail report showing 226 inmates in custody, with 195 prisoners at the El Reno detention center and 31 in other counties.
