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The Water Cooler
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Why are Oklahoma's roads so crappy?
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<blockquote data-quote="Billybob" data-source="post: 2588580" data-attributes="member: 1294"><p>Kind of off topic kind of not. Remember the Grand Jury issues in Rogers County where the GJ was not allowed to have the OSBI investigation results? Wonder if they'll be allowed to see the audit report now that they've reconvened? </p><p></p><p>Rogers County audit questions use of FEMA funding and vendor preference </p><p></p><p>Financial connection has been confirmed between Rogers County District 2 Commissioner Mike Helm and the business reported to have been given vendor preference as cited in the recent audit of Rogers County’s 2013 fiscal year.“Donelson contributed to his campaign”, said Gary Jones, Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector.According to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission’s Campaigns and Expenditures Report, the company allegedly shown vendor preference, Donelson Construction LLC., contributed $1,000 to Helm’s campaign in 2012.“Donelson contributed to Mike Helm’s campaign, and the company contributed to his campaign,” said Jones, referencing in addition to a business contribution a personal donation by the company’s president, David Donelson...</p><p></p><p>Helm has been hit hard by the report, with allegations ranging from the use of more than $4 million in FEMA funds for unapproved projects to the audit’s findings that he was involved in showing preference to a vendor in regards to construction. “They did a tremendous amount of business with Donelson Construction,” said Jones.“As a sole source, even though Donelson wasn’t the low bid, they gave it to them anyway. ”According to the 2013 Rogers County Audit, Donelson Construction supplied a product called ChipLock, and was given the bid because they were the only company available who could supply the product. “They gave the business to Donelson without bidding it” said Jones...</p><p></p><p>The justification behind using Donelson for its ability to provide an exceptional product has met with resistance as many of the roads on which Donelson Construction did work failed to show quality construction.</p><p></p><p>“A lot of the money was spent on roads that were not prepared with a base that would hold up, so now they’re crumbling and falling apart just within a couple of years,” Jones told Red Dirt Report. “We’ve got one road that they spent $140,000 on, and they’re already tearing up and redoing.”</p><p></p><p>“They paid for striping the roads, and there’s grass growing up through where the stripes are at, and if you look to see, you get down and you realize we have painted grass,” said Jones, “and they paid for that.”</p><p></p><p>During the period of the 2013 fiscal year it was found that the County consistently accepted bids that met the parameters of “first available and closest to the site,” rather than the traditional parameters of “lowest and best.”...</p><p></p><p>Jones added: “Once the emergency had been declared and they had this money, they changed the boundaries of his district. So there were some roads that became part of another district that they didn’t do that were approved to be done, and then he took money and used them on roads in his district.”...</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.reddirtreport.com/red-dirt-news/rogers-county-audit-questions-use-fema-funding-and-vendor-preference" target="_blank">http://www.reddirtreport.com/red-dirt-news/rogers-county-audit-questions-use-fema-funding-and-vendor-preference</a></p><p></p><p><img src="https://www.okshooters.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/i.imgur.com_qhz2vEl.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Billybob, post: 2588580, member: 1294"] Kind of off topic kind of not. Remember the Grand Jury issues in Rogers County where the GJ was not allowed to have the OSBI investigation results? Wonder if they'll be allowed to see the audit report now that they've reconvened? Rogers County audit questions use of FEMA funding and vendor preference Financial connection has been confirmed between Rogers County District 2 Commissioner Mike Helm and the business reported to have been given vendor preference as cited in the recent audit of Rogers County’s 2013 fiscal year.“Donelson contributed to his campaign”, said Gary Jones, Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector.According to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission’s Campaigns and Expenditures Report, the company allegedly shown vendor preference, Donelson Construction LLC., contributed $1,000 to Helm’s campaign in 2012.“Donelson contributed to Mike Helm’s campaign, and the company contributed to his campaign,” said Jones, referencing in addition to a business contribution a personal donation by the company’s president, David Donelson... Helm has been hit hard by the report, with allegations ranging from the use of more than $4 million in FEMA funds for unapproved projects to the audit’s findings that he was involved in showing preference to a vendor in regards to construction. “They did a tremendous amount of business with Donelson Construction,” said Jones.“As a sole source, even though Donelson wasn’t the low bid, they gave it to them anyway. ”According to the 2013 Rogers County Audit, Donelson Construction supplied a product called ChipLock, and was given the bid because they were the only company available who could supply the product. “They gave the business to Donelson without bidding it” said Jones... The justification behind using Donelson for its ability to provide an exceptional product has met with resistance as many of the roads on which Donelson Construction did work failed to show quality construction. “A lot of the money was spent on roads that were not prepared with a base that would hold up, so now they’re crumbling and falling apart just within a couple of years,” Jones told Red Dirt Report. “We’ve got one road that they spent $140,000 on, and they’re already tearing up and redoing.” “They paid for striping the roads, and there’s grass growing up through where the stripes are at, and if you look to see, you get down and you realize we have painted grass,” said Jones, “and they paid for that.” During the period of the 2013 fiscal year it was found that the County consistently accepted bids that met the parameters of “first available and closest to the site,” rather than the traditional parameters of “lowest and best.”... Jones added: “Once the emergency had been declared and they had this money, they changed the boundaries of his district. So there were some roads that became part of another district that they didn’t do that were approved to be done, and then he took money and used them on roads in his district.”... [url]http://www.reddirtreport.com/red-dirt-news/rogers-county-audit-questions-use-fema-funding-and-vendor-preference[/url] [img]https://www.okshooters.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/i.imgur.com_qhz2vEl.jpg[/img] [/QUOTE]
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