The Seminole Board of County Commissioners discussed their options filling an empty seat on the Seminole County Public Building Authority, which oversees the Seminole County Jail.

Seminole County Sheriff Shannon Smith said that one of the board members recently retired, and they are searching for a replacement. Smith explained that, with the one seat vacant, if just one other member fails to show up for a meeting, they lack having a quorum, and the meeting has to be cancelled.

The Commissioners stated they have approached some prospective individuals, but they are either not interested or they are unable to serve because of a conflict of interest. Although they would prefer someone that could represent District 1, the prospect of instead having a member at large that may live in a different district was brought up if they are unable to find a candidate.

Another option Smith mentioned was changing the Board to three members instead of five. He wasn’t certain about how this could be accomplished, and he would prefer keeping a five-member board for better transparency. District 3 Commissioner Clifton Taylor observed a rural water district recently reduced the number of members on their board after they missed a number of meetings due to a lack of quorum. He added that a board member is automatically dismissed if they miss three meeting in a row.

The Commissioners welcome any suggestions for a new Public Building Authority Board member, especially if they live in District 1.

The Seminole County Jail, located in Wewoka, OK, is a secure facility that houses inmates. The inmates may be awaiting trial or sentencing, or they may be serving a sentence after being convicted of a crime.

The Seminole Board of County Commissioners and the Seminole Public Building Authority scheduled a meeting with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma on Tuesday, September 14 to negotiate their annual jail contract with the tribe. The original contract expired at the end of June, but was extended to September 30 after the incumbent Chief, Greg Chilcoat, lost the July 10 election and was reluctant to make a lame duck commitment. The administration of newly elected Chief Lewis Johnson didn’t take office until September 1.

Smith stressed in July that he does NOT want it to appear that Seminole County is refusing to house any prisoners, but he is extremely concerned about the liability he would assume housing Seminole tribal members without the proposed contract. These concerns are even stronger due to the many uncertainties created by the recent Supreme Court’s Oklahoma v McGirt decision that, because Congress has never dissolved the borders of the Muskogee (Creek) reservation, the tribe retains jurisdiction in criminal cases that had previously been handed to the state. This ruling has since been extended to each of Oklahoma’s Five Civilized Tribes, which includes the Seminole Nation.