LAWTON – The Comanche County Board of Commissioners approved agreements last Monday with the City of Elgin, Cache Public Schools, a Health Department contractor, and property owners who store county equipment on their land.
The pact with Elgin provides that Comanche County District 1 will assist the city on “specified projects” in the city limits, when requested.
Commissioner Ryan John agreed to make District 1 equipment available to the city when it can, and the city will “assume full responsibility and liability for any incidental costs, damages, loss, or claims” during their possession of the county’s equipment.
The city will be responsible for reimbursement of the county’s $50,000 insurance deductible if a city operator “negligently causes damage” to county-owned equipment.
When requested, the county will “load, transport, deposit, or spread dirt, sand, and/or fill material on city projects “subject to availability of county personnel and equipment…” The city will pay for all materials that are used, and the county will pay for the cost of fuel and any other expenses incurred “in carrying out its responsibilities under this agreement.”
Each entity is “responsible for its own negligence, if any, in the performance of their duties…” The interlocal agreement between District 1 and the City of Elgin will extend for a year: July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
The Comanche County Sheriff’s Office will provide Cache Public Schools with a school resource officer in the coming school year, from Aug. 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027, Sheriff Michael Merritt related.
The CCSO will provide two months of funding plus benefits for the SRO’s salary, and the Cache school district will provide 10 months of funding for the officer’s salary and benefits. That salary will be based on the paycheck of a Comanche County deputy sheriff, the agreement stipulates.
The resource officer is expected to be “a visible, active law enforcement figure on campus, dealing with law enforcement matters and school code violations originating” on campus.
He/she also will “provide a classroom resource for law-related education;” be a resource for students “which will enable them to be associated with a law enforcement figure and role model in the students’ environment;” be a resource for teachers, parents and students “for conferences on an individual basis dealing with individual problems or questions, particularly in the area of substance control;” make appearances before site councils, parent groups, and other groups associated with the campus, and as a speaker on a variety of topics, “particularly drug and alcohol abuse.”
The resource officer may be asked to provide community- wide crime prevention presentations that focus on drugs and the law (adult and juvenile), alcohol and the law (adult and juvenile), sexual assault prevention, and safety programs.
The SRO also will be involved in school discipline issues, such as “preventing a disruption that would, if ignored, place students, faculty and staff at risk of harm…” The Board of Commissioners approved a professional service agreement with contractor Maggie Sprague of Lawton on behalf of the Comanche County Health Department.
Sprague will “assist in the development and implementation of health improvement strategies specifically targeting vulnerable populations” in the county. This is intended to “enhance the overall health outcomes of the community by facilitating access to healthcare, social services and resources.”
The Health Department will pay Sprague $20 per hour, and total compensation “shall not exceed $41,600” per year, the agreement specifies.
The commissioners also voted to renew an agreement with Henry Herman Geiger Jr. and Angela F. Geiger for storage of District 1materials on property they own in rural Rush Springs. Commissioner John indicated his employees offload iron beams for bridges, “and other materials,” onto the Geigers’ property at a cost of $225 per month for a year.
CCDC still packed
In another matter, David Weber, administrator of the Comanche County Detention Center, reported that the county jail is still overflowing with offenders.
The Friday, May 22 head count was 310 inmates, of whom 201 were on-site and the other 109 were incarcerated elsewhere.
Monday, May 25, the jail count was 335. Of those, 226 were confined in the CCDC, seven were in the Greer County Jail at Mangum, 16 were in the Grady County Detention Center at Chickasha, and 86 were in the Washita County Jail at Cordell.
Because of a state law enacted last year, coupled with requirements imposed by the State Health Department and the State Fire Marshal, the maximum number of inmates who can be housed in the CCDC is 240.