The Oklahoma County Budget Board is currently discussing whether to move $36 million in CARES Act money to the Jail Trust https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K45Iukk99go">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
"For us to give all this money to the jail makes ZERO sense to me," says Commissioner Carrie Blumert.
"I don& #39;t even have words for it."
Calvey is arguing that we need to take care "of our core functions first" before taking on "new tasks." So we& #39;d be "putting our own house in order" by doing this
Calvey: We shouldn& #39;t be "growing government based on one-time funds." Basically arguing that the relief funds should fund the jail, which needs money, before going to relief
Sorry, misidentified the sheriff& #39;s voice for some reason - the Treasurer is very much a "no." Tough watching this virtual with the masks!
Wow - jail trust official says they& #39;re in a "crisis mode" and they& #39;re very much opening themselves up to lawsuits with how things are over there because of COVID
Um y& #39;all should prob watch this meeting
Treasurer Forrest Freeman says using the CARES money for this purpose is just asking for a lawsuit, basically. Calvey says he believes Treasury guidance includes "public safety"
Freeman: "I& #39;m scared to death of the feds" in case they audit this, so maybe they& #39;ll come here and say "you idiots --" and then he cuts himself off.
"Man, this whole concept -- this whole COVID-19 -- has never happened in our lifetime, and I& #39;m scared to death of it"
Classic - "What are we voting on???"
Whoa - that was fast
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❗️" title="Rotes Ausrufezeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Ausrufezeichen">NEW: In 5-3 vote, Oklahoma County Budget Board agrees to transfer $36 million in CARES Act money to the Jail Trust.
Blumert, in tears: "This is crazy! We& #39;re throwing money around! 40-something million dollars and we& #39;re just pressing buttons! (...) This is so disrespectful to our citizens. I& #39;m so ashamed that this is what& #39;s happening right now."

She leaves
This is a surreal meeting. I haven& #39;t covered a municipal gov& #39;t meeting like this since moving to Oklahoma
WOW - Sheriff PD Taylor says, "just for the record, I want everyone to know I voted & #39;no& #39; on Item 4. I& #39;m assuming people that voted no won& #39;t have to go to the federal Bureau of Prisons."
Commissioner Brian Maughan says any insinuation that this wasn& #39;t well-thought-out is wrong, he& #39;s been thinking about this since we got the money. He says the jail needs help NOW because of spreading COVID and delayed jury trials.
Maughan, about money for the jail: "To do nothing would be negligible."
Anyway, here was the tally on Item 4:

Freeman no
Hooten yes
Maughan yes
Warren yes
Taylor no
Calvey yes
Blumert no
Morrison yes
And that& #39;s that, meeting adjourned
Let me point out - the Budget Board did not take public comment, I assume for the same reason the BOCC doesn& #39;t, which itself strains credulity
The way it& #39;s been explained to me is that they haven& #39;t figured out a secure way to take public comment virtually without allowing people outside the county or hackers to make comments since meetings are virtual these days. (1/2)
Except, um, this meeting was NOT virtual. The agenda said all but one member would appear at this meeting via video conference, but they were all there in-person. Also, every other body seems to have found a way to take public comment virtually! (2/2)
(Also I believe that was Mike Morrison, the Comptroller, who I guess was sitting in for County Assessor Larry Stein. Very odd that that& #39;s not noted on the agenda anywhere)
FYI this will now go to the BOCC, which has this item on their agenda for tomorrow. Obviously it has the votes to pass 2-1 since all three commissioners are on the Budget Board
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