Each county in Oklahoma is divided into three districts, as equal in population as possible, with one Commissioner elected from each district and by the people. The three-member Board of County Commissioners serve as the administrative body of the County with general supervision over all fiscal affairs.

Duties

• Supervise and manage all real estate owned by the County. The Board maintains the Courthouse, County Office Building, Investors Capital Building, County Jail, Human Services Center, Juvenile Center, Extension Center, a parking garage, and three highway maintenance offices.
• Advertise for bids on major County purchases and award all contracts.
• Approve all claims covering materials, supplies, or services purchased by all County offices and paid for by County funds.
• Call all County bond elections.
• Designate, construct, maintain, and repair all County highways and bridges.
• Through the Department of Social Services, provide pharmacy services and prescription medicines, emergency food vouchers, indigent burials, ambulance service, medical services, temporary housing and convalescent care, and job training for the indigent, destitute, and unemployable County residents. It also helps coordinate the federal Food Stamp program.
• Pass on all zoning applications and regulations of the County Planning Commission. (One member of the Board serves on the Planning Commission.)
• Conduct proceedings, set date of election, canvass returns, and issue Order of Incorporation of all towns and/or cities in the County.
• Audit the accounts of all County offices.
• Publish in a County newspaper a complete report of the official proceedings of all meetings of the Board.
• Appoint one member of the County Excise Board and Board of Equalization.

Some content may be extracted from OSU Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet AGEC-802 and/or the County Training Program website. More complete information is available from these sources.