When Sequoyah County Commissioners earlier this month approved a special apportionment for stipends to be paid to the sheriff ’s office employees, conspicuously missing from those designated to receive the one-time lump sum was Sheriff Larry Lane.
That’s now been remedied with a resolution from the commissioners establishing the basic salary range for the sheriff.
A state statute has been passed that stipulates salary ranges and future adjustments allowed by law for county officers, and specifically provides the county the opportunity to utilize a new formula to increase the sheriff ’s salary, District 3 Commissioner Jim Rogers summarized last Monday at the commissioners’ weekly meeting.
According to the resolution, the basic annual salaries for county officers range from $19,000 to $49,500, and the basic annual salary for the sheriff ranges from $44,000 to $74,500.
In addition, the sheriff ’s compensation can be increased using the new formula, which is serviceability. The formula is based on the county’s population and gross assessed valuation pursuant to the state statute. For Sequoyah County, the most recent census shows a population of 39,281, and the total gross assessed value is $268,263,855. Using the formula, an additional $11,887.50 is available to compensate the sheriff.
The commissioners approved setting Lane’s basic salary at the $74,500 maximum, plus an additional $11,887.50 for serviceability, which increases Lane’s compensation to $86,387.50.
Proposals accepted
The Sequoyah County Commissioners on Dec. 16 voted to “accept as presented” all proposals for six-month road materials for all three districts in the county to ensure resources are available for county projects, but to award proposals based on cost, proximity and availability.
The awards are through June 30, 2025.
The move to accept all proposals is in keeping with previous procedures, and is a practical decision, because “if you get in a bind — if something catastrophic happens — and you had to use [other vendors] and you’ve not accepted them,” then it could negatively impact county work, District 1 Commissioner Ray Watts explained.
If the county needs to use a vendor whose proposal has not been accepted, the commissioners would have to put the item on a meeting agenda for approval. By awarding all proposals — prioritized based on cost, proximity and availability — the commissioners ensure their options for using the cheapest price depending on proximity and availability.
The commissioners said the practice is common among all other counties.
All the proposals will be reviewed to ensure all requirements have been met.
Those bids accepted for road materials were: Arkola/APAC, Coastal Energy Corp., Cullum Equipment Services, D.P. Supply Co., Emery Sapp & Sons, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Fensco, Job Construction, Logan County Asphalt Co., Longan Construction, McKenzie Asphalt, NSP Stone Supply, Robinson Construction, Stigler Stone Co., Stone Splitters Aggregates, Souter Construction, Terra Core Materials, Tulsa Asphalt, Vance Brothers, Wilson Culverts, and Wright Asphalt Products Co.
The commissioners also approved an agreement to work on private property by and between John Bird Jr. and Sequoyah County District 2. The private property is immediately behind the fire department building in Marble City. Flooding issues have plagued the property, and the agreement allows county crews to clean out the ditch to improve drainage.
