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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
SENATE BILL 776 By: Stewart
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to county government; amending 19
O.S. 2021, Section 339, as amended by Section 1,
Chapter 333, O.S.L. 2022 (19 O.S. Supp. 2022, Section
339), which relates to the general powers of
commissioners; modifying certain authority; and
providing an effective date .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 19 O.S. 2021, Section 339, as
amended by Section 1, Chapter 333, O.S.L. 2022 (19 O.S. Supp. 2022,
Section 339), is amended to read as follows:
Section 339. A. The board of county commissioner s shall have
power:
1. To make all orders respecting the rea l property of the
county, to sell the public grounds of the county and to purchase
other grounds in lieu thereof; and for the purpose of carrying out
the provisions of this section it shall be su fficient to convey all
the interests of the county in those g rounds when an order made for
the sale and a deed is executed in the name of the county by the
chair of the board of county commissioners, reciting the order, and
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signed by the chair and acknowle dged by the county clerk for and on
behalf of the county;
2. To audit the accounts of all officers having the care,
management, collection or disbursement of any money belonging to the
county or appropriated for its benefit;
3. To construct and repair br idges and to open, lay out and
vacate highways; provided, how ever, that when any state institution,
school or department shall own, lease or otherwise control land on
both sides of any established highway, the governing board or body
of the same shall have the power to vacate, alter or relocate the
highway adjoining the property in the following manner:
If it should appear that it would be to the best use and
interest of the institution, school or department to vacate, alter
or relocate such highway, the go verning board or body shall notify
the board of county commis sioners, in writing, of their intention to
hold a public hearing and determine whether to vacate, alter or
relocate the highway, setting forth the location and terminals of
the road, and all data concerning the proposed right-of-way if
changed or relocated , and shall give fifteen (15) days ’ notice of
the hearing by publication in some newspaper in the county or
counties in which the road is located, and the hearing shall be held
at the county seat of the county in which the road is located, and
if a county line road, may be heard in either county. At the
hearing testimony may be taken, and any protests or suggestions
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shall be received as to the proposed measure, and at the conclusion
thereof if the governing board or body shall find that it would be
to the best use and interest of the institution, school or
department, and the public generally, they may make an appropriate
order either vacating, altering or relocating the highway, which
order shall be final if approved by the board of county
commissioners. The institution, school or department may by
agreement share the cost of changing any such road. No property
owner shall be denied access to a public highway by the order;
4. To recommend or sp onsor an employee or prospective employee
for job-related training and certification in an area that may
require training or certification to comply with state or federal
law as such training or certification is provided by the Department
of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, or any other
state agency, technology center school, or university;
5. To approve a continuing education program for full -time
county employees with at least five (5) consecutive years of service
to the county. Such programs shall consist of courses offered by
colleges and universities that are members of The Oklahoma State
System of Higher Education. Such programs shall require that
employees maintain at least an A or B average in order to qualify
for one hundred percent (100%) reimbursement. Employees who
maintain passing or satisfactory grades shall qualify for seventy -
five percent (75%) reimbursement under such programs. Such programs
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shall require that documentation from colleges and universities
regarding courses completed, credits earned and tuition charged be
submitted to a board of county commissioners within ninety (90) days
after the completion of courses. General applications and request
forms for such programs shall be submitted to a board of county
commissioners or an appropriate human resources department prio r to
the conclusion of a county ’s current fiscal year. Employees who
elect to participate in such programs shall continue to meet the
full responsibilities of their positions, and participation shall
not interfere with availability for scheduled work or n egatively
affect work performance. In order to be eligible for participation
in such programs, employees shall not have been formally disciplined
within one (1) year prior to submitting their pr ogram application.
A board of county commissioners shall be authorized to establish a
program requiring a one -year commitment of service to the county
from individuals who participate in such programs. Under such
programs, employees shall only be eligibl e to receive tuition
reimbursements in exchange for employmen t with the county lasting at
least one (1) year;
6. Until January 1, 1983, to furnish necessary blank books,
plats, blanks and stationery for the clerk of the district court,
county clerk, register of deeds, county treasurer and county judge,
sheriff, county surveyor and county attorney, justices of the peace,
and constables, to be paid for out of the county treasury; also a
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fireproof vault sufficient in which to keep all the books, records,
vouchers and papers pertaining to the business of the county;
7. To set off, organize and change the boundaries of townships
and to designate and give names therefor; provided, that the
boundaries of no township shall be changed within six (6) months
next preceding a general election;
8. To lease tools, apparatus, mac hinery or equipment of the
county to another political subdivision or a state agency. The
Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma
State University Center for Local Gover nment Technology together
shall establish a system of uniform rates for the leasing of such
tools, apparatus, machinery and equipment;
9. To jointly, with other counties, buy heavy equipment and to
loan or lease such equipment across county lines;
10. To develop personnel policies for the county with the
approval of a majority of all county elected officers, as evidenced
in the minutes of a meeting of the board of county commissioners or
the county budget board;
11. To purchase, rent, or lease -purchase uniforms, safety
devices and equipment for the officers and em ployees of the county.
The county commissioners may pay for any safety training or safety
devices and safety equipment out of the general county funds or any
county highway funds available to th e county commissioners;
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12. To provide incentive awards for safety-related job
performance. However, no employee shall be recognized more than
once per calendar year and the award shall not exceed the value of
Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00); further , no elected official
shall be eligible to receive a safety a ward;
13. To provide for payment of notary commissions, filing fees,
and the cost of notary seals and bonds;
14. To do and perform other duties and acts that the board of
county commissioners may be required by law to do and perform;
15. To make purchas es at a public auction pursuant to the
county purchasing procedures in subsection D of Section 1505 of this
title;
16. To deposit interest income from highway funds in the
general fund of the county;
17. To submit sealed bids for the purchase of equipmen t from
this state, or any agency or political subdivision of this state;
18. To utilize county -owned equipment, labor and supplies at
their disposal on property owned by the county, public schools, two -
year colleges or technical branches of colleges that are members of
The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, the state and
municipalities according to the provisions of Section 36 -113 of
Title 11 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Cooperative agreements may be
general in terms of routine maintenance or specifi c in terms of
construction and agreed to and renewed on an annual basis. Work
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performed pursuant to Section 36 -113 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma
Statutes shall comply with the provisions of this section;
19. To enter into intergovernmental cooperative agre ements with
the federally recognized Indian tribes within this state to address
issues of construction and maintenance of streets, roads, bridges
and highways exclusive of the provisions of Section 1221 of Titl e 74
of the Oklahoma Statutes;
20. To execute hold harmless agreements with the lessor in the
manner provided by subsection B of Section 636.5 of Title 69 of the
Oklahoma Statutes when leasing or lease -purchasing equipment;
21. To accept donations of rig ht-of-way or right-of-way
easements pursuant t o Section 381 et seq. of Title 60 of the
Oklahoma Statutes;
22. To establish by resolution the use of per diem for specific
purposes in accordance with the limitations provided by Sections
500.8 and 500.9 of T itle 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
23. To apply to the Department of Environmental Quality for a
waste tire permit to bale waste tires for use in approved
engineering projects;
24. To enter into the National Association of Counties (NACo)
Prescription Drug Discount Program;
25. To work with federal, state, municipal, and public school
district properties in an effort to minimize cost to such entities;
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26. To provide incentive awards to employees for participating
in voluntary wellness programs which resu lt in improved health.
Incentive awards may b e created by the Wellness Council set forth in
Section 1302 of this title;
27. To establish a county employee benefit program to encourage
outstanding performance in the workplace. Monies may be expended
for the purchase of recognition awards for present ation to an
employee or members of a work unit. Recognition awards may be
presented at a formal or informal ceremony, banquet, reception or
luncheon, the cost of which may be expended from monies available in
the county department ’s or division’s operating fund;
28. To trade in equipment to a vendor or on statewide contract
by acquiring used equipment values pursuant to subsection B of
Section 421.1 of this title; and
29. To expend federal funds made availabl e to a county of the
state through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security Act (CARES Act), Pub. L. 116 –136, or similar relief funds
according to the permissible uses of the applicable federal
legislation or guidance issued by any federa l agency thereof,
regardless of any lack of sp ecific state statutory authorization to
perform the duties or functions for which the federal government has
provided the funds. The expenditure of the funds in accordance with
the federal legislation or guida nce issued by any federal agency
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thereof shall be at the discretion of the board of county
commissioners.
The receipt of funding through the CARES Act or similar relief
funds shall not be considered a supplemental appropriation and shall
be exempt from the requirements of Section 1420 of this title. In
the event the period allotted for expenditure of federal funds
crosses fiscal years, such funds shall not be considered revenue
when setting the county ’s budget for the next fiscal year ; and
30. To enter into intergovernmental cooperative agreements wi th
local governmental units within this state of pursuant to the
provisions of the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Section 1002 et seq.
of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes .
B. The county commissioners of a county or, in counties where
there is a county budg et board, the county budget board may
designate money from general county funds for the designated purpose
of drug enforcement and drug abuse prevention programs within the
county.
C. When any lease or lease pu rchase is made on behalf of the
county by the board pursuant to the provisions of this section, the
county shall be allowed to have trade in values for transactions
involving the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act.
D. In order to timely comply with the Oklah oma Vehicle License
and Registration Act with regard to county vehicles, the board of
county commissioners may, by resolution, create a petty cash
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account. The board of county commissioners may request a purchase
order for petty cash in an amount necessar y to pay the expense of
license and registrat ion fees for county motor vehicles. Any
balance in the petty cash account after the license and registration
fees have been paid shall be returned to the account or fund from
which the funds originated. The co unty purchasing agent shall be
the custodian of the petty cash account, and the petty cash account
shall be subject to audit.
E. When the board of county commissioners approves an express
trust, pursuant to Sections 176 through 180.4 of Title 60 of the
Oklahoma Statutes, for the purpose of operating a county jail, the
trustees of the public trust may appoint commissioned peace
officers, certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and
Training, to provide security for inmates that are required to be
transported outside of the detention facil ity, and investigate
violations of law within the detention facility. Other personnel
necessary to operate the jail may be employed and trained or
certified as may be required by applicable state or federal law .
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2023.
59-1-912 BG 1/18/2023 7:01:26 PM