When the Watonga City Council met in regular session Tuesday, the agenda was heavy on the financial outlook and light on much else.
The council is unable to do much more than paying its bills and approving payments that have already been budgeted because there are only two sitting council members.
Some members of the audience attempted to question whether even those actions were legal, although Mayor Kayla Ragsdale explained that the council was not entertaining questions from those in attendance.
However, when a similar situation was imminent in Geary, that city’s attorney wrote the situation is addressed in Section 8-109 of Oklahoma Statutes.
That section reads, in part, if the council seats become vacant within the 60-day window until municipal elections, the remaining members of the governing body may pay claims in accordance with Section 11-17-102 of this title and when necessary to avoid financial loss or injury to person or property, may take action otherwise authorized for the governing body except the enactment of an ordinance.
The attorney, Bryce Kennedy, is a municipal law practitioner who counts among his clients the city of Enid.
Once past the objections, the city council heard from its CPA firm RS Meacham. That report included both the monthly financials and the report on the city’s annual audit, which is posted on the state auditor's website. The city website carries a link to that audit as well.
The audit, for its part, was unmodified, or clean, with only a single finding in that some numbers were not available early enough to suit the office.
The financials showed the city on an even keel at the halfway point in the fiscal year, with expenses generally at or below half of what was budgeted and revenue generally at or above what was budgeted.
One exception was the light department where revenue was at 79 % of the amount expected at this point in the year. However, Dacia Phillips
PHOTO BY CONNIE BURCHAM of Meacham explained that was because the light department income soars during the hot summer months when more of the citizens are running their air conditioning and running up the power bills.
Both the water and sewer showed expenses above income because those departments were responsible for helping meet the costs of the drinking water and sewage treatment plant projects.
The projects are moving ahead, and one of the items on the agenda was the contractor’s request for payment No. 5 in the
amount of $456,183.31. That payment had been previously budgeted, so it was within the realm of items the constricted council could approve.
One item that will garner a lot of attention from the residents of Watonga is the approval of an application from the Watonga Community Theatre to upgrade its façade.
Like the T.B. Ferguson Home, the theater building is owned by the city and leased to the community theatre group.
That group has independently raised the funds to accomplish the revamp of the façade. Because the group is not asking for any city funding, the request was also within the parameters of what the sitting council can approve.
They gave no indication of how much the project was going to cost them.
The artist’s rendering of the anticipated work showed a sleek, Art Deco/modern look in step with the new marquee that was installed a few years ago.
The next meeting of the Watonga City Council is planned for February 18 at city hall.