Rogers County Commissioners say they will explore options for drug testing of county employees.

“We said last year we would revisit this,” Commissioner Kirt Thacker said. “I put it on the agenda so we could talk about it again.”

Last year’s attempt at introducing county-wide drug testing erupted into a controversy that commissioners want to avoid this time around. They said they will look at a sample policy available through the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma and will talk with other elected county officials before creating a Rogers County policy.

LAST YEAR

In March 2007, District 2 Commissioner Mike Helm presented the Board of County Commissioners with a Risk Management Resolution based on a preprinted form prepared by Traveler’s Insurance. That resolution would have established a county-wide policy that included drug testing.

Assistant District Attorney Barry Farbro told commissioners the resolution as written was too broad, in his opinion, and that he would rework it for their consideration.

Eventually, commissioners met with health officials about contracting for drug testing. Concerns over how the policy would be carried out and what the appeals process would be were among the details that needed development.

On April 2, 2007, Farbro told commissioners that a majority of elected county officials would need to approve the proposed resolution because the drug-testing requirement would set personnel policy for county departments.

Including the three commissioners, there are eight elected county officers. Each of the remaining five officers declined by letter support of the resolution.

“After reviewing the proposed resolution establishing a risk management policy, I decline to approve,” read the letter from Court Clerk Candi Czapansky.

The other four letters signed by County Clerk Peggy Armstrong, County Treasurer Cathy Pinkerton Baker, County Assessor Melissa Anderson, and County Sheriff Jerry Prather varied slightly in wording but each carried the same message.

They stated that they were not against drug testing in general, but in particular pre-employment testing. They balked at putting control in the hands of the board of commissioners for implementing and overseeing the other departments.

Commissioners voted April 23, 2007 against adopting the risk management resolution. In a 2-1 vote, Helm was the lone supporter.

At the time, Prather was one of the strongest opponents of a drug-testing policy being imposed upon his department by commissioners.