The Atoka City Council on a unanimous roll call approved establishing and constructing a set of bus stops identified in attachment 6 and described at the meeting as the city’s trial transit routes. Council members said the program will run as a one-year pilot and that the city must secure memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with private property owners before installing signs and, in one location, pouring concrete for an ADA-accessible ramp.

The decision matters because it creates formal stops for both daytime and nighttime routes that city staff say will connect the Cookie Place, Walmart, Alliance Health, Inca and a new Fifth Street stop, among others, and will require coordination with property owners where benches or poles would be placed. “It’s a 1-year project that won’t start till December 26,” said Miss Poe, City Council member, summarizing the project timeline presented to the council. Later in discussion staff also said the project might not begin until May or June of the next year, and councilors noted that the start date therefore remained uncertain.

Council members and staff described the practical steps the city must take before stops go in: obtain written permission or MOUs from each private host (Walmart said it would not accept a city bench because it prefers to keep its own seating), confirm bench locations, place poles and signs, and in one location (described as “Pruitt’s”) pour concrete to create an accessible route. Councilor discussion emphasized the need to avoid damaging existing landscaping; one councilor said she would need permission to dig in a flower bed to set a pole.

Officials also discussed accessibility and operations. Staff said the stop locations and sidewalk configurations were intended to meet ADA requirements where possible, and that Pruitt’s location may be the only site requiring poured concrete to create an accessible ramp. City staff confirmed they had identified benches at most stops but that Walmart declined a city bench because it already provides seating.

The city also addressed future vehicle technology. Staff said an autonomous-vehicle partner was part of broader planning but that early service would not be driverless: “It will not be a driverless car in the beginning. It will have pilots in it in the beginning,” Miss Poe said. Staff explained current vehicle limitations — specifically that the vehicles cannot operate autonomously on the highway — and that routes were designed to avoid highway travel until the technology and approvals allow otherwise.

Council members asked about permanence and funding. Staff said the ordinance governing bus-stop designation is vague and that because the pilot does not require large permanent expenditures the council’s approval was sufficient to proceed with signage and MOUs; if permanent infrastructure were required, additional approvals or funding decisions would be necessary. The presenter said the nighttime route would run later hours (staff said stops would operate roughly until 11 p.m. at Walmart hours), and the daytime route would operate on a separate loop. The city will prepare MOUs and coordinate on sign fabrication and installation; staff said a new city sign was expected to arrive the following week to mark a location temporarily.

The council’s formal action: a motion to approve the proposed bus-stop locations and basic program passed on a roll call vote with all members present voting yes. The council moved these steps while noting several outstanding items — securing MOUs, clarifying a final start date, confirming ADA work at Pruitt’s and obtaining permission to place poles in flower beds — would be completed by staff before installation.

Council members and staff characterized the pilot as a community service effort that still requires final logistics and property-owner agreements. The item concluded with the council instructing staff to finalize MOUs and proceed with ordering signs and poles as permissions are obtained.