When the Watonga City Council met in regular session Tuesday evening, it was faced with a spate of seemingly standard but ultimately important agenda items.
First off was the monthly financial report from RS Meacham, delivered by Dacia Phillips. However, the financials highlighted the budget for the just completed fiscal year, which ended June 30.
Those numbers showed the city on a mostly positive trajectory, with the general fund ending with some $300,000 income over expenses. That income was $2.2 million, slightly over the anticipated income.
In the light and water department, $332,102 was spent over the department’s income. However, a $105,000 reimbursement on the new drying beds for the sewer plant has been received, reducing the deficit somewhat. The direct operating income of the department was slightly over $2 million. Expenses include salaries as well as payment to the suppliers of the electricity the city distributes.
The street and alley fund, which is restricted to use for its namesake and capital outlay, showed a sales tax earmarked income of $233,668. This does not reflect the sales and use tax ordinance passed by voters earlier in the year, which only took effect on July 1. The ordinance raised that rate to 6% in addition to the sales taxes already being collected by the state and county.
With the receipt of the reimbursement for the drying beds at the sewer plant, the Rural Energy for America -- REAP – grant was completed and Travis Bradt, acting chair in the absence of Mayor Bill Seitter, signed the affidavit of completion for
COUNCIL Page A 3 the federal funding. Once that is returned to the USDA, the city becomes eligible for another grant funding cycle, as only one project can be open for a municipality at a time.
The city also entered into a continued memorandum of understanding with the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department for emergency law enforcement response or mutual aid. This allows the city police officers to give or receive assistance from park rangers at Roman Nose State Park.
Other agreements with the city included BrandLogix, which provides the text message updates, Wright Radio which broadcasts Eagle sports and up to 1,000 30second radio ads annually, and Sooner Technology for computer programming and email administration for the city.
The council passed an ordinance allowing the city manager to take part in the same insurance and retirement plan as other city employees and it accepted the donation of a $300,000 fire engine from the county. That engine was purchased by Blaine County from the city of Weatherford and is a low mileage late model truck. The purchase was funded through the earmarked fire support tax collected by the county on behalf of the nine fire departments in the county.
The city manager gave an overview of the facade grant program, which gave businesses up to $1,000 to enhance their exteriors. Nine were given, with another six businesses that were unable to complete the work before the grant period ended. They will reaply to the renewed program this year.
For a further breakdown and complete numbers on the city budget, residents may go to the city website at www.watongaok.gov. That website also offers complete wording of city ordinances.