May 6, 2014 City Commission Meeting

City Council Meeting Summary – Shawnee, Oklahoma Date: April 21, 2014

Announcements

• 📅 Loyalty Day Proclamation: Mayor Maynard issued a proclamation recognizing 📅 May 1st, 2014, as Loyalty Day. A state celebration will be held this Saturday at Post 1317 in Shawnee, with Congressman James Lankford as the guest speaker.
• 📅 Youth Aviation Day: Held on April 5th at the airport, the event successfully engaged approximately 120 children in learning about aviation.
• Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Board: The city is actively forming the CVB board, with a target completion date of 📅 July 1st.
• Shawnee Municipal Authority (SMA) Master Plan: A draft of the SMA master plan is scheduled to be presented to the City Commission in 📅 May.
• Boy Scout Park Splash Pad: A grant application for a splash pad at Boy Scout Park has been submitted. The city hopes to receive grant awards by 📅 June or July, though funding is currently delayed. The project includes a city match, potentially covered by the anti-smoking grant.
• Grove School Traffic Improvements: The city is collaborating with the school district to implement immediate, inexpensive solutions for traffic management around Grove School. A capital request for a drop lane on the south side of the school is expected in this year's budget.
• Staff Farewell: This meeting marked Jessica's last with the City Commission.

Key Decisions & Votes

• Meeting Minutes: The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
• Consent Agenda (City Commission): Items A, B, C, D, and F of the consent agenda were approved.
  • A correction was made to Item B, changing the dealership name for a vehicle purchase from "Bob Hurley dealership" to "Smiles Public Safety."
• Payment to GNG Services for Vegetative Debris Removal: The Commission authorized payment to GNG Services for $25,000 for vegetative debris removal. This payment was for work that exceeded an initial partial order due to a misunderstanding of the city's agreement with the contractor, who was operating under terms similar to a county contract. The city will bear the cost as the event was not declared a federal disaster.
• Woodland Park Pool Improvements Bids: The decision on bids for Woodland Park Pool improvements was deferred to the next meeting. Staff requested additional time to investigate the lowest bidder and to receive feedback from the health department regarding submittals.
• Executive Session - Sales Tax Enforcement: The City Commission voted to enter executive session to discuss matters related to sales tax enforcement. No action was taken upon reconvening.
• Shawnee Airport Authority (SAA) Consent Agenda: The SAA consent agenda was approved.
• Shawnee Municipal Authority (SMA) Consent Agenda: The SMA consent agenda was approved.
• Executive Session - Utility Service Area Encroachment: The SMA voted to enter executive session to discuss potential claims, litigation, or other options regarding encroachment in the city's utility service area by other entities. No action was taken upon reconvening.

Financial Matters 💰

• Sales Tax Report: The April sales tax collection totaled $1,421,000, representing a positive increase of $184,000 compared to the same period last year. This upward trend is a welcome sign as the city prepares for budget season.
• Budget Update: The draft general fund budget is facing delays due to an anticipated 31% increase in medical insurance costs from Blue Cross Blue Shield. The city is exploring options to share this increased cost with employees to prevent a potential 100% premium increase for staff. The Shawnee Municipal Authority (SMA) budget is currently flat, with plans to implement capital requests from its master plan.

Public Comments

• Commissioner Comments:
  • One commissioner commended students and sponsors for a successful fundraiser supporting their trip to Japan.
  • Another commissioner reported on the "Great American Trash Off," noting a significant increase in attendance from the previous year and encouraging more citizens to actively participate in keeping the city clean.
• Citizen Participation: No citizens came forward to address the commission during the designated public participation period.

Agenda Summary Table