Okmulgee County Treasurer, Vonna Lampkins, was at the Okmulgee County Commissioner meeting to talk about the recent county property sales. Fifty seven units were up for sale and 17 sold during the sale which leaves 38 still under county ownership. The treasures office made $9,990 off of the properties which included sale price, transfer fee, deed fees, recording fees, filing fees and pro-rated advertising cost.

Of the $9,990, $4,000 went to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to pay back liens leveraged against the properties.

“If a person goes into a nursing home without the ability to pay for the care then their house is seized,” Treasurer Lampkins said. “That tax lien on the property will follow that property indefinitely until it is settled, even if the property is sold to someone else.

There are other changes that are also affecting the property sales. In the past, if a home had four years of delinquent taxes against it it was automatically places on the resale list. A new rule will allow owners to get their properties pulled from the resale list if they pay taxes for the base year. However they are not required to then pay anything else.

“We have some people who will wait until they see their name pop up on the resale list, then they'll come down here and pay off one year worth of delinquent taxes and we wont see them for another four years until they get put on the next resale list,” Lampkin said. “It stinks because it's cut down on our ability to get any money back from these delinquent properties which has drastically cut down on tax money going back into the county.”

Also approved:

Officer's Reports including Treasurer Office for the month of August in the amount of $60,977.89.

Utility Permits including District 1 Beggs Telephone company located 600 feet south of intersection.

Utility Relocation Agreement with ONEG and ONEOK.

County Deeds on the property acquired at Resale.

Contract Agreement for Emergency Management Program Grant. This is the yearly contract in the amount of $25,000 for the emergency management program for the fiscal year.

Reimbursment claim for Election Board Secretary's salary for the month of August in the amount of $3,476.41.

No other business.