By Traci Chapman/Staff Writer
published Jan. 17, 2009

Concerns about falling tax revenue weighed heavily on County Commissioner David Anderson’s mind as he was sworn in recently.
In his first meeting with staff, Anderson said he told them he wasn’t looking to make any new hires until the county’s financial position stabilizes.

Canadian County government receives most of its revenue through diesel fuel and gasoline taxes, motor vehicle collections and gross production of crude oil. In October, the county’s revenue from these sources totaled $482,333; November’s total plummeted to $285,252.

Anderson said officials believe the drop is connected to the steep decline in fuel prices. On one hand, he said the shop will save money on fuel for equipment and work trucks, and the price of asphalt could also decline. The need for road repairs could also decline because fewer heavy oil field trucks are traveling the county streets when wells and drills are idle.

“Hopefully that will work to our benefit,” he said. “I’m not sure we could ever see a decrease in the cost of those materials enough to offset the lack of income.”

The District 2 shop employs nine workers, a foreman, a secretary and the commissioner. Anderson said his predecessor Don Young left about $546,000 in the District 2 coffers, well above $319,769 he was required to save by law.

“Before I hire several more positions, I’m going to try to get a feel for the staff I have and go from there,” he said.

Also in one of his last moves, Young promoted 26-year employee Tim Brothers to foreman. The shop had operated without a foreman since Larry Orr’s death almost a year ago. Anderson said Brothers had held the position before under former commissioner Monty Keely.
“He’s worked here a long time, and he’s very qualified,” he said.

Improving safety at the District 2 shop is one of his top priorities, and Anderson said holding a staff meeting to discuss ideas and changes was his first act as commissioner. He said he plans to hold regular safety meetings with workers and increase inspections of equipment.

“First and foremost on my list is that we do all we can to make this a safe work environment,” he said.

Although Anderson hasn’t enrolled yet, he said he plans to enter “roads scholar” classes, offered by Oklahoma State University’s Local Technical Assistance Program. The nine-course series teaches government employees how to maintain and construct roads.

District 1 Commissioner Phil Carson and his full-time employees have all graduated from the program, and District 3 Commissioner Grant Hedrick’s crew are road scholars. Hedrick has attended classes, but he has not yet completed the course.

Several of the District 2 workers graduated from the road scholar program while working under Keely, while Young called the classes “irrelevant.” Anderson said he told his workers without the road scholar distinction he expects them to take the classes.

Anderson said the program is so intensive it could take a few years for the rest of the staff to graduate.

“We are going to be involved in that program, and me personally, I’ll be involved, too,” he said.

Questions were raised during the last six months of Young’s tenure regarding a 13 1/2-mile asphalt overlay when about a 200-foot section crumbled days after it was laid. The section of road stretches south of the El Reno Regional Airpark, running south to Union City and west from the airpark to Heaston. The project was expected to cost $1.5 million.

Anderson said the section of crumbling road was replaced before Young left office.

“It is a very professionally done repair,” he said. “You wouldn’t notice it just driving by; you’d have to really go slow.”

In his first days in office, Anderson is already fielding concerns from residents about the condition of their roads and clogged drainpipes along streets. Most of District 2 shop’s work is maintaining rural roads in the southwest rural areas of the county, while Anderson estimated 80 percent of his constituents live east of state Highway 92, in either Oklahoma City or Mustang city limits, where the commissioner has no jurisdiction for repairs.

“They are all in incorporated areas,” he said. “That is one thing that is going to be a challenge for me.”

Anderson said he plans to contact Oklahoma City officials to offer his help in repairing highly traveled section line streets, including Sara, Morgan and Czech Hall roads.

“I will be willing to look at all options,” he said. “I want to see improvements made out there.”

Anderson said he wants to work with city officials to help support economic development and growing communities. District 2 shop’s resources could help communities seeking to improve public facilities, Anderson said, adding he would like to see his office help Mustang improve its baseball park.

“That’s a public project, the county can help them with the dirt work and any kind of site prep,” he said. “I would want to help. I think that is the kind of thing I can do and would do.”

During his next few years of service, the County Commissioners will wrestle with more growing pains as Piedmont and Union City reach and exceed 5,000 residents and take on their own roadwork and maintenance. Canadian County jail’s overcrowding problem also must be addressed after voters turned down a sales tax to fund a new facility last spring.

“We just want as much information as we can get so we can make decisions,” he said.

A Mustang resident, Anderson turned over the operation of his company Dave Anderson Construction to his son Mark Anderson upon his election. The company performs infrastructure construction for communities, particularly working on sewer and water projects.

“I am very excited,” he said. “I am very busy and really looking forward to making some progress.”