LAWTON – Comanche County commissioners are looking into joining the military’s Installation Management Command Intergovernmental Support Agreement Partnership Program, also known as an IGSA, which could benefit both the county and Fort Sill.
The commissioners discussed the program on June 23 but did not act because District Attorney Kyle Cabelka is still reviewing program-related documents.
Congress authorized IGSAs in 2013 so military installations could team up with state and local governments to conduct shared support services and functions while saving money, according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Defense. The agreements create opportunities for the partners to build on existing community relationships, collaborate on services, obtain materials and make the installation more effective.
Fort Sill has certain needs, such as road repair, that the installation cannot meet because it doesn’t have the manpower, said Troy Long, an engineering technician with the director of public works on Fort Sill. He said base officials are talking to several potential partners, including the county, to see if they could help meet those needs.
“If we have an opportunity, or if we have a project that we need and we get the funding for it, we would reach out to our partners and say, ‘Is this something that you would be able to do? Yes? No?’” Long said. “If you can, awesome. It would move forward.”
For example, if the county had an existing contract for road repairs, the federal government would cover the cost of that project plus the county’s administrative fees for maintaining the contract, Long said.
Both sides would benefit from such an agreement. Fort Sill could tap the county’s expertise in repairing roads and working with local contractors, while the county would be paid for its work on the project.
‘Putting the federal dollars back here’ Commission Chairman Josh Powers described a potential scenario in which Fort Sill needed 10 miles’ worth of asphalt for a project and would pay for it. Under that scenario, the county would seek bids for the project, review the bids and award the project to the best and lowest bidder.
The county would not be responsible for managing the project, as that responsibility would belong to Fort Sill.
The people who live on Fort Sill are not counted as part of the county’s population in the federal census, which means the county receives fewer dollars for road repairs than counties that do not have a military base, Powers said. But, he said, an IGSA with Fort Sill could help the county make up for those missing funds.
“It’s a way Fort Sill’s able to kind of give back to our community by putting the federal dollars back here,” Powers said.
Commissioner Ryan John said the IGSA would give the area’s construction companies a chance to bid on federal projects.
“Really, honestly, this would be an option to get local contractors involved in construction on Fort Sill,” he said.