Sequoyah County Commissioners at their weekly meeting elected District 1 Commissioner Ray Watts to chair the county board for 2025.

District 2 Commissioner Beau Burlison was elected vice chair for 2025. He also served as chairman during 2023.

Watts, who has served as a county commissioner for the past 14 years, previously served as chairman of the board in 2022.

District 3 Commissioner Jim Rogers, who has also been a commissioner for the past 14 years, served as chair for 2024.

In other business, Sandy Moss and Tiffany Owens were approved as receiving officers for the county clerk’s office.

The commissioners also accepted a bid for the purchase of a rescue truck for the Brent Fire Department. The only bid received was from SOS Fire Equipment for $59,500 for a 1998 5-seat rescue truck. The commissioners expect to award the bid at their next meeting.

The commissioners also approved the acceptance of a fiscal year 2025 Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) contract for Garrison Creek low water crossing in the amount of $98,000 for District 1.

In recent meetings, the commissioners also approved allocation of remaining District 1 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in the amount of $190,921.48 for projects at Lee’s Chapel Road and North Cottonwood.

Additional ARPA funds from the county in the amount of $2,676,882.76 were allocated for the new county courthouse annex building.

The commissioners also recently approved for the sheriff ’s office the purchase of two 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe SSVs and a 2025 Chevrolet crew cab 4×4 truck on state contract through Vance Fleet Services. The Tahoes will be financed through Welch State Bank, and the truck will be paid for with the sheriff ’s office forfeiture ac-Watts count.