WAURIKA — There’s a clean-up process underway, but once three pieces of property have been tidied-up, the public will have an opportunity to obtain land within the Waurika city limits.

During a regular meeting on June 30, the Jefferson County Commissioners took action on five agenda items dealing with properties the county obtained through resale.

County Treasurer Ann Medlinger told the commissioners she was placing public notice in the News-Democrat to accept bids on a property once owned by Albert Early at 410 East C Street. The commissioners approved placing the legal advertisement, and Commissioner Billy Kidd said his crew had been working to clean up the property for future sale.

While the Early property is in District 1, two other pieces of property are in District 3, and Commissioner Loyd Kimbro said his workers were also in a clean-up mode. One property is at 214 West F, while the other is at 310 West F.

“The house on C (street) is fixable, and there’s already a lady who has bid on it,” Medlinger said. “One of those properties on F has a house on it, but the house is falling down.”

Medlinger and Kimbro both noted that because of the condition of one property on West F, residents have mistakenly thought the property was a public dump site. That’s not the case, however, and Kimbro was putting up No Dumping signs on the property.

The commissioners approved minutes Medlinger provided on the resale and also approved a financial statement for the Resale Property Fund.

Much of the meeting was spent addressing agenda items that are annual actions taken at the start of a new fiscal year, including renewal of service contracts, appointing receiving agents and handling county funds.

The commissioners approved the following:

- Receiving agents in county offices for FY ’10-11. (See accompanying list.)

- A contract with Keller’s Programming Service to license and support the treasurer’s system during the fiscal year.

- A contract with Red River Web Design to license and support the county treasurer’s office.

- A resolution directing Medlinger to place interest earned on T County Highway Funds/Investments into the General Fund.

- A resolution approving Medlinger’s request that it be made part of her office policy to waive penalty of $4 and under on property taxes, due to an increase in postage and phone services.

- A resolution for Medlinger to deposit money collected from a 1 cent sales tax and to disburse those funds to the Jefferson County Healthcare Authority. Those monies will be disbursed on the first of the month following collection.

- A resolution designating county depository banks.

- A resolution directing Medlinger to invest the county funds in the banks of Jefferson County for the fiscal year.

- A resolution directing Medlinger to deposit and disburse funds into and from the these accounts: REAP-2-Elevator; REAP 14-Grady County Building; REAP 15-Sugden; REAP 16-County Jail; REAP 17-Hastings; REAP-18-Capitol Improvement Plan; and, REAP-20-Claypool.

In other action, the commissioners had a rare split vote when they considered an item to create a resolution authorizing Medlinger and County Clerk Gloria England to open accounts 103 and 105 in the Highway Fund, and to deposit and dispense money from those accounts during FY ’10-11.

Those accounts are being opened to handle funds connected with bridge projects coming up in Districts 2 and 3, with those funds to be apportioned equally between the three districts.

Noting that a majority of the bridge projects are in District 2, Commission Chair Ty Phillips felt a larger percentage of funds should go into his district’s account. That led to a 2-1 vote of approval on a motion to split the funding equally in the three districts, with Phillips voting nay.

However, Kidd then made a follow-up motion in which he agreed to give up the District 1 portion of the bridge funds, with District 2 and District 3 to split the funding. That motion passed unanimously.

The commissioners also approved:

- A resolution directing Medlinger to reimburse the Jefferson County Election Board Personal Services General Fund Account, pursuant to Title 62, Section 335 of the State of Oklahoma Statutes.

- Action on an annual report for the fiscal year that ended on June 30 and estimate of needs.

- Payroll for the last pay period in June.

- Minutes from a June 21 regular meeting.