Council approves Aug. 15 Cross Country event
JUSTIN MOON with First National Bank of Holdenville presented Holdenville Animals Lovers Organization, Inc. (HALO) with a $250.00 donation in honor of DOGust 1st, the Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs! Justin is shown presenting Kelly Smith, Halo Sec/Treas, with a check made out to HALO. “We appreciate Justin, Mary Ann and all the staff at First National Bank for their support throughout the year! Hug your shelter dog today! If you need a shelter cat or dog, go by Holdenville Animal Shelter at 1200 S. Hinckley and pick one out!”
The Holdenville City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, August 4. A roll call determined a quorum was present. This was followed by the flag salute and prayer.
COMMUNICATIONS - The next item on the agenda was communications. During the April 21 meeting the Council voted to move communications from last to the front of the agenda so citizens would have an opportunity to make comments concerning agenda items before the council takes action on any issues they are concerned about.
The first person to comment was local business owner Bill Freeman, who began with a complaint that he was unable to have an item placed on the agenda, stating he was told that citizens must have their Council representative submit agenda items. Mayor John Massad stated that was correct.
Freeman is seeking the council’s approval to close one block of Oklahoma Street during the Fall Festival so he can host a family style event for all ages. Last year Freeman held a similar event to benefit the annual 4th of July event at Holdenville Lake, raising a total of $5,407.57 for fireworks.
Freeman next expressed his grave concern about the leadership of the city after learning a City Council member has entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the District Attorney’s office for second degree burglary. Freeman stated he has a copy of the press release and a copy of the deferred prosecution agreement and questioned where the City was going to go from there.
CONSENT AGENDA - The three items on the consent agenda were (a) approve the minutes of the previous meeting (b) approve payment of purchase orders for the month of July, and (c) approve blocking Broadway from Main Street south for 1/2 block to the alley for a Holdenville Wolverines Fundraiser Carwash on August 15 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
There was no request to discuss any of these three items separately, and they were approved with one vote.
COMMITTEE REPORTS - Council member Dane Robinson reported he has been discussing the removal of abandoned houses with City Inspector Mike Dockrey. Getting an approval is a lengthy and complicated process, but the house at 122 S. Bullitt has been contracted for teardown. Approval on a growing list of other houses has been delayed because the former inspector for asbestos no longer has his license, but a new person is currently in the process of obtaining a license. Robinson shared the list of houses under consideration and asked that anyone wanting to have an abandoned structure removed contact him or their council representative and they will add it to the list.
Council member Ron Thetford reported Lake Superintendent Waylon Ford has collected donations for additional RV camping outlets in the swimming area at the lake. An earlier investment was made to provide electric service to that area, and the additional funds made it possible to move forward with this project. Ford has also received certification from DEQ to operate a “honey wagon” to empty the campground toilets. He encouraged the personnel committee to consider giving Waylon a raise for this and many other responsibilities Ford has taken on.
Personnel Committee member Lynn Lantz commented that, although it’s too early to make an announcement, the committee has already been working on providing raises, especially for key personnel. Mayor Massad stated he is aware that the City employees work hard and are under-paid, and he would like to begin an “Employee of the Month” program that includes and “Employee of the Year” as well.
POLICE CHIEF DISCUSSION - Council member Tony Wulf stated he had intended to visit with City Attorney Trey Irby to discuss increasing the distance a police chief can live outside city limits, but he dropped the ball. However, Citizen Bobby Dilbeck had brought up a question about the Town Marshall/Police Chief during the previous meeting and he turned the discussion over to him.
Mr. Dilbeck stated that Holdenville had its first election in 1898 with the understanding that the elected town marshal would serve as the chief of police. In 1983 Beverly Rodgers was elected mayor and introduced Ordinance 83 Section 13-401 which states the chief of police will be appointed by the mayor with approval of the city council, according to Dilbeck’s research. Dilbeck stressed that this is not allowed due to the form of government the City has, and the elected marshal at that time fought and won that proposal.
In February 2017 there was a controversy concerning the elected marshal serving as police chief. Rodgers used Ordinance 83 to appoint a new police chief, and the chief has continued to be appointed since then.
During his comments Dilbeck repeatedly referred to the City’s form of government as “for the people, by the people,” and insisted this was what the town’s founders wanted. According to Dilbeck, there are no records of Ordinance 83 Section 13-401 being voted on. He notes that there have been seven intern police chiefs appointed in the past three and a half years.
Dilbeck called on the Council to strongly consider returning the choice of police chief back to the people, reminding them that five city officials were replaced in the last election, and five more will be on the next ballot. He has researched, and state statutes Title 11. Cities and Towns 11-9-114. Marshal and street commissioner states, “There shall be one marshal and one street commissioner, who shall be officers of the city. The marshal may be the chief of police. The marshal shall have such powers, duties, and functions as may be prescribed by law or by ordinance.”
Digging deeper, State Statutes 11-12-111 states, “…all references in Oklahoma Statutes to the town marshal shall mean the town chief of police.”
Dilbeck concluded that he doesn’t need the police because he can take care of himself, but there a lot of people in the community that do need the police. He’s there to fight for the right to choose, and the council needs to think about the current disconnect with the community.
Former Police Chief Jerry Young commented that he had been told that the new council was considering having an election for a new town marshal/chief of police. After the last election he spoke again with the mayor and council members and they told him there were some other things they needed to do but they would work on it. He is aware that there are a lot of people in the community that would like to be able to vote for their chief of police.
Young also commented that the Oklahoma statutes state that if a city clerk is paid extra for their duties, it has to be established by an ordinance, including defining the extra duties and the pay for those duties.
Young commented that there is talk about having a city manager form of government, and it appears to him that’s what they are working with now, with the city appointing a chief of police and city clerk. He suggested either having a vote so the people can decide on the city manager form of government or get back to electing the chief of police and city manager.
NEW HIRES - The City Council portion of the Tuesday night meeting included an unusual amount of new hires. This included:
John Houlton as full time Street Department employee;
Colton Cox as a full time Fireman;
Jarrod Rogers as a full time Fireman;
Cameron Grizzle as full time Police Officer;
Jeff Chambers as full time Police Officer; and Kyle Jackson as full time Police Officer.
All new hires were approved with the mandatory six month probation period.
Personnel committee member Lynn Lantz explained that is normal that when a key employee at any job leaves there is additional turnover, and that is what happened when Chief Chris Perteet left. These new hires puts the department back on track and they are committed to making it work.
LIBRARY FIREWALL - Grace M. Pickens Librarian Kim McNaughton explained that the library recently changed their internet provider, and in the process needed a new firewall to go with it. The firewall protects library patron’s personal information as well as keeping users from accessing sites that may introduce a computer virus as well as kids from watching porn. Thebidgaveanoptionofeitheratwoyearor three year contract. City Inspector Mike Dockrey had suggested the two year plan, but McNaughton was unsure of why that recommendation was made. Following a brief discussion the council voted to accept the two year bid.
OMAG PROPERTY INSURANCE - Lynn Lantz explained that he and members Ron Thetford and Liz Campbell had a series of meetings in person and via phone conference with OMAG (Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group) concerning adjustments to the insurance the City pays on the properties. Using the Civic Center the Council meets in as an example, he pointed out that if they replaced the building they wouldn’t build it back exactly but instead construct a less expensive metal building with a brick veneer. In addition, the City has an additional $100,000 worth of “blanket” coverage they were unaware of that covers items such as playground equipment, radio towers, storm sirens, etc. Using a program that OMAG provides, they went through the City’s assets and came up with a savings of approximately $17,000. The committee provided a copy of the new plan as well as a copy of the old plan for comparisons. If there were any major objections they could delay a vote on the proposed changes until the next meeting. Thetford added that the insurance package can be changed any month throughout the year, so if they later decided they had made a mistake it can be corrected at any time. Thetford added a disclaimer that they are expecting to make an adjustment for the sewer plant, which has six buildings listed. They plan to talk to an adjuster to make an assessment of the sewer plant as a whole and then make an additional adjustment, which should mean additional savings.
The Council voted to accept the changes as presented.
ATV PERMITS - Dane Robinson explained that there are currently two different ATV permit prices - one for $30 at the lake and one for $25 in town. The City would like to have the stickers printed at the same place so they stickers would be the same. If approved, the price would be $30 for local residents and $60 for out-of-town residents or $10 for a day pass. Instead of a renewal, a new permit will be required each year.
The Council approved the change.
COVID 19 MANDATES - Mayor Massad explained that this item is intended to keep the community updated on what is going on in Holdenville and the rest of Hughes County. He reviewed the number of active cases, and asked that all citizens stay on guard and practice all state mandates, which currently includes practicing social distancing and washing or sanitizing hands frequently. He stressed that this virus remains a public crisis, and we all need to make sure our senior citizens are protected. If a senior citizen is uncomfortable shopping in public they can call the police department or city hall to have items delivered to their home.
NEW BUSINESS - During the new business portion of the meeting Holdenville track coach Ryan Turner informed the council that earlier that day the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) had approved cross country events, including the invitational meet Holdenville hosts annually at Holdenville Lake in August. This year the event was scheduled for the weekend of August 15. Due to the COVID 19 virus, he wasn’t sure when any events would be allowed, so he had not requested to be on the agenda. The council has approved the August event for the past three years, and last year it attracted 90 athletes in grades 7 - 12. Coach Turner stressed this an outstanding opportunity for local athletes to perform in front of their family and friends. Because this was an issue that could not have been foreseen before the Tuesday meeting and since the council is not scheduled to meet until after the event date, City Attorney Trey Irby stated that the council could vote on this item, which they approved unanimously.
