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Stilwell council approves routine agenda items, hires and contracts; confirms appointments
Summary
At its January meeting the Stilwell City Council approved a package of routine items — including insurance renewal, equipment rentals and multiple personnel hires — and confirmed a utility board appointment. The council also designated negotiators for upcoming police contract talks and approved an easement related to a road-widening project.
The Stilwell City Council approved a series of routine budget, staffing and contract items at its most recent meeting, including workers'comp insurance renewal, equipment rentals for a city golf-course project, and several personnel confirmations.
Key actions taken
- Consent agenda: Approved (motion by Lane Tindall; second by Debbie Coy). Roll call: Debbie Coy, Barrett Harris, David Johnson, Jim Sprague, Lane Tindall, Jean Ann Riley — all yes. Motion carried.
- Utility-board appointment: The council confirmed Kelly Conberg to the unexpired term on the Stilwell Municipal Utility Board/SADA board (motion by Coy; second by Lane). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Bridge railing paint cost sharing (Highway 100, West Locust Street): Council approved paying up to $2,250 from the Capital Improvement Fund to cover half the painting cost; motion by Jim Sprague; second by Debbie Coy. Vote: unanimous yes.
- Workers'comp insurance: Approved renewal with CompSource Mutual at an estimated premium of $177,815 for 2025 (motion by Jim Sprague; second by Lane Tindall). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Equipment rental for golf-course groundwork: Approved renting an excavator and a dump truck to support golf-course work; motion by Jim Sprague; second by Lane Tindall. Vote: unanimous yes.
- Negotiating team for police lodge (Paternal Order of Police) contract talks for FY 25-26: Council designated Jean Ann Riley, Lane Tindall and Jim Sprague as the city negotiation team (motion by Jim Sprague; second by Barrett Harris). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Abatement approvals: Council authorized the mayor and city clerk to jointly approve abatement costs up to budgeted amounts (motion by council). Vote: unanimous yes.
- Election resolutions and election administration: The council approved Resolution 01-2025 to call a municipal election for April 8, 2025, and a related charter-resolution notice (motions by Lane Tindall; second by Jim Sprague). Both passed unanimously. The council also approved election staffing and compensation for poll workers and a $15,000 budget adjustment to cover municipal election costs (motions by Debbie Coy and Jim Sprague; seconded). Votes: unanimous yes.
- Easement and road-widening related approvals: The council approved granting an easement for a highway project (Linewood Road/Highway 100 widening project) after city staff reviewed environmental protections and a lease for a fire station; motion by Jim Sprague; second by Lane Tindall. Vote: unanimous yes.
- Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) board resolution: Council approved Resolution 01-2025 supporting Jean Ann Wright's appointment to the OML Board of Directors, District 2. Motion passed unanimously.
Personnel confirmations (from executive session)
- Confirmed hires (motions and seconded; unanimous votes): - Justice Shimmers, part-time reserve officer, effective 08/15/24. - Justin Reed, full-time dispatcher, effective 11/18/24. - Destiny Sellers, full-time dispatcher, effective 09/10/24. - Dylan Martin, full-time officer, effective 04/29/24.
Items discussed with no action
- Item 18 (personnel issues in volunteer department): discussion only; no action. - Item 19 (volunteer fire-department ordinance): tabled for further discussion (see separate coverage).
Votes, procedure and next steps
Nearly all motions passed by unanimous roll call. For items requiring further work (notably the volunteer fire-department ordinance), the council directed staff to convene follow-up meetings with affected departments and return recommended language for council consideration.
Ending: Council members said they expect administrative follow-up on several items and asked staff to schedule required reporting and negotiations ahead of the next meeting.
