EMS discussion on residents outside of boundary lines

I have become aware of a critical issue that will be coming before the Board of County Commissioners on Monday, March 2, that will affect the health and safety of a large number of our rural population: Emergency Medical Services.

Currently, these services are contracted to the City of Guthrie using their ambulance services by the Guthrie Emergency Medical Services (EMS) District. This district’s boundaries are the same as the Guthrie School District boundaries by statute. The citizens inside this district pay a 3 mil ad valorem tax for these services. The citizens outside this district do not. Soon they will be unable to provide these Guthrie area services to the non-paying citizens outside their area.

In our south county area, only citizens currently receiving Edmond utility services in Oak Tree Estates pay a utility surcharge to the City of Edmond for EMSA services. Edmond citizens have subsidized a few other areas in the south but that also is coming to an end.

Only Crescent and Cashion school district areas have EMS districts and pay 3 mils for those services. All other school districts do not.

I live in the Coyle School District so this affects me and my wife as well. Should the need arise, at best we may get a first responder from our local volunteer fire department, but, otherwise, it will be up to us or friends or neighbors to get one or both of us to an emergency room.

Again, this will be the discussion and possible action at our BoCC meeting Monday, March 2 at 9 a.m.

Recent sleet storm and cold weather has hampered our ability to maintain and rebuild our roads.

We have ordered two tin culverts for the intersection of Charter Oak and Post as well as for the closed bridge at Peebly and Simmons. Henney north and south of Hwy 105 is getting or will soon get gravel as well. Post also will be getting gravel very soon between Charter Oak and Forrest Hill and a deal is being made with Woodcrest VFD for mining their new fire station site for dirt for road fill along Charter Oak. The new box bridge at Cooper’s Hill is close to concrete pour. And, as soon as we have a few days of over 45F weather, Midwest from Dolese Rd (CR 76) south will get paved.

Loves is moving equipment onto their new site on Hwy 33 in preparation of removing 40,000 cubic yards of material hopefully to the fill site we prepared on Seward at Midwest.

Harrah from Waterloo to Charter Oak and from Charter Oak and Pottawatomie Rd going north is about to be the recipient of 4-6000 cubic yards of an oil/Hennesee Shale mix authorized and permitted by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission beginning in early March. This makes an excellent road surface which will be huge for the citizens in this area.

On the NW corner of Midwest and Waterloo, get prepared for a new General Dollar Store.

Also , Logan County resident Craig Hawkins is building his new NAPA Auto Parts store on the Logan County side of Waterloo between Sooner and Coltrane.

The first distribution of the new 1/4 cent sales tax, according to the OTC, will finally be made available to our Road Districts the first part of April. In the meantime, the lower price of oil and gas has not affected our Gross Production revenue much yet.
Please remember, do not hesitate to contact me or my office with your observations or questions. We are here to serve you or help you to the best of our ability.