County discusses switching to new phone plan

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Tuesday, the Custer County Board of Commissioners discussed switching to a fiber phone service plan for the courthouse with a representative from AT&T during its regular meeting Tuesday morning.

The board spoke with Shelby Womack, who said they had the option to continue with their current plan for $2,633.80 a month or switch to fiber for $1,960 plus. The courthouse has the fiber installed, but a technician would need to activate it. Womack said this would take about an hour and the individual phone lines only would be down for 5 minutes each.

Additionally, the new service would come with long-distance calling, which would save the county several hundred more dollars a month. The board took no action on this item, but Womack will be sending a 1-year contract for the commissioners to consider at a later meeting.

In other news, Shawn Bonner from Joe D. Hall General Contractors, LLC, said the courthouse window project is taking longer than anticipated due to weather and the crew using up vacation time in December.

Bonner said he expects the project to be finished sometime early spring with three more weeks of windows before moving onto the courthouse entrances.

The board approved the County Emergency Operation Plan. This plan needs to be updated and approved annually. The board also approved access permission to the emergency management grant portal.

The board approved a large stack of roadcrossing and right-of-way permits related to the Invenergy Traverse Wind Energy Center project in Districts 1 and 2. The board will continue to sign permits as sites are inspected.

The board approved a contract with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to purchase used equipment.

The board approved resolutions to surplus and dispose of a transfer pump and a heating and air unit for District 3. The board approved the assignment of Monte Gray as First Deputy Commissioner for District 2. The board approved receiving and requisitioning agents for District 3.

The board approved blanket purchase orders and purchase orders for payment. In unforeseen business, Emergency Management Director Mike Galloway said Custer County has been added to the FEMA disaster declaration for the October ice storm. Sheriff Dan Day introduced the new part-time accountant for the sheriff’s office and handed the commissioner’s a sheet outlining the some financial plans for the office.