Commissioners Of The Land Office (School Land Trust)

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5801 North Broadway, Suite 200 PO Box 26910 Oklahoma City, OK  73126

Telephone:  405-604-8100 Fax:  405-604-8199

Commission Membership and Duties

The Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO), better known as the "School Land Trust," is responsible for the sale, rental, disposal and management of school lands and other public lands and of the funds and proceeds derived thereof, under the rules prescribed by the Oklahoma Legislature.  The primary purpose of the CLO is to administer the school land trust funds for the production of income for the support and maintenance of the common schools and the schools of higher education.

The composition of the Commissioners of the Land Office is determined by statute.  64 O.S. 2001, Section 1. Current Commissioners are:

 

Governor Brad Henry, Chair

Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, Vice Chair

State Auditor and Inspector Steve Burrage

Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett

President of the State Board of Agriculture Terry Peach

 

The duties of the Commissioners of the CLO include but are not limited to the power to:

 

To direct the sale, rental, disposal, and managing of the school lands and other public lands of the state, and of the funds and proceeds derived therefrom;

To categorize the state school lands as agricultural or commercial according to the use which the Commissioners determine from time to time to be most beneficial to the interest of the present and future beneficiaries of the state;

To sell, at public auction after appraisement, the surface interest in any state school land categorized by the Commissioners of the Land Office to be excess; and

To institute projects to develop and improve those state school lands which are categorized as commercial lands. Provided however, no funds under the control or jurisdiction of the Commissioners shall be spent on such projects unless approved by the Legislature.

 

Administration

The Land Office is administered by a Secretary, who is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Commissioners.  The Secretary exercises direct supervision over the several divisions of the CLO.  Former State Auditor and Inspector Clifton Scott serves as the current Secretary of the CLO.

The CLO is divided into several divisions with the following duties:

• Accounting Division – The Accounting Division is responsible for all accounting functions of the agency, including receipt of all funds, payment of claims, accounting for the fixed assets of the trusts and budgeting.
• Audit Division – The Audit Division is responsible for reviewing royalty payment transactions and lessee reports of production for compliance with CLO lease terms, rules and Oklahoma's state statutes.

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