[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6316491,"mediaKeyId","2376724-02c129fbd12e72807a79b8414a9799d0","parentId",2376724,"title","Votes at a glance: Veneta approves drug-testing contract, water-district addendum, donations and equipment purchases","audioSeconds",1974,"startMs",937165,"endMs",2911295,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376724-02c129fbd12e72807a79b8414a9799d0&start=937&end=2911","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376724-02c129fbd12e72807a79b8414a9799d0/thumbnail_937165.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6316491/Vinita/Craig-County/Oklahoma/Votes-at-a-glance-Veneta-approves-drug-testing-contract-water-district-addendum-donations-and-equipment-purchases","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316491-fd44db72f3655051edf150f2a17f7feb/orig.mp4?Expires=1775732747&Signature=RQ12ABcJA~IBppMy80IA5j6NQSmSpZ2GoP06Qg68tUZgwGlbWuzGMiy5aIR5XWUPJ1LUb5KMsYmBlwKTck13GPA-WGLKKp0v1ZTtWWZOAxI6vxND3H6gAMxMdu4jLkSKv~U-vJuvgQMpHH28j0B0FAp1u80R8jpEqRQBFA7BbB1qhHVK6Ay9EA1r0cGiy0HJL3kf~OXsW~zhXljhmWJKrc3~tf2r5F0aGGY09LpkGxbz6BIjSC8K3bfoJhXyoMfBjOWWN51hV5UqPeXi-PRXFDu5sAycqu-L-c6G6IpyLDK9DxrxInKvHBWFmRN~hOX9h9LlcRuWbFrI3Ve~fz~iPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Vinita, OK","date","2025-02-21T12:42:12Z","article","The Veneta Utilities Authority and Veneta City Council handled several routine items Feb. 20. The actions below reflect motions and votes recorded during the special meetings.

• Local Government Testing Consortium (LGTC) — drug- and alcohol-testing service agreement: City staff said LGTC operates drug testing for employees and will provide updated CDL clearing-house services and modernized policy language. The council approved continuation of the LGTC service agreement. Vote: unanimous; no members opposed.

• Second addendum to contract with Craig County Rural Water District No. 2: Staff presented an annual review and recommended adoption of the second addendum that raises the cost-per-1,000-gallons figure from $2.86 last year to $3.60 per 1,000 gallons for the current year. The council approved the addendum. Vote: unanimous; no members opposed.

• Municipal adviser agreement with Baker Group LP: (See separate article) Council approved retaining Baker Group to pursue CWSRF funding for wastewater projects; staff will provide required documents and obtain signatures/notarization. Vote: unanimous; no members opposed.

• Junction Internet LLC request to upgrade equipment at industrial water-tower site: Junction requested permission to install a small concrete pad and utility cabinet for battery backup to support internet equipment on the industrial water tower that serves municipal and private customers. Council and staff agreed that a formal contract should be in place before permanent work proceeds and discussed requiring site-location approval by the city administrator; no action was taken at this meeting.

• Volunteer firefighter appointment: The council approved the appointment of Jacob Eugene as a volunteer firefighter for the Veneta Fire Department. Vote: unanimous; no members opposed.

• Cherokee Nation donation to Fire Department: The council accepted a $13,000 donation from Cherokee Nation intended for the fire department. Vote: unanimous; no members opposed.

• Purchase of AMK cutter (extrication tool) from Davenport Fire Equipment Sales LLC: Council authorized spending the $13,000 donation from Cherokee Nation to purchase an AMK cutter (tool only; batteries not included) to standardize battery usage across existing equipment. Vote: unanimous; no members opposed.

• VUA employee probation (Adam Pitts): The superintendent recommended not to proceed with hiring following what he described as significant absenteeism during probation. The council took no action on the agenda item; staff said the probationary appointment will expire without formal council action.

These items were discussed during the Veneta Utilities Authority meeting and repeated on the city-council agenda where the council confirmed the VUA actions as appropriate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","VUA and CC February 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Veneta Utilities Authority and Veneta City Council approved several operational and contract items on Feb. 20, including a drug-testing services renewal, a water-district rate addendum, a volunteer firefighter appointment and a $13,000 donation to the fire department.","taxTitle","Vinita, Craig County, Oklahoma","taxId",70728,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6316496,"Council hires municipal adviser to pursue wastewater loan forgiveness; March 14 application deadline cited",350,1020625,1370665,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376724-02c129fbd12e72807a79b8414a9799d0&start=1020&end=1370","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376724-02c129fbd12e72807a79b8414a9799d0/thumbnail_1020625.jpg","/articles/6316496/Vinita/Craig-County/Oklahoma/Council-hires-municipal-adviser-to-pursue-wastewater-loan-forgiveness-March-14-application-deadline-cited","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316496-098f1a59a5a308442a812bae5cb0e9fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1775732747&Signature=R0tjHd7kHFMZnDeOYeXVj2Xzxo1GUwmr6GmdL1PQVIr9-A5eyTDBQtud0~nIfFHwpwV9UIjT1SlrJcBcBEJSTYMD~Fm9iRm7ac3TN5~vU6Q3vyOV87Wkz9vPTu6nNAUNBLViwPq9VF~bjJcNrivuONgAXlJuBQIy0X-8oBpUdsU0HzKZtOKdLOkg5p6Vdj7BFAJ-NEbw6xFe-S1SIHSKYLTPlHC04m1MeaIJTIC5oyOukZFzEHyat8M13z50M0oHShrMvtiXpuCIjyDbRaCtcqgyejdmgbBClUTxYLOmwkhiMhywW9ruZC0bjZjJlMN-auxfTvgp0vApscEIBcrgdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Veneta City Council voted Feb. 20 to engage the Baker Group LP to pursue funding and potential loan forgiveness through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) for wastewater projects, a consultant told the council.

A Baker Group representative told the council the city faced a tight timetable to be eligible for certain construction loan/forgiveness rounds; the firm proposed submitting applications for two projects and, if necessary, a planning-and-design application as a fallback. The representative outlined a potential application package that would seek roughly $689,000 if both projects were eligible, about $503,000 for a single project that is further along with the state environmental review, or a planning-and-design request of about $54,200 if construction documents and DEQ approvals are not yet complete.

\"If he gets us money, he gets paid. If he doesn't get us money, he don't get paid,\" the Baker Group representative said, summarizing the contingency fee arrangement discussed with the council. The representative said the firm typically charges about 1.5% of the project if successful, with a stated minimum that had been discussed in draft language; staff later confirmed the contract language was revised so the city would not owe fees if funds were not obtained.

The consultant explained how the CWSRF ranking is point-based: lower-affluence communities are placed in higher tiers for scoring; having a consent order and readiness-to-proceed documentation can add substantial points. The representative said Veneta's tiering and an existing notice-of-violation/consent-order documentation make the city competitive, but final approval depends on engineering and environmental clearances from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Council members and staff discussed that DEQ's approvals and outstanding engineering reports would determine whether a full construction request could be filed before the March 14 deadline.

City staff said much of the routine documentation is already on file with the state because the city is an existing borrower and submits monthly financial statements. The council voted to approve the municipal-adviser agreement; staff said one contract document would need signatures and notarization to meet timing requirements.

The motion carries with authorization for the city administrator and staff to provide required documents to the municipality’s chosen adviser and to move forward on applications that staff and the engineer can support before the stated deadline.","The council approved engaging Baker Group LP to pursue CWSRF (loan/loan-forgiveness) funding for sewer-plant projects and planning; advisers said fees are contingent on securing funds and that Veneta’s tier and a consent order increase scoring under the program.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6316501,"Veneta adopts $2,000 per-claim workers’ comp deductible to cut premium costs",506,141989,648265,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376724-02c129fbd12e72807a79b8414a9799d0&start=141&end=648","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376724-02c129fbd12e72807a79b8414a9799d0/thumbnail_141989.jpg","/articles/6316501/Vinita/Craig-County/Oklahoma/Veneta-adopts-2000-per-claim-workers-comp-deductible-to-cut-premium-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316501-1424ea87c0678d88007a4af3fe1ec6ff/orig.mp4?Expires=1775732747&Signature=e5sMehEeAqrUdWe0GwwCak74I98VNjn0xc0RnW5utco0occeD~2o0AWQYZ4kWbFdcHR42IP~Lm-DvDR0CvXvwHVR8lAOScWk9PuN1w5FvgzIlEp1QqTkVxjwC0NLE~Pc5uxY8TIvhcWiXKneGYuqNVae1PLCiB59wZ75asfCefGM78vmn4NFR9KsLb667lozTrGkbFWbVJ7O8dPMpuWm0jFHu0rj6Tu6-HSU4GAxGR7OWTjMV8z8SWYC4qoGume4LUivYNv9RSSvd6yg6~mvo8m-5AGVnoVB1eBloLSt8QC~~Yr-28yBAs~ypjKaE4Baa2927tOTxZGPDCbG7wlfVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Veneta Utilities Authority and Veneta City Council voted on Feb. 20 to adopt a $2,000 per-claim deductible for the city’s workers’ compensation coverage with CompSource Mutual, a change the city’s staff said could lower the annual premium if claims remain low.

Mister Francis, a city staff member presenting the item, told the board that packet estimates showed a range of premium figures depending on the deductible chosen and other rate multipliers. Francis said packet materials showed an estimate for a no-deductible renewal at about $280,000 and a $2,000-per-claim quote as low as $200,064; another figure in the packet listed $264,948. He said the city had an expiring premium listed at $240,355 from the prior year and that the city recorded nine claims in the referenced 12-month period, three of which were under $2,000.

\"Chris suggested, 'Let’s start at $2,000 and see where those go,'\" Francis recalled, referring to Chris Kennedy, the city’s broker from Brown and Brown. Francis and other staff said the deductible was intended both to reduce the near-term premium and to create an incentive to continue safety training and other loss-control measures.

Councilmembers asked about the administrative and employee impacts of a deductible and whether workers would still be sent for medical review. Francis said employees would still be evaluated and that the deductible means the city would pay the first portion of a claim up to $2,000 before CompSource Mutual assumed the remainder.

On a roll-call vote during the Veneta Utilities Authority session and ratified by the City Council, all members present voted to approve the $2,000 deductible effective March 1, 2025. No members recorded a vote against the motion.

Officials emphasized the tradeoff: a lower premium up front versus the city paying smaller claims up to the deductible. Francis said ongoing safety steps — including additional nighttime lighting and continued use of free training through OMAC — are intended to reduce claim frequency and help lower the city’s experience modifier over time.

The council’s action directs staff to implement the deductible for the March 1 renewal and to continue monitoring claims and safety outcomes, with further discussion possible at future budget reviews.

CompSource Mutual workers’ compensation coverage, deductible selection and premium amounts were discussed during the Veneta Utilities Authority agenda item and repeated on the city-council agenda. Packet figures and staff remarks were the basis for the summary above.","The Veneta Utilities Authority and Veneta City Council voted Feb. 20 to adopt a $2,000 per-claim deductible for the city’s CompSource Mutual workers’ compensation policy, officials said, citing projected premium savings and the city’s ongoing safety initiatives.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Veneta approves drug-testing contract, water-district addendum, donations and equipment purchases

Council hires municipal adviser to pursue wastewater loan forgiveness; March 14 application deadline cited

Veneta adopts $2,000 per-claim workers’ comp deductible to cut premium costs