The month of September has slipped by rather quickly. I have had the opportunity to attend several events in the district. While traveling to those events, I encountered several road construction projects taking place. Some are on rural roads while most are on major highways. These projects are very expensive and badly needed. Many more projects will be taking place.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) has an eight-year plan for highway and bridge construction. The eight-year plan was implemented in 2003 to create a managed plan that is fiscally constrained and rebalanced each year. The budgeted program is based on historical funding committed to State, Federal, and Interstate highway system improvement.
There is a 5-year county-improvement plan for roads and bridges that was created in 2006 in legislation, HB1176, but the plan was not funded until 2008. The primary purpose of this state-funded program is to allow counties to pool funds within Transportation Commission Districts to complete major road and bridge projects that individual counties could not otherwise fund with their own resources. This plan is also rebalanced each year.
This allows for prioritizing projects. Because of the inflationary cost of materials, projects get postponed until more funds become available. Over the last four years, there was significant spending on roads and bridges in District 19 including $54,498,113 for construction and $11,256,276 for right of way/utilities totaling $65,754,389. Infrastructure is a top priority for making Oklahoma a Top 10 state.
On Aug. 20, I attended the Red Carpet Country Tourism Conference at the FB&T Event Center in Perry. This legislative lunch was an opportunity to network and gain knowledge concerning tourism issues in our area.
On Aug. 27, I was invited to speak at the Alfalfa Electric Cooperative Board of Directors in Cherokee to give legislative updates and to share what to expect in the coming months as we transition into the new legislative session which begins Feb. 3, 2025.
On Aug. 29, I attended the Cherokee Community Visit with US Senator Markwayne Mullin at the Cherokee City Hall Council Room. It is always great to hear from our U.S. leaders and what they see as important to us here in Oklahoma. Senator Mullin is always ready to hear from his constituents, and he represents us very well.
Sept. 5, I attended a couple of the local county fairs, and I want to congratulate all the participants who entered their projects in the fair. I also want to wish them luck as they move on to the State fairs with their entries. At the Alfalfa County fair, I had the privilege of judging the ice cream entries. This is always a great event for me, and I enjoyed sampling the many entries.
On Sept. 10, I was asked to participate in the Enid Lifelong Learning Institute to discuss how government can help solve problems that we are facing. I also shared how I select bills to sponsor each session, and how those bills can impact district constituents along with the rest of Oklahoma. I was also asked to share how much money the state spent on education and who gets to use the state Rainy Day Fund. Constituent work was also asked, and how I address constituents’ concerns. This event was near and dear to me because everything that I spoke about involves my constituents and helps me map out my path for the upcoming session.
Sept. 12 was one of the highlights of my month when I visited Mrs. Graham’s first-grade classroom in Burlington. I was impressed with the great questions that the students had concerning government, and we had an opportunity to learn about the Pledge of Allegiance and what the word within the pledge means. This was a great day for me.
On Sept. 28, Terry and I attended the United Way of Northwest Oklahoma’s 90th Anniversary Gala. This event shared the impact of the United Way’s efforts and the Hope that United Way gives to those who need them most.
In closing, it is a pleasure to serve you as your state senator. And, as I transition into the next session, I will continue to attend and speak at events within the district until the new session begins. If you need assistance, please reach out to my office. You can reach me at 405-521-5630 or Roland.Pederson@oksenate.gov.
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