Picher residents to vote on whether to relocate town

PICHER, Okla. (AP) -- Residents will vote Jan. 9 on whether to move Picher to another location free of lead contamination.

The City Council set the election date and has until Nov. 8 to submit the final wording of the ballot to the Ottawa County Election Board.

Council members indicated that they needed the information from the voters to present to members of the Tar Creek Superfund Task Force when the group meets again early next year.

The election's result also will give council members an idea of residents' views on the issue for its discussion during the next legislative session, as well as other environmental agencies working on Tar Creek issues, Mayor Sam Freeman said.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has spent almost $35 million in the Tar Creek area on remediation efforts in an attempt to eliminate lead-contaminated soil in public and private sectors.

Congress has approved spending an additional $30 million to continue remediation efforts. Oklahoma must provide $3 million in matching funds.