McAlester council approves multiple ordinances, grants and contracts; several board appointments fail

The McAlester City Council on May 20 approved a package of ordinances, grant actions, public-works contract changes and routine city contracts while voting down several proposed tourism-board appointments.

Councilors approved an ordinance making it a traffic offense to use private property to avoid traffic-control devices, accepted final plat and easement documents for new development, and approved a series of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) actions including a FY2023 closeout and authorization to apply for FY2025 funds. The council also authorized a change order for the Albert Waterline Improvements project to install an isolation valve and approved an excess workers’ compensation insurance renewal.

The meeting included a number of roll-call votes and recusals on individual appointment items. A motion to prevent John Brown from serving on a city board failed, and a subsequent motion to appoint John Brown carried. Separate motions to appoint two tourism-board nominees failed after council discussion about tourism experience and local business concerns.

Key votes at the meeting (motion maker and seconder listed where recorded): - Consent agenda: approved (motion by Councilor Stone; second by Councilor Beatty). The consent agenda included routine contract renewals and recurring items noted on the packet. - Ordinance to add 102-14 (avoidance of traffic control device): approved (motion carried at roll call). - Appointment of John Brown to a city board: motion to exclude him failed; later a motion to appoint him passed (roll calls recorded on both votes). - Appointment of Marcello Bell to the tourism board: motion failed after roll call. - Appointment of Courtney Bean to the tourism board: motion failed after roll call. - Agreement with Spectrum Group (Washington, D.C. lobbying/representation): renewed with no change in cost from prior year (motion carried). - CDBG closeout resolution for FY2023 sewer/manhole replacement (project 19167 CPP BG 23): approved; project closeout documents authorized and the council accepted a $228,333 grant drawdown as complete. - Citizen participation plan for FY2025 CDBG and related FY2025 application/resolutions: approved. Council approved application authorization and related Section 3 and fair-housing steps necessary for a federal CDBG application. Council approved a matching/leveraged funds commitment; staff corrected the match amount in meeting discussion from $180,000 to $195,000. - Change order No. 2 for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Albert Waterline Improvements project to add a 16-inch insertion valve: approved (change order listed as $63,818.70 in the packet; staff also referred informally to roughly $69,000 cost for a similar valve during discussion). - Final plat for Deer Ridge Subdivision and acceptance of multiple utility and road easements for the Wallace Family Properties: approved. - Rezoning (R1A single-family to C5 highway commercial) for a 1.46-acre tract owned by Wallace Family Properties: approved following Planning Commission recommendation. - Ordinance amending Section 62-97 to add an administrative review path for certain minor variances (reducing need for Board of Adjustment in small cases): approved. - H-1 health facilities district amendment (minimum block area reduced from 50,000 sq ft to 25,000 sq ft): approved. - Excess workers’ compensation insurance with Midwest Employers Casualty Company (quote noted as $116,806): approved.

Several administrative and procedural items likewise passed on voice votes or roll call. No ordinance emergency provisions were invoked for the traffic device ordinance; effective dates were discussed as the standard 30 days after adoption where noted.

Council members and staff who spoke on votes included Mayor Fuchs; Councilors Gilmore, Woodley, Stone, Roden, Boatwright and Beatty; Michael Hall (Southeast Oklahoma Library Systems representative); Brian Spencer (streets staff); and project/grant staff including Millie Vance and the city grant administrator. Public comment on appointment items included directly speaking nominees (for example, Courtney Bean) and area residents raising tourism-board suitability concerns.

The council directed staff to update documents where necessary (notably the CDBG match figure) and to proceed with required federal grant compliance steps for any awarded funds.

The meeting also included a financial update, a department streets report, and discussion of storm cleanup and landfill hours following a severe storm earlier in the week.