August 2, 2022 City Commission Meeting

Announcements

• 📅 Special Meeting for Wastewater System Improvements: A special meeting of the City Commission and Municipal Authority will be held on Monday, August 8th at 6 PM to discuss the significantly higher-than-estimated bids for wastewater system improvements and potential funding.
• 📅 Cops and Kids Time: The annual Cops and Kids Time event will take place at the Expo Center on Saturday, August 27th, from 11 AM to 4 PM.
• New Finance Director: Lindsey McNabb Fox will begin her role as the city's Finance Director and City Treasurer on 📅 August 15th.
• Shawnee Animal Shelter at Capacity: The animal shelter is at complete capacity. Citizens are urged to consider adopting pets and to remember to spay and neuter their animals.
• Resource Center Needs Volunteers: The Resource Center is seeking volunteers, even for a couple of hours a week, to help keep its services running more frequently.

Key Decisions & Votes

• Consent Agenda Approved: The consent agenda for the City Council meeting was ✅ Approved (5-0).
• New Finance Director Approved: The City Manager's hiring of Lindsey McNabb Fox as the city's Finance Director and her appointment as City Treasurer was ✅ Approved (5-0).
• Backup Appliances Purchased: The purchase of two Unitrends 932s backup appliances with a 3-year warranty and support from Inside Public Sector for 💰 $52,438.97 was ✅ Approved (5-0). These replace older, end-of-life units.
• Woodland Veterans Park Inspection Services: An agreement for owner's representative inspection services and material testing with Standard Testing and Engineering Company for Woodland Veterans Park was ✅ Approved (5-0). Despite a discussion about an "administration fee," staff clarified its purpose and noted overall cost savings by combining services.
• Additional Firefighters Funded: A budget amendment for fiscal year 2022-2023 to appropriate public safety fee revenue for the cost of three additional firefighters was ✅ Approved (5-0).
• Camex Street Gravity Relief Line Awarded: The bid for the Camex Street Gravity Relief Line project was awarded to Craft Reynolds for 💰 $626,330.50 and was ✅ Approved (5-0).
• Kickapoo Street Sidewalk Improvements Bids Deferred: Bids for the Kickapoo Street Sidewalk Improvements project were received but ➡️ Deferred (5-0) to a future meeting for staff review. The project aims to complete sidewalks on both sides of Kickapoo from 45th to Macarthur, with an estimated construction timeline of 180 days after contract award.
• Airport Authority Consent Agenda Approved: The consent agenda for the Airport Authority was ✅ Approved (5-0).
• Municipal Authority Consent Agenda Approved: The consent agenda for the Municipal Authority was ✅ Approved (5-0).
• Municipal Authority Budget Amendment Approved: A budget amendment for fiscal year 2022-2023 for the Shawnee Municipal Authority to appropriate public safety fee revenue for transfer to the general fund for additional public safety costs was ✅ Approved (5-0).
• Wastewater System Improvements Bids Deferred: Bids for the Wastewater System Improvements project were received, with the lowest bid at 💰 $103,558,735.00. These bids were significantly higher than initial estimates. Staff requested and received approval to ➡️ Defer (5-0) the bid awarding to allow for evaluation and potential value engineering. A special meeting is scheduled for August 8th to address this.

Public Comments

• Clarissa Brown reported hitting a pothole on North Kickapoo, causing significant damage to her vehicle. Her claim with the city's insurance provider (OMAG) was denied because there were no previous damage claims for that specific pothole, which she found illogical and frustrating.
• Frank Abbott, the new General Manager at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center, introduced himself to the council. He shared his 25 years of experience in the equine and special events industry and expressed optimism about the potential for the Expo Center.
• Rob Morris raised several concerns:
  • Questioned a commissioner's oath of office regarding potential conflicts of interest, specifically referencing a vote related to "community market" grant money for food.
  • Alleged that Shawnee Forward board members knew about Shawnee Ford's interest in property at Farrell and 177, and questioned why there wasn't an abstention.
  • Requested the implementation of ward-specific town hall meetings for citizens to engage with their commissioners.
• Carrell Pete commended the improved maintenance at the International Final Youth Rodeo at the Expo Center this year. He highlighted Shawnee's potential as a "gold mine" for equine events, noting the significant economic impact ($360/day per individual) and the excellent, affordable camping facilities compared to other cities. He urged the city to invest in and promote these facilities.

Administrative Reports

• Kickapoo Avenue Widening Report:
  • The project involves widening Kickapoo Avenue, which is part of Highway 270B. Upon completion, the section from 270 to Farrell will become a municipal street.
  • The project includes widening sections to three and four lanes with turning lanes, adding sidewalks on both sides, signal improvements at Highland, Benedict, and Main Street, significant storm sewer upgrades, and relocating parallel water mains.
  • The City is responsible for right-of-way acquisition (155 parcels completed) and utility relocation (OG&E, AT&T, ONG, which took 18 months due to extensive work by ONG). ODOT is responsible for design, construction, bidding, and oversight, covering the bulk of the construction costs.
  • Timeline: Utility relocation is expected to be complete this month. ODOT is scheduled to bid the project in 📅 Q2 2023 (April), with an estimated construction timeline of 400 days, projecting completion by 📅 the end of 2024.
  • Key Updates: The intersection of Kickapoo and Main Street, originally planned as a roundabout, will now be a conventional signalized intersection due to the railroad (UP) not permitting a roundabout. This design change caused a delay in the bid date. Additionally, staff confirmed that the St. Benedict's Church stairs will be preserved through a minor redesign.
• Code Enforcement Report:
  • The Code Enforcement office, now under the Engineering Department, consists of three full-time officers and a Chief Code Enforcement Official, covering 41 square miles.
  • Code enforcement ensures public safety by enforcing compliance with public health, safety, and building standards.
  • Non-compliance is identified through reactive citizen complaints (Action Center) and proactive officer patrols.
  • Violation Types:
    • Property Maintenance (structures): Can take up to 6 months to resolve due to required time for property owners to fix issues.
    • Nuisance Abatement (tall grass, inoperable vehicles, debris): Can be resolved in up to 60 days.
  • Caseload: Since July 2021, over 300 new cases have been opened, and over 700 cases closed (mostly by landowner action). There are currently over 600 ongoing cases, including 88 dilapidated structures. The department has restructured by splitting the city into three sectors for officers, with a dedicated officer for dilapidated cases and one for downtown, to better manage the significant workload.

Agenda Summary Table