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The Washington County Commissioners may look at changing the County's process for utility easement permits.

Commissioner Mike Dunlap said Nowata and Osage counties are having road boring firms post a $10,000 bond that is good for a year while Washington County has been asking the firms to submit a $100 check. Commissioner Mitch Antle agreed with Commissioner Dunlap that the bond process would be more beneficial in the long run. He said there will still need to be a permit process for individuals or the ones that don't operate regularly in Washington County, but the bulk of the County's regular operations could be covered by bonds.

Commissioner Antle said the bond process would be cleaner when it comes to road repairs. He said $100 doesn't cut it when it comes to fixing Washington County's roadways.

It has been said time and time again by the Washington County Commissioners that broadband infrastructure needs to be developed and pushed out. Commissioner Antle said changing the utility easement permit process by enabling a bond system would be Washington County's way of assisting the expansion of broadband infrastructure locally. He said the change would make the process cleaner and more effective for all involved.

The Washington County Commissioners said they'll do some research focusing on how to bring this process to life. Commissioner Antle said they'll put language together and discuss the item in their meeting on Monday, Nov. 16th. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m.