June 20, 2016
By Paul Joseph, Paragon News Director –
More long, unspoken pauses and sighs and some nervous clicking of ball-point pens at Monday morning’s meeting, however, Beckham County Commissioners moved forward on a request by the District Attorney’s office for financial help after being cut by the state.
After tabling the request two weeks ago, the commissioners moved forward this week by making a decision, however, the decision was no. Commissioners declined to provide financial help to the DA office.
Assistant District Attorney Mike Able was back inside the tiny commission meeting room issuing the funding proposal plea.
At a previous meeting, Able told the commissioners that either District Attorney Angela Marsee or a representative from her office is visiting all of the counties in the District Attorney’s district with the same funding request from each of the commissioners.
At Monday’s meeting, Beckham County Commissioners, again, expressed their sensitivity toward the DA’s plight as a result of the state’s cutting back due to budgetary restraints impacting all Oklahoma agencies and departments.
Commissioner Carl Don Campbell worries where would it end once started?
This week, however, it took a lot less time for the commissioners to handle the agenda item than it did two weeks ago when visitors to the meeting felt the commissioners’ angst and frustration inside the meeting room. On Monday the 6th, they tabled it. Not so this time.
After declining the request in 2015, Custer County Commissioners approved the DA’s funding request to them of $25-thousand dollars last Monday by a 3-0 vote.
Custer County is thought to be the only county, so far this year, to approve the request.
The District Attorney office for western Oklahoma covers Beckham, Custer, Ellis, Roger Mills and Washita Counties.
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