Current source roster
Osage County District 2 Commissioner
District 2 commissioner
County dates service from January2021; current October2026
Exact appointment dates not established; affiliation does not establish ownership or control.
People / Government & civic life
Steve Talburt
Osage County District 2 Commissioner
County administration, shared engineering services and the limits of regional representation.
Steve Talburt is Osage County’s District 2 commissioner, an INCOG board member and vice president of Circuit Engineering District 1. His work connects county road and spending decisions with regional planning and cooperative engineering capacity.
From investigations to elected administration
The county’s biography dates Talburt’s service as commissioner to January 2021. It says he previously served as captain of investigations in the Osage County Sheriff’s Office and had worked for the county for more than twenty years. Those career descriptions are attributed to the county biography; the page does not supply a complete sequence of employment dates. It also describes him as a pastor. That establishes an additional community role as publicly described by his office, without establishing a particular congregation’s governance, finances or political activity.
Career & public service
- Before 2021
Investigations work
County biography identifies earlier service as sheriff’s investigations captain.
- January 2021
Commissioner service begins
Starting month recorded by the county.
- 2024
Reelection
Campaign interview and later oath report document a successful second-term bid.
- November 2025
Service and purchasing decisions
Moved approval of an aging-services grant and materials bids.
- January 2026
Data center debate
Described limits on county influence to the Tulsa Flyer.
- October 2026
Current regional offices
County, INCOG and CED1 rosters confirm present roles.
People, institutions and the relationships between them
Following the connections
Each step below represents a documented relationship. Dates and roles belong to the individual links; a path can span different periods.
personSteve Talburt
officeOsage County District 2 Commissioner
governmentOsage County
County powers are exercised through the board and other independently responsible offices.
personSteve Talburt
public bodyCircuit Engineering District 1
A regional public body supplies shared technical capacity to member counties.
personSteve Talburt
regional governmentINCOG
County representation in INCOG is separate from individual control over its programs.
Documented relationships
4 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.
Current source roster
Osage County District 2 Commissioner
County district office · Osage County
Current October2026
Exact appointment dates not established; affiliation does not establish ownership or control.
Current source roster
INCOG
Osage County representative
August17,2026 roster checked October30
Exact appointment dates not established; affiliation does not establish ownership or control.
Current source roster
Circuit Engineering District 1
Vice president
Current CED1 roster checked October30
Exact appointment dates not established; affiliation does not establish ownership or control.
An audit finding that extends across county offices
The state audit for the year ended June 30, 2024, transmitted in December 2025, identified a repeated lack of county-wide internal controls. The auditors classified finding 2024-001 as a material weakness and called for a documented framework addressing risks, communication and monitoring. County management responded that officials were meeting monthly and working on the county handbook and procedures. Those responses describe proposed corrective work; they do not prove that the weakness was resolved. Talburt was a commissioner during the audited period, but the finding concerns county systems and is not a finding of personal theft or misconduct by him.
County office and regional institutions
Steve Talburt is Osage County’s District 2 commissioner. He also represents the county on INCOG’s board and is listed as vice president of Circuit Engineering District 1. These roles connect the day-to-day demands of county roads and administration with regional planning and shared engineering services. Each body has its own responsibilities: an INCOG board seat and an engineering-district office do not give him individual control over county appropriations.
Reelection and the priorities he presented
In June 2024, Bartlesville Radio interviewed Talburt as he sought a second term against a challenger. He emphasized saving district money and improving damaged roads, and discussed future projects involving both county work and coordination with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. These were his campaign descriptions, rather than independently measured results. KGGF’s subsequent swearing-in report confirms that he was reelected after defeating Bud Beaston. The current county roster provides a separate check that he remains in office.
Shared engineering capacity
Circuit Engineering District 1 lists Talburt as vice president and Osage County’s representative. The district describes itself as a cooperative public body through which counties share capabilities that may be difficult to maintain alone, including engineering advice, road and bridge assistance, inspections and employee training. Each participating county designates a commissioner for the board. The statewide district directory identifies Guy Engineering as providing management and coordination for CED 1. This is an institutional service relationship; it does not establish that Talburt owns or works for the engineering company.
Road procurement and aging services
The November 17, 2025 county minutes record Talburt moving approval of the INCOG Area Agency on Aging grant award from Oklahoma Human Services for state fiscal 2026. The motion passed unanimously. At that meeting he also moved acceptance of low bids for road and bridge materials, grader blades, rock and tires, with project location and transportation costs part of the stated purchasing basis. These actions show that the commission’s work extends from road supplies to agreements supporting public services. They establish approvals, without independently measuring the services ultimately delivered.
The limits exposed by Project Spring
The Tulsa Flyer’s January 2026 reporting on the proposed Project Spring data center described residents near the site who lived outside Sand Springs city limits and could not vote for the city officials making decisions. Talburt told the publication that county officials had a role in potential tax agreements but little influence over the development after municipal annexation. His account illustrates a practical boundary between representation on a county commission and decisions made by a city. It is a dated account of his position, not a legal determination that the county had no available remedy.
Check the record
Sources & corrections
Research checked 2026-10-30. Roles and financial figures retain their source dates. Sections appear only when supported material is available; an omitted section is not a finding that no such relationship exists.
- Oklahoma State University — duties of elected county officials ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-05
Board of County Commissioners section: majority board action, property, bids, roads, budget-board distinction, excise-board authority.
- INCOG board roster ↗
primary · Source date 2026-08-17 · Checked 2026-10-25
Direct October25 retrieval: August17,2026 roster lists vice-chair Chris Benge, Tulsa County. Distinct from Christian Bengel.
- Circuit Engineering District 1: purpose and board ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-26
Cooperative engineering functions; board lists Moore for Creek County.
- OCCEDB: Circuit Engineering District 1 ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-26
2025 directors; Guy Engineering provides management/coordination; five-year construction planning and new commissioner training.
- Osage County: Commissioner District 2 ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-30
Named current commissioner; in office since January2021; attributed earlier investigations captain and pastoral role. Second-term January2024 text conflicts with 2024 reelection reporting; omitted.
- KGGF: Osage County officials take oath of office ↗
independent-reporting · Checked 2026-10-30
Ty Loftis and Sheri Garris: Talburt reelected after defeating Bud Beaston; swearing-in account. Relative publication timestamp not used as exact date.
- Bartlesville Radio: Talburt looking to get reelected ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2024-06-11 · Checked 2026-10-30
Ty Loftis June11 interview; savings and road improvements are candidate claims, not audited performance measures.
- Tulsa Flyer: Osage neighbors and the Sand Springs data center ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2026-01-27 · Checked 2026-10-30
Phillip Jackson; Talburt describes limited county input after municipal annexation. Historical position; no current litigation disposition asserted.
- State Auditor: Osage County FY2024 financial report and single audit ↗
primary · Source date 2025-12-29 · Checked 2026-10-30
Transmitted December29,2025. Printed24/PDF34 finding2024-001; printed17/PDF27 classification as material weakness; management response is not verified remediation. County-level finding, not personal misconduct determination.
- Osage County commissioners: November17,2025 proceedings ↗
primary · Source date 2025-11-17 · Checked 2026-10-30
Resolution28555: Talburt moved INCOG Area Agency on Aging Oklahoma Human Services FY2026 grant award approval; passed unanimously. Road/bridge, grader blades, rock and tire bids also accepted on his motions.