advertisements
News
Washington County
Posted: Jan 29, 2024 2:46 PMUpdated: Jan 29, 2024 2:46 PM
Washington Co. Commissioners Discuss Legislative Session
Nathan Thompson
The Washington County Commissioners spent several minutes of their Monday meeting discussing, but not taking any action on the upcoming state legislative session.
Commissioner Mitch Antle pointed out there are several proposed bills that have been filed.
Antle says the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma are tracking 183 bills so far that could impact county government. Antle says he is paying special attention to two bills that sound good in theory, but may have some unintendend consequences on Washington County.
Senate Bill 1580 would direct county commissioners to intervene on behalf of rural water districts during water shortages. Antle and Commissioner Mike Dunlap both agreed this is not something that should be done because some water districts cover multiple counties, hampering response.
Another bill, House Bill 3079, would limit the amount of land owned by state and federal government to no more than 10 percent. The commissioners say the bill might have some unintended consequences.
Antle says the federal government currently owns 5 percent of land in Washington County including Copan Lake, and the state owns less than 1 percent of land for highways and right-of-ways. The commissioners say the proposed legislation might not impact Washington County as badly as more rural counties. They say it is a bill with good intentions, but argued the amount of red tape that would be needed to calculate and enforce the proposed measure is too burdensome for county government.
« Back to News
