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| Updates From Commissioner Sharpton
Update From The Commissioner
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Update From The Commissioner Serving the People July 24, 2010 County commissioners are by statute the governing board of the county, but most of our daily work is done in the districts we are elected to represent.
District 1, in the southwest corner of Logan County, is the most heavily traveled and heavily populated part of the county. It is constantly growing. Areas that were just fields when I took office in 2003 are now housing additions and industrial parks. This tremendous amount of growth means we face a “moving target” of maintenance needs.
However, when I made the decision to run for office in 2002, I understood it was about serving the people, and after I was elected, that is what I and my staff set about doing.
We began by attending all the classes and meetings we could that pertained to county government. We learned about state and federal funding programs and how to qualify for grants. We networked with people and entities who could help us understand how to get complex projects programmed and moving.
I became involved in organizations such as the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, a regional planning organization.
For whatever reason, for several years, Logan County was not represented, nor did we have a voice outside of our county. I wanted to change that. I learned there was a wealth of opportunity and information out there that could help our people if we were not too afraid or too lazy to acquire it.
The result of those efforts is that District 1 has set a record in paving improvements. Through cooperative efforts, forty-three miles of roadway have been paved since 2003, with 6 1/2 miles done this year. These projects are all documented on various links on this website, or at logancountyok.com.
There are more improvements to come. Last Thursday, board members at the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments voted to include a three and one-half mile paving project on Western Avenue in the Transportation Improvement Plan. This means that in January 2011, money should be available to send the project to bid.
And that’s not all. Our requests to change the classification of various roads in Logan County from local roads to major collectors were also approved. This includes problem areas such as Simpson, from Sooner to Broadway, and Simmons, from Coltrane to Broadway. Once Federal Highway approves these requests, it opens up opportunities for major funding.
At District 1, we constantly have projects in the pipeline. We plan improvements in advance so that when funding becomes available, our projects move forward.
I have learned that there is a lot more to this job than I realized when I took office. But one thing has not changed. It is still about serving the people. And that is something I and my staff continue to do.
Update From The Commissioner Road District Funding - A Brief History
On November 18, 2002, just prior to Commissioner Mark Sharpton taking office in January 2003, the Board of Commissioners passed a resolution changing what had historically been an equal division of road monies in Logan County.
Rather than dividing road funds by thirds as most Oklahoma counties do, the Commissioners voted that 50% of the money would go to District 3, 31.7% to District 2 and 18.3% to District 1.
This decision crippled the ability of District 1 to provide adequate services to its residents. The inequity was obvious when in February 2003, District 1 learned their portion of road money would be $38,418 compared to $66,550 for District 2 and $104,969 for District 3.
Due to the efforts of Commissioner Sharpton and concerned citizens, on Feb. 28, 2003, funding for District 1 was increased to 28.3%, where it remained until Jan. 20, 2009, when the Commissioners finally voted to return to an equal division of funds.
In spite of several years of funding inequity, over 43 miles of paving improvements have been made in District 1.
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