The Jackson County Commissioners met for their regular Monday meeting on August 20, at 10 a.m. Commissioner Anthony Fixico was absent, and an item, stated below, was tabled until his return.

The minutes from last meeting on Monday, Aug. 13 were approved.

A report from the Election Board was approved.

In Officers’ reports, Commissioner Chair Marty Clinton reminded the officers that today, Tuesday, Aug. 21, Legal Shield will be at the courthouse to meet with employees regarding their legal services.

There were no blanket purchase orders.

The Jackson County Commissioners didn’t think they’d receive state CIRB funding for 2017, but they will. Those funds are rotated around the counties, slated five years ahead of time. Commissioner Cary Carrell said this year, Jackson County is in line to receive $2 million for a project. The commissioners will need to figure out just where they wish to spend this money to benefit the county most. With Fixico absent, Carrell said it would be difficult to come to a consensus at this meeting to select a project.

District 3 was in line for the next funds, Carrell said. He recognized that there are two projects that are equal in importance to the county that could benefit from this funding.

In District 3, the City of Altus and some business owners have formed a consortium with Jackson County to re-construct Ridgecrest-Carver Road. That area receives a lot of business traffic and Carrell estimates it would cost about $600,000 to $700,000 per mile. The total project would eventually include one-mile sections of Ridgecrest, Carver, Market and the road in front of the compress, Carrell said.

In District 1, Clinton has been lining up funds for the Navajo School Road project. In addition to other funding, he has a $500,000 STP grant based on the traffic that uses that road. Clinton said he could probably get another grant for the project in 2017, just because of the traffic. From Navajo School to Friendship, Clinton estimated that $1 million more will complete the project. If the County put the CIRB funds on the Navajo Project, they could give what’s left over to the Ridgecrest project, Clinton said. He said they have 500 kids that are trying to get to school safely everyday, and he’s trying to provide a decent way to get from Altus to Navajo School, using Racetrack Road.

Commissioner Carrell said that other way Clinton is trying to devise to Navajo is a third way to get there. The Ridgecrest-Carver roads are the only way to get to some businesses. The City of Altus is hoping that their money, Clinton said, could come from Sen. Inhofe’s funding. Carrell said there would be enough money to complete both projects eventually, but Clinton asked about 2016 funding. Carrell replied he didn’t know. Clinton suggested another option; they might think about splitting the money between the two projects.

It made the most sense to the commissioners to involve Fixico in the discussion and decision-making, so Carrell asked to table the issue until next week’s meeting.

In new business, Clinton said they’d received notice of a Marshal’s Sale against Tammy Renee Hayward.

The claims were approved and the meeting adjourned at 10:21 a.m.