Land office votes to issue refunds to Panhandle lease holders

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The 180 holders of school land leases whose cattle operations were adversely affected by drought will be getting refunds soon. <br><br>At a special meeting on Monday, the Oklahoma

Tuesday, October 22nd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The 180 holders of school land leases whose cattle operations were adversely affected by drought will be getting refunds soon.

At a special meeting on Monday, the Oklahoma Land Office voted to issue checks this week totaling more than $222,500 to 100 to 120 leaseholders in the Oklahoma Panhandle, Ernest Hellwege, director of the land office, said.

Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin and Gov. Frank Keating voted to delay a decision until the attorney general could make an opinion on the legality of the refunds.

But the motion to wait failed on a 2-2 vote, with state Auditor and Inspector Clifton Scott and Agriculture Board President Dennis Howard voting no. State schools Superintendent Sandy Garrett was not present.

A 1955 attorney general's opinion knocked down a similar ``rental adjustment'' of lease contracts.

The fee the land office charges for leasing Panhandle land for cattle-grazing is based generally on the number of cattle a tract can support. Because of drought, the number of cattle allowed on some of the land was decreased to protect the grass for future seasons.

About 60 percent of the leaseholders in the Panhandle applied for refunds, Hellwege said. Some were rejected because they didn't qualify and others were turned down because they missed the Oct. 16 deadline.

Hellwege said those who were late can appeal.

It was earlier estimated by field workers that the agency might reimburse as much as $600,000, Hellwege said.

The commission also voted Monday to take the money out of the agency's revolving fund, so it will not come directly out of money disbursed to schools each year.

The school-land program covers about 281,480 acres, which bring in about $1.45 million in annual school land revenue.