Okla. Stat. tit. 19, § 19-339

A. The board of county commissioners shall have power:

1. To make all orders respecting the real property of the

county, to sell the public grounds of the county and to purchase

other grounds in lieu thereof; and for the purpose of carrying out

the provisions of this section it shall be sufficient to convey all

the interests of the county in those grounds when an order made for

the sale and a deed is executed in the name of the county by the

chair of the board of county commissioners, reciting the order, and

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 19. Counties and County Officers Page 168

signed by the chair and acknowledged by the county clerk for and on

behalf of the county;

2. To audit the accounts of all officers having the care,

management, collection or disbursement of any money belonging to the

county or appropriated for its benefit;

3. To construct and repair bridges and to open, lay out, and

vacate highways; provided, however, that when any state institution,

school, or department shall own, lease, or otherwise control land on

both sides of any established highway, the governing board or body

of the same shall have the power to vacate, alter, or relocate the

highway adjoining the property in the following manner:

If it should appear that it would be to the best use and

interest of the institution, school, or department to vacate, alter,

or relocate such highway, the governing board or body shall notify

the board of county commissioners, in writing, of their intention to

hold a public hearing and determine whether to vacate, alter, or

relocate the highway, setting forth the location and terminals of

the road, and all data concerning the proposed right-of-way if

changed or relocated, and shall give fifteen (15) days’ notice of

the hearing by publication in some newspaper in the county or

counties in which the road is located, and the hearing shall be held

at the county seat of the county in which the road is located, and

if a county line road, may be heard in either county. At the

hearing testimony may be taken, and any protests or suggestions

shall be received as to the proposed measure, and at the conclusion

thereof if the governing board or body shall find that it would be

to the best use and interest of the institution, school, or

department, and the public generally, they may make an appropriate

order either vacating, altering or relocating the highway, which

order shall be final if approved by the board of county

commissioners. The institution, school, or department may by

agreement share the cost of changing any such road. No property

owner shall be denied access to a public highway by the order;

4. To recommend or sponsor an employee or prospective employee

for job-related training and certification in an area that may

require training or certification to comply with state or federal

law as such training or certification is provided by the Department

of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, or any other

state agency, technology center school, or university;

5. To determine the years of service required for full-time

county employees to qualify for a continuing education program.

Such programs may consist of courses offered by colleges and

universities that are members of The Oklahoma State System of Higher

Education as well as any other in-state or out-of-state programs or

courses which are relevant to the employee’s responsibilities as

approved by the county commissioners. Such programs shall require

that employees maintain at least an A or B average in order to

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 19. Counties and County Officers Page 169

qualify for one hundred percent (100%) reimbursement. Employees who

maintain passing or satisfactory grades shall qualify for seventy-

five percent (75%) reimbursement under such programs. Such programs

shall require that documentation from colleges and universities
at employees maintain at least an A or B average in order to

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 19. Counties and County Officers Page 169

qualify for one hundred percent (100%) reimbursement. Employees who

maintain passing or satisfactory grades shall qualify for seventy-

five percent (75%) reimbursement under such programs. Such programs

shall require that documentation from colleges and universities

regarding courses completed, credits earned, and tuition charged be

submitted to a board of county commissioners within ninety (90) days

after the completion of courses. General applications and request

forms for such programs shall be submitted to a board of county

commissioners or an appropriate human resources department prior to

the conclusion of a county’s current fiscal year. Employees who

elect to participate in such programs shall continue to meet the

full responsibilities of their positions, and participation shall

not interfere with availability for scheduled work or negatively

affect work performance. In order to be eligible for participation

in such programs, employees shall not have been formally disciplined

within one (1) year prior to submitting their program application.

A board of county commissioners shall be authorized to establish a

program requiring a one-year commitment of service to the county

from individuals who participate in such programs. Under such

programs, employees shall only be eligible to receive tuition

reimbursements in exchange for employment with the county lasting at

least one (1) year;

6. Until January 1, 1983, to furnish necessary blank books,

plats, blanks, and stationery for the clerk of the district court,

county clerk, register of deeds, county treasurer, county judge,

sheriff, county surveyor, county attorney, justices of the peace,

and constables, to be paid for out of the county treasury; also a

fireproof vault sufficient in which to keep all the books, records,

vouchers, and papers pertaining to the business of the county;

7. To set off, organize, and change the boundaries of townships

and to designate and give names therefor; provided, that the

boundaries of no township shall be changed within six (6) months

next preceding a general election;

8. To lease tools, apparatus, machinery, or equipment of the

county to another political subdivision or a state agency. The

Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma

State University Center for Local Government Technology together

shall establish a system of uniform rates for the leasing of such

tools, apparatus, machinery, and equipment;

9. To jointly, with other counties, buy heavy equipment and to

loan or lease such equipment across county lines;

10. To develop personnel policies for the county with the

approval of a majority of all county elected officers, as evidenced

in the minutes of a meeting of the board of county commissioners or

the county budget board;

11. To purchase, rent, or lease-purchase uniforms, safety

devices, and equipment for the officers and employees of the county.

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The county commissioners may pay for any safety training or safety

devices and safety equipment out of the general county funds or any

county highway funds available to the county commissioners;

12. To provide incentive awards for safety-related job

performance. However, no employee shall be recognized more than

once per calendar year and the award shall not exceed the value of

Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00); further, no elected official

shall be eligible to receive a safety award;

13. To provide for payment of notary commissions, filing fees,

and the cost of notary seals and bonds;

14. To do and perform other duties and acts that the board of

county commissioners may be required by law to do and perform;

15. To make purchases at a public auction pursuant to the
o Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00); further, no elected official

shall be eligible to receive a safety award;

13. To provide for payment of notary commissions, filing fees,

and the cost of notary seals and bonds;

14. To do and perform other duties and acts that the board of

county commissioners may be required by law to do and perform;

15. To make purchases at a public auction pursuant to the

county purchasing procedures in subsection D of Section 1505 of this

title;

16. To deposit interest income from highway funds in the

general fund of the county;

17. To submit sealed bids for the purchase of equipment from

this state, or any agency or political subdivision of this state;

18. To utilize county-owned equipment, labor, and supplies at

their disposal on property owned by the county, public schools, two-

year colleges, or technical branches of colleges that are members of

The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, the state and

municipalities according to the provisions of Section 36-113 of

Title 11 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Cooperative agreements may be

general in terms of routine maintenance or specific in terms of

construction and agreed to and renewed on an annual basis. Work

performed pursuant to Section 36-113 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma

Statutes shall comply with the provisions of this section;

19. To enter into intergovernmental cooperative agreements with

the federally recognized Indian tribes within this state to address

issues of construction and maintenance of streets, roads, bridges,

and highways exclusive of the provisions of Section 1221 of Title 74

of the Oklahoma Statutes;

20. To execute hold harmless agreements with the lessor in the

manner provided by subsection B of Section 636.5 of Title 69 of the

Oklahoma Statutes when leasing or lease-purchasing equipment;

21. To accept donations of rights-of-way or right-of-way

easements pursuant to Section 381 et seq. of Title 60 of the

Oklahoma Statutes;

22. To establish by resolution the use of per diem for specific

purposes in accordance with the limitations provided by Sections

500.8 and 500.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

23. To apply to the Department of Environmental Quality for a

waste tire permit to bale waste tires for use in approved

engineering projects;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 19. Counties and County Officers Page 171

24. To enter into the National Association of Counties (NACo)

Live Healthy Prescription, Health and Dental Discount Program;

25. To work with federal, state, municipal, and public school

district properties in an effort to minimize cost to such entities;

26. To work with ambulance service districts established under

Section 9C of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution in an effort to

minimize cost to such entities;

27. To provide incentive awards to employees for participating

in voluntary wellness programs which result in improved health.

Incentive awards may be created by the Wellness Council set forth in

Section 1302 of this title;

28. To establish a county employee benefit program to encourage

outstanding performance in the workplace. Monies may be expended

for the purchase of recognition awards for presentation to an

employee or members of a work unit. Recognition awards may be

presented at a formal or informal ceremony, banquet, reception, or

luncheon, the cost of which may be expended from monies available in

the county department’s or division’s operating fund;

29. To trade in equipment to a vendor or on statewide contract

by acquiring used equipment values pursuant to subsection B of

Section 421.1 of this title;

30. To expend federal funds made available to a county of the

state through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic

Security Act (CARES Act), Pub. L. 116–136, or similar relief funds

according to the permissible uses of the applicable federal

legislation or guidance issued by any federal agency thereof,
used equipment values pursuant to subsection B of

Section 421.1 of this title;

30. To expend federal funds made available to a county of the

state through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic

Security Act (CARES Act), Pub. L. 116–136, or similar relief funds

according to the permissible uses of the applicable federal

legislation or guidance issued by any federal agency thereof,

regardless of any lack of specific state statutory authorization to

perform the duties or functions for which the federal government has

provided the funds. The expenditure of the funds in accordance with

the federal legislation or guidance issued by any federal agency

thereof shall be at the discretion of the board of county

commissioners.

The receipt of funding through the CARES Act or similar relief

funds shall not be considered a supplemental appropriation and shall

be exempt from the requirements of Section 1420 of this title. In

the event the period allotted for expenditure of federal funds

crosses fiscal years, such funds shall not be considered revenue

when setting the county’s budget for the next fiscal year; and

31. To enter into intergovernmental cooperative agreements

which shall include shared services, with local governmental units

within this state pursuant to the provisions of the Interlocal

Cooperation Act, Section 1002 et seq. of Title 74 of the Oklahoma

Statutes.

B. The county commissioners of a county or, in counties where

there is a county budget board, the county budget board may

designate money from general county funds for the designated purpose

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 19. Counties and County Officers Page 172

of drug enforcement and drug abuse prevention programs within the

county.

C. When any lease or lease purchase is made on behalf of the

county by the board pursuant to the provisions of this section, the

county shall be allowed to have trade in values for transactions

involving the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act.

D. In order to timely comply with the Oklahoma Vehicle License

and Registration Act with regard to county vehicles, the board of

county commissioners may, by resolution, create a petty cash

account. The board of county commissioners may request a purchase

order for petty cash in an amount necessary to pay the expense of

license and registration fees for county motor vehicles. Any

balance in the petty cash account after the license and registration

fees have been paid shall be returned to the account or fund from

which the funds originated. The county purchasing agent shall be

the custodian of the petty cash account, and the petty cash account

shall be subject to audit.

E. When the board of county commissioners approves an express

trust, pursuant to Sections 176 through 180.4 of Title 60 of the

Oklahoma Statutes, for the purpose of operating a county jail, the

trustees of the public trust may appoint commissioned peace

officers, certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and

Training, to provide security for inmates that are required to be

transported outside of the detention facility, and investigate

violations of law within the detention facility. Other personnel

necessary to operate the jail may be employed and trained or

certified as may be required by applicable state or federal law.

R.L. 1910, § 1600. Amended by Laws 1949, p. 150, § 1, emerg. eff.

May 20, 1949; Laws 1982, c. 249, § 7; Laws 1989, c. 286, § 1,

operative July 1, 1989; Laws 1990, c. 183, § 1; Laws 1991, c. 60, §

1, emerg. eff. April 10, 1991; Laws 1993, c. 239, § 14, eff. July 1,

1993; Laws 1994, c. 34, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1995, c. 1, §

4, emerg. eff. March 2, 1995; Laws 1995, c. 172, § 1, emerg. eff.

May 9, 1995; Laws 1996, c. 45, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1996; Laws 1998, c.

193, § 1, emerg. eff. May 4, 1998; Laws 1999, c. 76, § 1, eff. Nov.

1, 1999; Laws 2000, c. 200, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2000; Laws 2001, c.
eff. April 10, 1991; Laws 1993, c. 239, § 14, eff. July 1,

1993; Laws 1994, c. 34, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1995, c. 1, §

4, emerg. eff. March 2, 1995; Laws 1995, c. 172, § 1, emerg. eff.

May 9, 1995; Laws 1996, c. 45, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1996; Laws 1998, c.

193, § 1, emerg. eff. May 4, 1998; Laws 1999, c. 76, § 1, eff. Nov.

1, 1999; Laws 2000, c. 200, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2000; Laws 2001, c.

39, § 1, eff. July 1, 2001; Laws 2001, c. 231, § 1, eff. Nov. 1,

2001; Laws 2002, c. 142, § 1, eff. July 1, 2002; Laws 2003, c. 387,

§ 2, emerg. eff. June 4, 2003; Laws 2004, c. 5, § 5, emerg. eff.

March 1, 2004; Laws 2005, c. 76, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2005; Laws 2006,

c. 125, § 7, eff. July 1, 2006; Laws 2006, c. 255, § 2, eff. Nov. 1,

2006; Laws 2010, c. 266, § 2, emerg. eff. May 13, 2010; Laws 2011,

c. 1, § 9, emerg. eff. March 18, 2011; Laws 2012, c. 22, § 1, eff.

Nov. 1, 2012; Laws 2013, c. 15, § 11, emerg. eff. April 8, 2013;