Struggle to keep the Okmulgee County Courthouse heating and air system operational took center stage Monday morning, as county commissioners voiced mounting frustration over equipment damage, delayed repairs and questions of responsibility.

The Okmulgee County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session Monday, approving routine business while tabling a major service agreement after an extended and candid discussion about courthouse HVAC issues that have left some county offices without proper climate control for weeks.

After opening the meeting with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, commissioners approved the minutes from the Jan. 5 meeting and moved through standard agenda items, including blanket purchase orders, employee forms (donation of sick leave along with two new employees and one employment ceased) and utility permits (with Beggs Telephone in District 1).

— HVAC agreement sparks lengthy discussion

The most detailed discussion of the morning focused on a proposed maintenance agreement with Trane for the courthouse’s heating and cooling systems – equipment commissioners said has been plagued by repeated failures tied to wildlife damage, lightning strikes and installation concerns.

“This has been a nightmare,” one commissioner said, expressing frustration over recurring problems and extended downtime. “I really don’t think it’s the responsibility of three county commissioners and a sheriff and undersheriff to go up there and fix these holes.”

County officials described how squirrels and birds have accessed rooftop units through unsealed openings, chewing wiring and disabling systems. One commissioner said the wiring itself has become an attraction for animals.

“The wiring is made out of soybean oil,” he said. “They’re going in there and eating it because the bottoms have been left open.”

Another commissioner added that the damage could have been prevented if openings had been properly sealed during installation.

“In my personal opinion, they should have sealed the hole back up,” he said. “If they’d done that, we wouldn’t be having this issue.”

A Trane representative explained the agreement under consideration was a preventative maintenance contract rather than a full repair service agreement.

“It’s a four on-site visit inspection per year that includes the heating annual, cooling annual and all filter changes,” he said. “These are very state-of-the-art units. They’re reliable, but they have to be maintained properly.”

He noted the agreement also covers control systems, including cybersecurity checks and firmware updates.

“This looks at the overall system health from the control standpoint, and it also checks for cybersecurity and does firmware updates,” he said.

Assistant D.A. Carmen Rainbolt questioned whether the agreement addressed their primary concern of timely repairs when systems fail.

“It’s not a service agreement from the standpoint of sending a man out to fix a problem, the way that I interpret it,” he said. He cited an example where the DA.’s office’s unit had been down for six weeks while waiting on parts.

The Trane representative acknowledged delays but said many replacement parts are specialized and not typically stocked in the United States.

“These Mitsubishi units are from Japan,” he said. “They do stock a lot of parts here in the States, but these are odd parts. Typically, they’re fairly bulletproof units.”

Commissioners also raised safety concerns about loose panels left on the roof.

“I’ve had to go up there myself and put metal pieces back on,” one official said. “If the wind grabs that, it could chop somebody’s head off.”

The Trane representative said he would personally inspect the roof with a technician.

“I’m here. I will go on the roof and take a look and see what we can do,” he said. “I don’t want you guys spending money on things such as squirrels, because that looks bad for me.”

Despite the back-andforth, commissioners emphasized that their concern was fiscal responsibility.

“That’s taxpayers’ money,” one commissioner said. “We’re responsible for every dollar of it. We just want it to be working efficiently.”

After the discussion, the board voted to table the agreement to allow commissioners time to further review its scope and determine whether a more comprehensive option would better serve the county.

— Tax allocations, reimbursements approved

Commissioners approved allocations of both alcoholic beverage tax and motor vehicle tax funds, noting seasonal fluctuations in revenue. Reimbursement claims for the district attorney and the county election board secretary’s salary were also approved without objection.

An agreement with the Muscogee Nation concerning a bridge project was approved, as was a required Hazardous Communication and Exposure Control Plan. Officials noted the plan was mandated by the Oklahoma Department of Labor and stemmed from findings related to a previous incident, bringing the county into compliance with workplace safety standards.

— Road maintenance cooperation discussed Commissioners also discussed ongoing concerns related to 158 Road, a quarter-mile stretch near Okmulgee Lake that lies within city limits following annexation. Commissioner Steve Ward explained they have received repeated calls from residents requesting maintenance, despite the road no longer being under county jurisdiction.

Commissioners said the county and city have reached a one-time cooperative agreement to repair the road.

— P-Card process restarted

A letter of intent to reacquire a county purchasing card (P-Card) was approved, restarting the application process through the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES). Officials said the previous attempt had not been completed and that the county would begin the process anew.

Commissioners also approved cash fund appropriation requests and payment of claims.

— EM report highlights drought, fires Emergency Management Director Jeffrey Moore provided a detailed report, noting the county has responded to 13 grass fires and is now classified as being in moderate drought conditions. Moore urged residents to avoid unnecessary burning, especially during windy conditions.

Moore also reported progress on implementing new countywide safety software, completion of annual injury reports for the Oklahoma Department of Labor and ongoing road grant work. He noted the county recently activated its Emergency Operations Center for the first time this year as severe weather narrowly missed producing tornadoes locally.

“No moisture is expected over the next 10 days,” Moore said, adding that residents should remain cautious due to dry conditions.