Rogers County Residents On The Hook For Huge Court Judgment

A decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court means Rogers County taxpayers are now on the hook for a $22 million judgment.

The court unanimously declined to hear an appeal in the Material Service vs. Rogers County inverse condemnation case.

Material Services, which leased 300 acres in Rogers County in the late 90s to mine limestone, filed suit after the county's Planning and Zoning Commission annexed 100,000 acres of land and rezoned it.  The land included the 300 acres leased by the company and the rezoning prevented the company from mining the limestone.

Material Services challenged the annexation and zoning.

A jury ruled in favor of Material Services Corporation in 2009.  The county appealed, but this week the Oklahoma Supreme Court refused to hear it.

Current Rogers County District Attorney Janice Steidley says this case was a train wreck for the county from the word go.

"Like all Rogers County citizens, as a wife, mother and property owner I was outraged when I first learned of this case and how it was handled by the former District Attorney's Office. One of the reasons I ran for District Attorney was to try to do anything possible to fix the damage and also to make certain that something like this can never happen again. I am outraged for the citizens of Rogers County who have to pay this judgment. The taxpayers were let down by their public servants in former District Attorney Gene Haynes' office. They deserved better," said Janice Steidley.

Steidley says none of the current Rogers County Commissioners were in office when this case began, and her office along with an outside expert counsel have tried to help save the Rogers County money.

"Sadly, those responsible for the damage facing taxpayers are out of office. They will face few or no consequences," Janice Steidley said. "My goal now is to make certain we have the proper policies and procedures in place so this can never happen again."

A Rogers County judge now must decide how much is owed and then Rogers County taxpayers will find out how much their property taxes will go up in the coming years.