Transcript Staff Writer

Cleveland County Commissioners, meeting as the county's Industrial Authority, approved issuance of up to $50 million in revenue bonds to benefit the Chickasaw Nations Industries.

Commissioners recessed their meeting Monday to hold a meeting of the Cleveland County Industrial Authority. The tribe's business arm wants to build a data center on John Saxon Boulevard near 36th Avenue SE and State Highway 9.

The board unanimously approved issuing the bonds. Commissioner George Skinner was absent from the meeting.

Chickasaw Nation Industries (CNI) plans to build a "Tier 3-plus" data center. Officials said OU plans to sign a 15-year lease for half of the building if it is open by June 2009.

A "Tier 1" building is the least secure with a "Tier 4" being the most secure, according to Don Wood, executive director of the Norman Economic Development Coalition.

CNI has moved its corporate offices from Ada to the former Saxon Publishing building at the complex and employs more than 150 people. There is an additional 47 acres that CNI will partner with the NEDC in trying to bring in additional jobs.

County Commissioner Rod Cleveland, District 1, expressed concern about sovereignty and asked what courts would be used if a dispute should occur. Wood assured him that CNI has waived all sovereignty and would pay all ad valorem real estate taxes on the property. Wood also told the board that the City of Norman "thinks this is a fantastic opportunity."

In other action, the board of county commissioners appointed Denise Ellison as requesting officer for several District 1 accounts and Layton Goad as an alternate receiving officer on several accounts.

Sheriff's Lt. Ed Miller told commissioners there were more than 30 more prisoners booked into the county jail during the week of Jan. 15-22 as there were the same week in 2007. He reported an average of 237 prisoners in the county detention center with 23 of those in Pottawatomie County and the U.S. Marshal's office.

The next meeting of the county commissioners is 9 a.m. Monday on the second floor of the Cleveland County Office Building, 201 S. Jones Ave. The Cleveland County Justice Authority will meet at 10 a.m. Monday.