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Osage County reorganizes leadership, approves routine administrative items and project disbursement
Summary
Commissioners elected officers for 2026, designated the official newspaper, set mileage and holiday policies, approved depositories and payroll calendar, and signed off on a state SRF disbursement for a wastewater lagoon project.
At their Jan. 13 meeting, the Osage County Commission completed reorganization and approved a package of routine administrative actions and project disbursements.
Heather Cooter was elected chair for 2026 and Brandon Smith was elected vice chair. The commission designated the Osage County Herald Chronicle as the official county newspaper for Jan. 13, 2026–Jan. 12, 2027, set the mileage reimbursement at 72.5¢ per mile effective Jan. 13, approved the 2026 holiday schedule (with offices closed to the public at 11 on certain days) and confirmed transfer station holiday hours to match 2025.
The commission reappointed department directors for the coming year, designated a slate of local banks as county depositories for the same period and approved the county’s biweekly payroll calendar for 2026 (excluding 01/02/2026). Commissioners also approved paying multiple purchase orders and contracts; among those actions was approval to sign SRF disbursement applications for a lagoon wastewater treatment plant project and acceptance of a law‑enforcement contract with the City of Melbourne for February 2026 through the following year.
Several votes were taken by voice and carried unanimously. Commissioners noted some items would be revisited (for example, bank signatories and planning‑and‑zoning appointments) and asked staff to follow up as needed.
Why it matters: These routine actions set the county’s administrative framework for the year and authorize project payments and contracts that keep county operations and infrastructure work moving.
What happens next: Staff will finalize bank signatories, circulate the payroll calendar to departments and complete signature pages for disbursement and contract forms.
