COPTA trustees approve routine items, authorize legal RFPs and $22,000 settlement

The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COPTA) trustees on Feb. 7 approved a series of routine and administrative items including minutes, a consent docket and several staff requests to solicit legal services, and authorized a $22,000 settlement in a pending claim.

Board members voted to approve the minutes from the Jan. 22 special meeting and to adopt a two-item consent docket after no trustees requested items be pulled for separate consideration. Trustees then approved three items taken individually: authorization to advertise a request for proposals (RFP) for labor/employee legal services, authorization to advertise an RFP for pension legal services, and authorization for the municipal counselor to prepare and file settlement paperwork in a pending claim.

The RFP for labor/employee legal services was described by staff as focusing on hiring, negotiations and legal consultations; the packet listed an estimated annual cost of $80,000. The separate RFP for pension legal services was described as relating to the authority’s defined benefit pension plan, with an estimated annual cost of $13,000.

Trustees also voted to authorize and direct the municipal counselor to prepare and file paperwork to effectuate a settlement in the amount of $22,000 in the claim of John Waller V. The motion as read included language that the settlement would be made “without admitting liability” and noted the board could enter executive session on advice of the municipal counselor “as authorized by statute” to receive confidential attorney communications if disclosure would impair the public body’s ability to deal with the claim. An administrator told trustees, “We have worked with our legal team and negotiated what we feel to be a fair and balanced settlement.”

The board ratified claims and payroll for the period Jan. 1–Jan. 31, 2025, and voted to receive the financial and program reports presented later in the meeting. All motions were moved, seconded and passed by electronic vote; the record in the transcript does not list individual movers, seconders or a roll-call tally for any of the votes.

Minutes: Approved (motion passed electronically)

Consent docket (2 items): Approved (motion passed electronically)

RFP — labor/employee legal services: Authorized to advertise; estimated annual cost $80,000; motion passed electronically

RFP — pension legal services: Authorized to advertise; estimated annual cost $13,000; motion passed electronically

Settlement — John Waller V.: Authorized municipal counselor to prepare and file settlement paperwork in amount of $22,000 without admitting liability; motion passed electronically

Ratification — claims & payroll (1/1–1/31/2025): Ratified; motion passed electronically

Receive financial reports: Motion to receive passed electronically

Receive program reports (capital/transit reports): Motion to receive passed electronically

Trustees did not request executive session on the settlement item during the meeting.

The approvals clear the way for staff to advertise two legal-services solicitations and to finalize the $22,000 settlement; trustees asked no substantive follow-up questions on the settlement during the vote.

Ending: The board moved on to program reports after completing the actions described above.