By Lindsey Temple

News Star Reporter

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has granted the city of Elmore City an expansion of its city limits in an effort to curb some alleged drug activity in the area.

Law enforcement agencies have recently informed the Elmore City Police Department of a known problem area for drug transportation close to the Elmore City area.

“It was our understanding that some people transporting drugs have been taking the cutoff road north of town to bypass Elmore City limits to come out on Hwy. 29 to head west,” said Lisa Rollings, City Treasurer.

In February’s EC council meeting, the council voted to pursue the possibility of expanding the city limits to allow EC law enforcement greater jurisdiction in this area.

Over the course of the next few months EC city officials submitted a petition to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

After several weeks of no response, Rollings called ODOT and inquired about the city’s request. Rollings was instructed to send a copy of the paperwork to the ODOT office in Ada.

After submitting paperwork to Ada, within days ODOT had relocated the city limits signs, to include areas of highway to the north and west of Elmore City.

“To the north goes all the way to the airplane hanger and to the west goes to the road to the cemetery.  This expansion was for drug interdiction purposes and only the highway was taken in. No property was taken in,” explained Rollings.

According to Rollings it was a very simple process, “I think the reason why it was simple is because it was not an “annexation” so to speak, just an expansion of city limits that is restricted to the highway.”

Considering EC’s small population ODOT will still be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the easement areas EC expanded to.