Dear Oklahoma Legislators:

The undersigned thank you for your support in the past for the Rural Economic Action Plan funding. We are asking once again for your support in the Rural Economic Action Plan for year Fiscal Year 2019. The REAP program is very important to the communities below the 7,000 population.

The REAP program for Fiscal Year was $9,187,761 for the entire state of Oklahoma and divided between the 11 Councils of Governments. In Central Oklahoma, $700,000 of the total $9,187,761 was distributed to the Council of Governments in Central Oklahoma.

For the years 1997-2016, Logan County, Oklahoma County, Canadian County, and Cleveland County have received $4,138,511.93 in funds to help some of the small rural communities for road repairs and other projects. The small rural communities in these four counties in the years 1997-2016 have received $9,300,940.96 for road repairs, lagoon repairs, town hall building repairs and water tower repairs. This had just been done in a four (4) county area. This may not sound like much to you but to these counties and small rural counties this is a tremendous burden lifted off their shoulders by the Rural Economic Action Plan.

REAP Helps with Rural water quality projects: including acquisition, treatment, distribution, and recovery of water for consumption by humans or animals or both, including but not limited to the following projects for installation, construction, rehabilitation, reconstruction, operation or maintenance of water systems.

REAP Helps with Rural solid waste disposal, treatment or similar projects: including but not limited to the following projects for installation, construction, rehabilitation, reconstruction, operation, or maintenance of solid waste systems.

REAP Helps with Rural sanitary sewer construction or improvement projects: including but not limited to the following projects for installation, construction, rehabilitation, reconstruction, operation, or maintenance of sanitary sewer systems.

REAP Helps with Rural road or street construction or improvement projects: including but not limited to the following projects for installation, construction, rehabilitation, reconstruction or resurfacing roads, streets, bridges and sidewalks.

REAP Helps with the Provision of rural fire protection services and public safety services including but not limited to the following projects: Land acquisition for fire stations, police stations, emergency shelters, animal shelters or other fire protection or public safety services related projects; Costs for planning, engineering, and designing fire stations, police stations, storm shelters, animal shelters, or other fire protection or public safety services related projects; Costs for construction, expansion, rehabilitation, refurbishment, or other building expenses for fire stations, police stations, emergency shelters, animal shelters, or other fire protection or public safety services related projects.

REAP Helps with Expenditures designed to increase the employment level within the jurisdiction of the entity including but not limited to the following provided there is a nexus to increased employment levels: Land acquisition for business or economic development; Costs for planning, engineering, and designing buildings or industrial parks for business and economic development; Costs for construction, expansion, rehabilitation, refurbishment, hazard mitigation or other building expenses for business and economic development; Feasibility or market studies and plans; Costs for installing, constructing, reconstructing or otherwise improving water, sanitary sewer, rail spur and roads and streets to or within an industrial park; Business incubators.

REAP Helps with Provision of health care services, including emergency medical care, in rural areas including but not limited to: Land acquisition for hospitals, emergency care centers and other health care and emergency medibcal care related projects; Costs for planning, engineering and designing hospital, helo-pads, health care facilities or emergency care facilities.

REAP Helps with Construction or improvement of telecommunication facilities or systems including but not limited to: Wireless equipment and devices, broadband equipment and devices, optic fiber and other telecommunication related equipment and telephone systems including system equipment.

REAP Helps with Improvement of municipal energy distribution systems including but not limited to: Costs for planning, engineering, and designing municipal system distribution structures and systems; Costs for installing, constructing, reconstructing or otherwise improving electric substations and other municipal energy distribution structures and systems; Poles, wire, switches, voltage regulators, conductors, transformers, natural gas lines, gas meters, and other municipal energy distribution system equipment; Aerial bucket trucks and other municipal energy distribution system vehicles.

REAP Helps with Community buildings, courthouses, town halls, senior nutrition centers, meeting rooms or similar public facilities including but not limited to: Costs for planning, engineering and designing public buildings and facilities; Costs for constructing, reconstructing, rehabilitating, hazard mitigation or otherwise improving public buildings and facilities; Sound systems, heat/air conditioning units, electrical system upgrades, security cameras, security fencing, elevator, ceiling fans, kitchen equipment (senior nutrition centers and community centers only), and other furniture, fixtures and equipment for public buildings and facilities; Lighting, parking lots, sidewalks, septic systems, fire sprinkler system, alarm systems, emergency generator, parking blocks, security fencing and other related public building and facilities related projects; Libraries, museums and park pavilions.

We understand that the Oklahoma Legislators have to make difficult decisions, however, we urge you to provide the needed funds for the REAP Fiscal Year 2019. Thank you for your consideration of this request and your continued support of small community development and revitalization.