Q&A: Okla. County Commissioner Brian Maughan On Drummond’s Jail Decision

Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan reflected on Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s ruling granting the county immunity from Oklahoma City zoning regulations, paving the way for a vote on a mental health facility and potentially resolving a long-standing dispute over the location of a new county jail.

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“It seems pretty crystal clear to me that the Attorney General came down on the county side in this lawsuit that we're facing with Oklahoma City, and I think it gives us the permission to go ahead and start building, for sure, the mental health facility with the ARPA dollars at stake before tomorrow's deadline,” Maughan said.

Q: Is this a big day for the county?

A: Well, everybody's just thrilled because, of course, we've been hoping that this would come down sometime before it did, but I'll take it because it's still before the deadline. And, I've already talked with the mayor today, and he agrees with the wording of it, so I anticipate there won't be any resistance from Oklahoma City.

Q: What’s next?

A: Well, the commissioners will come together tomorrow, and we'll discuss...how to proceed with the litigation because it'll take some formal action with the board. I can only speak for [myself], and then they'll also have the discussion forthcoming about how to move the money into action.

Q: Who will the money go to?

A: It'll take a board decision about that, but I'm excited about it because it's such a need. You know, obviously the community really needs this, and we could get started on it. This is one of the projects that's fully funded, and we had this one-time money available to us through Congress, [which is a] big opportunity. And I'm so grateful to [Attorney] General Drummond for giving us this green light.

Q: What was the process like being down to the wire?

A: We were really going to be limited on where the money could go at this late stage of the game, that's one reason why I've been trying for so long to get a settlement with the city. And this would have just really precluded a number of things that we might have otherwise considered, but it's really, honestly too late at this time… We would have had to reinvest dollars into places we've already deposited funds before, and that may have been good, but I don't think any of them would have [had] as high [an] impact as this is going to be.

Q: Could a lawsuit against the city be dropped on Tuesday?

A: That's one potential option.

Q: When could we see officials breaking ground on the mental health facility?

A: I think it could happen next month. I think everything is in place. You know, we have been working steadily along the way to do the architectural plans and all the engineering studies so that everything is in place. In the event, we got a green light, either from a court order or a settlement in the lawsuit, or this third option from the Attorney General.

Q: Do you have any comments for the AG or the city?

A: Thanks to the Attorney General for moving swiftly and getting us this answer. And you know, it's a leftover Christmas miracle for Oklahoma County.

Q: What did you and the Mayor discuss?

A: We just both agree that we had received and read it the same way and that he didn't anticipate that the city would push back against this ruling from the Attorney General, which is law, in the event that we don't have an actual court ruling.

New 9 reached out to Oklahoma City, and officials said they did not have a comment to share Monday.