When the Watonga City Council met on Nov. 15, there were several matters of housekeeping that needed attention.
One was the meeting calendar, required to be filed by Dec. 5. Council decided to keep its meetings on the third Tuesday of each month and included holidays required by law in the city calendar.
Another annual question was the longevity stipend. Back in the day, this was known everywhere as a Christmas bonus, but the name has morphed into various incarnations in recent years. The money for the stipends is based on years of service, was included in this year’s budget and will be handed out to employees before the Christmas holiday.
Since Verlen Bills retired, the city has had no regular office network administrator. The council agreed to use Sooner Tech out of Weatherford as needed until a longer-term solution is determined. Sooner Tech had provided network services prior to Bills coming on board. The city has asked the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group – OMAG – will assess the city’s needs and make a recommendation as to what its needs are and how to proceed. Technology services for towns and cities is a free service offered by the insurance issuer.
When the largest part of city administration moved from the building on Weigle Ave. to the new city hall on Main Street, it left an empty spot. Hopes are soon that space will be filled by Watonga’s finest – the police department.
The council accepted a proposal from Shane Moore from Fairview to renovate the building into usable space for the PD. Mostly the work will be restructuring offices, changing flooring and painting. The old council chambers will become the squad room once the raised dais is removed.
The proposal was for $11,118. Moore was the single acceptable proposal issuer with other companies or individuals ruled out of the running by lack of proper insurance coverage, a requirement for doing work on city property.