Council approves fiscal audit, generator purchase, fire-station design and multiple rezonings; several appointments confirmed

The Guthrie City Council on Oct. 7 accepted the city’s audited financial statements for the year ending Sept. 30, 2024, and voted to approve a slate of contracts, resolutions and land-use changes, council business that the mayor described as routine.

The council’s action list included accepting the independent auditors’ report for FY2024, approving a planned generator purchase for the fire department tied to a FEMA grant, awarding an architectural agreement for Fire Station No. 2, approving an application for GIS funding from the Oklahoma 9‑1‑1 Management Authority, confirming memorial and board appointments, and adopting two rezoning ordinances covering 8 and 20 acres on West Lakewood Drive.

Why it matters: The approved audit gives the city a clean opinion from its independent auditor and records a government‑wide increase in net position; the generator purchase and the fire‑station design contract move planned capital projects forward; the GIS grant application funds 9‑1‑1 mapping work that county emergency dispatch officials said is needed to match recent development; and the rezoning votes change development and land‑use permissions for the parcels involved.

Most items were presented by staff with limited debate. Auditor Kirk Vanderslice of Hinkle and Company reported an unmodified (clean) opinion on the financial statements, clean internal controls findings and no compliance deficiencies for the major federal programs selected for testing. The council voted unanimously to accept the audit as presented.

Other formal actions approved by the council included:

- Approval of the fire department generator purchase. Fire Chief Dane Lawson said the city received a FEMA award of $105,000 but initial installation bids exceeded that amount; staff recommended purchasing the generator under a Sourcewell contract for about $56,000 with a local share of roughly $14,000 and returning later to the council for installation contracting. The council voted to approve the purchase.

- Agreement with GH2 Architects for design and construction administration of Fire Station No. 2. City staff recommended GH2 based on the RFP scoring and said a project kickoff meeting was scheduled.

- Resolution 2025‑13: application to the Oklahoma 9‑1‑1 Management Authority for GIS funding. Chief Don Swagger said the 100% grant would fund an estimated $8,285,000 of work (staff phrased the estimate as $8,285,000) to complete mapping for the county and to provide quarterly updates; the council approved submitting the application.

- Resolution 2025‑14: approval of a memorial fishing bench at Liberty Lake requested by the Scruggs family; the council approved the resolution after a Parks Board recommendation.

- Appointments: Caleb Lambeth was appointed to the Guthrie Parks and Urban Forestry Board to fill an unexpired term ending June 1, 2026; and Stephen Harrison was appointed to the Guthrie Historic Preservation Commission to fill an unexpired planning‑commission seat through March 31, 2026. Both nominations were approved by the council.

- Zoning ordinances: Ordinance 34‑26 (rezoning 8 acres on West Lakewood Drive from R‑1 to A‑1) and Ordinance 34‑27 (rezoning 20 acres at the southeast corner of West Lakewood Drive and South Academy Road from R‑1 to A‑1) were introduced and approved following staff presentation that the changes would permit limited agricultural and livestock privileges and would not alter the overall single‑family rural character expected on the parcels.

- Resolution 2025‑07: amendment to the boards and commissions policy to remove term limits. Council discussion said the change allows experienced board members to be reappointed beyond the prior two‑term limit while keeping reappointment and removal under council discretion; the council approved the amendment.

A single contested vote recorded during the meeting concerned a proposed change to the city’s trap‑neuter‑release (TNR) consent form (item 17). The council approved the change to the consent form after extended public comment and debate; that vote drew a divided council (see separate article on the TNR consent‑form discussion).

What the council did not do: Several agenda items were presentations or were deferred; the Highland Park pool presentation was a staff and consultant briefing and did not include a council vote on construction options.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting transcript): - FY2024 audited financial statements and independent auditors’ report — motion to approve by “John”; second by “K.”; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified in the transcript). - Fire department generator purchase — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Agreement with GH2 Architects (AIA B133‑2019 with addendum) for Fire Station No. 2 — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Resolution 2025‑13 (application to Oklahoma 9‑1‑1 Management Authority for GIS funding) — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Resolution 2025‑14 (memorial fishing bench at Liberty Lake) — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Appointment: Caleb Lambeth to Guthrie Parks and Urban Forestry Board — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Appointment: Stephen Harrison to Guthrie Historic Preservation Commission — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Ordinance 34‑26 (rezoning 8 acres, West Lakewood Drive, R‑1 to A‑1) — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Ordinance 34‑27 (rezoning 20 acres at W. Lakewood & S. Academy, R‑1 to A‑1) — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - Resolution 2025‑07 (remove boards/commissions term limits) — motion and second; outcome: unanimous approval (vote count not specified). - TNR consent form amendment (item 17) — motion and second; transcript records the council approved the change after debate with a reported split vote (described in the transcript as “4 to 2” and later as approved). See the dedicated article on that item for discussion and public comment.

The meeting record shows no recorded roll‑call tallies in the public transcript for these votes (the clerk announced “unanimous approval” for several items); where the transcript did not provide named vote tallies those counts are recorded in meeting notes as not specified.