Oklahoma County hires property specialist amid struggles to select a site for new jail

Oklahoma County commissioners hired a property acquisition business Wednesday to help it secure a future jail location. The hire was made during a standing-room only meeting where many residents voiced their concerns about potential sites.

Commission Chairman Brian Maughan, Commissioner Carrie Blumert and Dawn Cash, Commissioner Myles Davidson's first deputy, accepted a recommendation from the county's staff to hire Oklahoma City's Smith-Roberts Land Services.

As part of the contract, Smith-Roberts will be asked to negotiate potential purchase agreements with private land owners involving properties the county could pursue as a jail location.

Smith-Roberts also will be tasked with evaluating potential environmental or engineering issues and help the county secure needed zoning or a special-use permit needed before a jail could be built and opened.

Maughan said Smith-Roberts's capabilities are important because the county doesn't necessarily employ personnel who can accomplish those tasks.

More: OK County officials address concern new jail site could affect OKC Stockyards

"Regardless of where we go, we need to do this. It just hadn't been necessary up until this point," Maughan said.

Commissioner Blumert agreed before moving to hire the company.

"This is a key part toward taking a step to find land for the new jail," she said, adding that she wants to ensure the final contract sets out that Oklahoma County could use the company's help on as many as 15 potential sites — "just to make sure we are covering our bases."

Commissioners also remove some locations from list of possible Oklahoma County jail site

The commission's decision to hire Smith-Roberts came after an executive session that lasted nearly 90 minutes where Maughan, Blumert and Cash evaluated potential jail locations. Cash participated as Davidson's representative because he was out of town and could not attend the meeting.

Before retiring into executive session, they unanimously voted to remove proposed jail sites at 1901 E Grand Blvd. — "Even if it was offered for free, it is not a good location," Del City Councilwoman Claudia Browne said — and land near SE 29 and the Kickapoo Turnpike from consideration for a second time after hearing from concerned landowners, government officials like Browne and representatives of schools close to those locations.

More: 'Fish or cut bait': Clock ticking on OK County commissioners to select site for new jail

Offers on those properties were back before commissioners because they had been resubmitted with lower offered sales prices or other changed terms, officials explained.

Commissioners also voted unanimously to remove land near E Reno Avenue and Martin Luther King Avenue from consideration as a potential jail location after hearing from the Rev. Major Jemison, the senior pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church and president of the Baptist Ministers Association, Oklahoma City Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice and others.

"The one thing that troubles me very severely is the fact we are sending the wrong message to our children," Jemison said, criticizing its location relative to Douglass High School.

"We want our kids to have the best ideas about life and about growing up and developing and becoming good citizens as we possibly can. I implore you to put your moral conscience ahead of any decision you would make about the placement of the jail here in northeast Oklahoma City," Jemison said.

Nice reiterated earlier statements she made opposing various sites in northeast Oklahoma City, clarifying she didn't intend those earlier comments to be interpreted by anyone as threatening.

"Our community is tired. Our neighborhood is tired. Our residents are tired of continuously being vulnerable to the things nobody else wants," said Nice. "It is not fair that we have to say, well, we have no say in this conversation, but the people who do, do not have conversations with the people that live in this community about what they want or do not want."

Several speakers who object to the idea of building a jail on Stockyards City's west side also addressed commissioners.

But a motion by Commissioner Maughan to remove that area from consideration as a potential jail location failed.

Kelli Payne, a former president of the Oklahoma National Stockyards and a current board member of the Stockyards City Main Street organization, took exception to the potential Oklahoma County might use eminent domain to acquire land.

"I don't stand here because of any location," Payne said, asserting the county would be going too far if it were to decide to use eminent domain to condemn privately owned properties anywhere to make room for a jail.

In this case, the county would take privately owned tax generating properties off the rolls and replace them with another that isn't taxed at all.

"As a taxpayer that owns quite a bit of land and pays a lot of taxes, it concerns me and it should concern everybody in Oklahoma County," she said. "That's pretty scary."

The county's search continues, and commissioners have scheduled another meeting Friday to consider a formal contract with Smith-Roberts where proposed jail locations also could be discussed.

"I hope we are getting closer to making a final decision," Maughan said Wednesday afternoon.

Payne, meanwhile, described the process Oklahoma County has used to choose a location so far as "government by tantrum, pitchforks and torches."

She said she is ready for it to end.

"Don't you all want to sleep? Don't we all want to sleep?"

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County hires company to help select new jail site