Osage Commissioners Hire Executive Director for Tourism

Much of the Monday meeting of the Osage County Commissioners was business as usual, including the approval to hire a new Executive Director for Osage County Tourism Oversight Committee, and accepting quarterly reports from the Osage County Senior Nutrition Program.

The Commissioners approved the hire of Kelly Bland for the Executive Director position with Osage County Tourism. Bland was most recently in the Abilene, TX area before moving to Tulsa. Claude Rosendale with the Tourism Committee stated that she was by far the best qualified of the many candidates they had received. The Commissioners after reviewing Bland's resume agreed and approved the hire.

Kim Vincent brought forward more troubling news with regards to their uncertain budget. The Counties Nutrition Program was redistributed $98,000 which was pulled from the county's budget earlier this year, however more cuts are likely to occur on the upcoming budget. Statewide the nutrition programs are currently slated for an additional $215,000 cut. The current budget will need to be modified once again cutting anywhere from 5 to 6,000 more dollars from the county's budget. The last cut resulted in the closing of the kitchen in Barnsdall.

The Osage County Commissioners will meet again next Monday at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska.