The Elk City Commissioners faced a full agenda during their mid-month meeting that was held Wed., Feb. 11th, at 2 p.m., in City Hall. All commissioners were present when Mayor Cory Spieker opened the meeting for a public hearing concerning dilapidated structures after the invocation and flag salute.
City Inspector, Jackie Addington, described the first house, located at 1006 W. 8th, as abandoned, and needing a lot of work. He said he has not been able to find the owners or anyone who represents the owners. The last known owners passed away, and he was unable to find any living relative to speak for the property. The next structure, located at 504 S. Adams, was in a similar situation. He could not locate the owner and recommended that the commissioners declare it dilapidated.
The third property that the commissioners heard about was located at 901 McClain. Addington said that the owners passed away, but there was someone who was in the process of trying to purchase it. That person was not in attendance at the meeting.
Once the hearing was completed, they approved the minutes from the Feb. 5th meeting. They then went on to approve the structure located at 1006 W. 8th as dilapidated. The commissioners also approved the structure at 504 S. Adams as dilapidated. The final building, at 901 McClain, was tabled until April 17th, to give the person time to acquire the structure and return to the commission meeting to update the progress.
The commissioners heard an introduction to Ordinance No, 1263: An Ordinance vacating a Right of Way Easement previously dedicated to the City of Elk City; providing that invalidity of a part shall not invalidate the remainder; repealing all ordinances in conflict herewith; and declaring an emergency. The location of this right of way is where the new fire department will be built. City Attorney, Ryan Meacham, spoke on behalf of the ordinance, saying it needed to be done because of utilities that run through the property. This is the standard ordinance in these situations.
Next on the agenda was a presentation from Kids Inc., Jimmy Lackey. He gave an update on the organization, the history, the contract and operations. He introduced staff that he brought with him from Amarillo, as well as the Elk City staff. Lackey also presented each commissioner with a booklet of statistics and the contract.
He said that Kids, Inc., was approached by an Elk City citizen, who wanted to look at their business model. Lackey came to Elk City and made the contract with the City of Elk City to run the recreational sports program. The first directors in Elk City were Rick McNeil and Allen Schrick. During that first year, the organization became an Elk City non-profit. After the first three years, they lowered their fees by $90,000 and have not gone back up since then.
Lackey said that they are a locally driven organization, and each town runs the program that fits them best. The Amarillo office is there to back up the local activities. He also made projections about the possibilities for future activity. He pointed out the increase interest in volleyball from Amarillo to Oklahoma City, which could be an untapped area of interest. He complemented Elk City on the impressive softball and baseball fields, as well as the Arrowhead Center.
No action was taken on Kids Inc., contract because it was a report on the organization. The next item the commissioners heard was concerning the PSO franchise agreement and the city lights. The first person to speak was City Manager Tom Ivester. He talked about the frustration and confusion concerning who would be maintaining certain lights. The Department of Transportation ordered the lights, and the city was expected to maintain them, without equipment nor knowledge.
The next person that talked about lights was Brandon Culver from Culver Electric. He told the commissioners about the high mast lights and how difficult they are to maintain. After Culver spoke, the PSO representative explained how the maintenance of the lights is determined. After several questions and discussion between Ivester and PSO, they determined that it was a difficult situation for the City of Elk City, and PSO would research the situation. They would be returning to discuss the problem further.
The commissioners approved the Project Agreement by and between the City of Elk City and Oklahoma Department of Transportation for the construction of the Industrial Access Project. Ivester said that he would make sure to clarify what lighting would be installed and who would maintain them.
They also approved payment to Culver Electric for prework on the new Elk City Fire Station location in the amount of $39,500.56. This related to moving utilities in the area.
The next two items that were approved on the agenda were the purchase of land by the water treatment plant. The first one was the purchase of 40 acres of land from Velma Jean Bostwick in the amount of $75,000. The next parcel of 160 acres located by the water plant was in the amount of $312,000 from Eddie Dean Horn. Johnny Brown explained to the commissioners that once this land was purchased, they would be trading water rights with Sayre, who had land without water rights. It would be a swap of water rights, which was deemed benefi cial to both cities.
FY 23-24 Budget Amendment #1 was approved. The commissioners also approved declaring a DTE 2018 Chevy Tahoe as surplus and sold to another agency.
The next item on the agenda was concerning 2609 E Hwy 66, which was tabled from Aug. 16th, 2023, and Nov. 15th, 2023. The new owner was present and told the commissioners what he has completed so far. Addington recommended an extension to May 22nd. The commissioners agreed.
They approved the Purchase Orders FY23-24 and recurring invoices for Feb. 21st.
Janessa Bustin gave a utility billing report to the commissioners. She explained the replacement of water meters and how she can alert customers to water leaks through the new software program. She also talked about the problems that they faced in Oct. but assured the commissioners that the problems are being fixed.
In the City Manager’s Report, Ivester gave Marnie Tosh complements on the Bull’s season. He said that Sunday they had record numbers. Saturday, Feb. 24th, will be their last game.
The other item that Ivester talked about were the bills that are coming through the legislature concerning the conservation of water, especially in the Altus/Lugert area. Senator Brent Howard authored the bill concerning irrigation in the area. Ivester said that he will be meeting on Friday at 11 p.m. with a person concerning the issue. He also said that there will be a group meeting at Northfork Electric Fri. afternoon.
The final two items on the agenda were the treasurer’s report. Meredith Meacham said that they are through 58 percent of the budget. They are in a good position at this point in the year. City treasurer Jennifer Rainey gave her report, which was approved.
With no comments from the public, the meeting was adjourned at 3:57 p.m. The next meeting will be held on March 4th at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
