Five new officers added to the force
In a regular session held on Tuesday night, the Okmulgee City Council showed appreciation for two long-serving law enforcement officers by approving the transfer of service weapons and badges to retiring Police Chief Joe Prentice and Captain James Ables.
Captain Ables, while hearing reports from various departments, also announced the addition of five new officers to the department, including the return of two former officers.
Councilman William Bryant then asked Ables about his thoughts regarding officer retention. Ables said things were “looking better” while mentioning the strain that ongoing staffing shortages has put on officers currently serving.
Okmulgee Fire Chief Dewayne Hurt reported on his department’s efforts to provide smoke detectors to residents in need. He also reminded landlords of their state requirement to provide smoke detectors.
Next, the council considered a resolution for the city to apply for an opioid abatement grant from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board to help miti- gate the ongoing opioid epidemic’s impact on the community.
An amendment to the employee retirement system was approved that, according to City Manager Rick Pearson, allows employees to “take a loan against their 401(a) at 1% above the prime lending rate.” He added that employees will be able to access up to half of what they have in the fund, up to $50,000.
The council also approved the authorization of Task Order No. 3 for the construction of new hangars at the airport at a cost not exceeding $83,700. The owner-engineer agreement with Parkhill is to provide the materials and services for hangar construction, including materials testing and grant administration services. This was also approved at the subsequent meeting of the municipal authority. Also approved were the minutes from the Jan. 11 and 16 meetings.
The council tabled a request from Emergency Medical Service that would’ve allowed them to enter into a financing agreement for a new ambulance through Mabrey Bank.
City Attorney Lou Ann Moudy said that EMS had a hearing earlier that day where an agreed order was entered saying they’d hold off on financing anything until further agreement of the parties was reached.
The council then approved a preliminary plat of an addition to the city known as the Okmulgee Business Complex, as well as an amendment to the city’s land use map.
They also approved an agreement with Dobson Technologies for the use of the city’s rights of way, and a boat dock/lake access lease at Okmulgee Lake.
While hearing comments from the council, Councilman Steve Baldridge asked about the likelihood of demolishing what’s left of the Black Apartments that burned a little over a year ago.
City Clerk Ronnia Andrew said that last year’s estimates put the cost of cleanup around $122,000. City Manager Rick Pearson said that it may have to be addressed in next year’s budget and Mayor Mickey Baldwin asked about the possibility of resolving the issue through litigation.
Later, the council heard comments from the public. The first resident reported persistent water leaks on personal and city property, which City Manager Pearson said he would look into the following day.
Another resident asked for a review of the city’s charter. They asked for standard operating procedure for securing a review, before any potential changes to the city’s charter. Councilman Baldridge said that discussion of the charter could be put on the next agenda.
A third person asked that the city take action to place more handicap parking along the Historic Main Street, to make the area more accessible to all residents.
The fourth resident asked that city council meetings be pushed to 6 p.m. so that more people could attend. They also asked if council meetings could soon be live-streamed and archived for future viewing, for which multiple members of the council voiced support.
The council went into an executive session but, upon returning, took no action on the items discussed. Numbers from the city reports can be found in our In The Know section.
