Wagoner council opens preliminary 2025–26 budget talks with parks, public works and public-safety requests

City of Wagoner councilors on April 20 held the first public discussion of the proposed 2025–26 city budget, hearing a range of departmental requests covering parks, public works, police, fire and emergency medical services.

Parks and recreation: Gary Recker told the council the walking trail at Maple Park needs repair; he gave a budget estimate of $67,800 to redo the trail surface and suggested bidding the work. Recker also presented multiple park requests: replacement playground equipment for Dunbar and Maple (quotes pending), fence repair at the Maple Park tennis court (quotes pending), and a Lincoln Park sign and landscaping package. The meeting packet lists the metal sign at Lincoln Park at $2,600 and a combined masonry/landscaping/irrigation total of $16,074 for the Lincoln Park entry.

General government: Rhonda presented a quote to replace carpet in high-traffic public areas (lobby, main hallway, and this meeting room) with commercial vinyl flooring. She described the estimate as roughly "close to $14,000" and said additional quotes would be sought if the council elects to budget the work.

Development services and museum: Jessica proposed moving one part-time museum position to the city office to handle phones and paperwork, increasing that position from roughly 24 hours to 32 hours at a higher hourly rate to reduce backlog in permitting and records. She framed this as a cost-neutral staffing reallocation rather than a new permanent full-time hire.

Police: Chief Haley requested replacement of an eight-year-old copy machine with a leased unit; one quote shown in the packet was a 60-month lease at $203.77 per month. He also reported two servers used for dispatch and department systems are failing; staff presented a server replacement estimate (amount not specified in the packet excerpt), and said the city's IT vendor, VIP Technologies, proposed replacement and installation work.

Fire and emergency services: Fire department presenters sought several facility and equipment updates, including new blinds, vinyl flooring and metal bay wall panels in the fire station, plus a technology upgrade for outdoor warning sirens. The siren vendor proposal would add automatic activation and remote monitoring; presenters said the vendor charges an annual service fee (described in the meeting as roughly $3,500 per year for the monitoring/app service) and that full replacement of a modern, battery-backed siren can cost roughly $30,000 per unit. Fire staff said the upgrade would provide automated activation when the National Weather Service issues a warning for the affected area and would report test and operational status, reducing manual checks.

EMS: The ambulance service proposed establishing a west-side station and moving an ambulance to full-time status on that side of the tracks, with a plan to add personnel to staff additional full-time ambulances over the next year. The presenters said building and property acquisition would be financed (the department discussed a possible 10-year loan) and that operating costs (personnel, supplies, utilities) would be covered in EMS's operating budget plans.

Streets and stormwater: Thomas reported the street/stormwater department is short-staffed and requested additional employees. He also asked the council to consider purchasing a hydraulic breaker attachment for an excavator to improve the departments' ability to handle concrete and utility repairs without waiting for external equipment.

Cemetery and community building: Staff asked to replace a noisy window unit at the cemetery chapel so the building can be used more often and reported heavy use of the cemetery office. Kenneth presented the community building request to buy 32 vinyl-padded chairs with a rolling rack (delivered the week of the meeting) at roughly $2,000 total; staff said the new chairs are rated for higher weight than the older chairs they are replacing.

Water & wastewater (Wagoner Public Works Authority): Kenneth and other public-works staff described system pressures: approximately 70 miles of sewer main and 1,200 manholes, increasing stormwater inflow into sanitary sewer lines, and aging infrastructure. They proposed acquiring a sewer-inspection camera and remote tractor system — packet price shown at about $141,000 — to allow staff to locate inflow/infiltration and other defects. Staff presented a leasing structure as an option, described in the packet as an initial down payment (the phrasing in the packet was a $35,000 first-year down payment followed by annual payments shown at roughly $40,579; the packet advised obtaining more definitive financing quotes and noted vendors and lease terms vary). Staff said owning and operating the camera would reduce the recurring cost of hiring outside contractors to run long inspections and would speed problem identification; councilors and staff discussed that identified defects would still require line repair or replacement.

Fleet and equipment: Multiple departments requested vehicle or equipment replacements or upgrades: public works asked for one or more service trucks; distribution and utilities staff asked for new crew trucks and a replacement bucket truck; the shop requested a service truck with crane/welder/air compressor; the chipper truck used by the brush crew is frequently down and staff want replacement options. Presenters cautioned that some equipment lead times can be long and prices are volatile.

Budget process and next steps: Finance staff noted this is the first budget meeting and figures will change. Several presenters said many estimates are preliminary and additional quotes or bids will be solicited. Councilors asked staff to prioritize sidewalks tied to street projects, to pursue grants where feasible, and to provide more detailed layout plans for playground installations before final budgeting.

Several presenters and councilors noted the city has pursued state funding (OWRB was named in the packet as a potential grant source for sewer/collection work) and will continue to seek grants to reduce local borrowing. Staff emphasized that many items are estimates and that final budget decisions, formal appropriation and any financing commitments will return to council for later public hearings and votes.

Quotes from the meeting: - "To redo that walking trail ... it's gonna cost us $67,800," Gary Recker said of the Maple Park walking trail estimate. - "We would lease ours now at both offices ... [the lease] includes supplies," Rhonda said about copier leasing considerations for the police department. - "We have 70 miles of sewer and 1,200 manholes," Kenneth said while describing the wastewater system condition.

Items requiring follow-up or further specification in the record: - Playground equipment quotes for Dunbar and Maple (quotes pending). - Exact server replacement cost for police IT (packet wording unclear; staff to provide concrete quotes). - Final financing terms for a sewer camera purchase/lease and for any EMS building loan.

The council did not take final votes on these budget requests at the April 20 session; the meeting was a preliminary review and staff were asked to return with refined numbers, bids and financing options.