By Traci Chapman/Staff writer

Possible employee misuse of a county credit card spurred county commissioners to authorize an audit of Public Facility Authority books for the last two years Monday.

Charges on a Sam’s Discover credit card kept for use of the commissioners office “were found to be questionable” by staff, District 3 Commissioner Grant Hedrick said.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Hesse recommended the county request an investigative audit of the PFA’s books for fiscal years 2006 through 2008. The audit will be conducted by State Auditor Steve Burrage’s office, Hedrick said, and a recommendation will come back to commissioners after the audit is concluded.

The employee’s name and status were not released as of press time.

County commissioners declined to comment what was believed to have been purchased with the card and over what time frame the transactions were made. Hedrick also did not answer questions regarding who would have access to the card, saying the matter was a “personnel issue.”

In other business, commissioners approved a state grant application by the Gary E. Miller Canadian County Children’s Justice Center for a $300,000 storm shelter at the facility.

The grant, submitted to the Oklahoma Emergency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, would cover $225,000 of the cost of the shelter, operations manager Jamie Girard said. The county would pick up $75,000 of the remaining price tag.

“We’re trying to build a 1,000-square foot facility,” Girard said. “There will be a wall through part of the shelter to separate the kids in detention and the group home kids.”
Commissioners also renewed a contract between the sheriff’s department and Mustang Public Schools for the use of two sheriff’s deputies during the 2008-2009 school year.

The contract provides two officers from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each school day school is in session, at a cost of $32,550 for each deputy. The officers spend most of their time “floating” between Mustang North Middle School, Mustang Creek Elementary and Mustang Valley Elementary, Sheriff Lewis Hawkins said. Deputies are used at those schools because they are not located within Mustang city limits, Capt. Willard James said.