Pryor Creek council approves seasonal facilities worker to handle mowing and grounds

The Pryor Creek City Council on April 1 approved allowing the facilities department to hire a part-time seasonal temporary employee to help mow and maintain multiple city properties, including the animal shelter, police department, library, City Hall and parks. The position will be limited to 30 hours per week and classified as seasonal temporary.

Council members said the hire is intended to centralize grounds work now done piecemeal by other departments and outside volunteers, free up existing crews to handle other maintenance, and reduce ad-hoc overtime. Mayor (name not specified) said the city will use a temp agency for the hire and also pursue placements through the Cherokee Nation summer workforce program.

Why it matters: City leaders said the move should provide a steadier, more accountable approach to grounds care across multiple properties — particularly those that currently receive irregular attention — while remaining a relatively small, seasonal cost to the general fund.

Discussion and details: Mayor (name not specified) told the council staff had contacted the Cherokee Nation workforce coordinator, “Danny,” and will try to place participants through that program where their scope and required supervision permit. The mayor noted the Cherokee Nation program has age and task limitations and that participants often require close supervision: “They are not allowed to do certain things that involve like mowers or things like that… they also require a certain level of supervision,” the mayor said.

Gary Buffington, identified in the meeting as the facilities department head, will supervise the seasonal worker and will also perform mowing work himself when needed. The council discussed using the temp agency Express as the hiring vehicle; the mayor said the city pays Express roughly $18 per hour per temp (about $13.15 to the worker) for similar seasonal roles at the golf course, and recommended that pay as the baseline for this program.

Council members asked that the facilities department track hours and bill individual department budgets for the time spent servicing each property. The mayor said the city’s intent is to allocate time to departments’ repair and maintenance lines so the work is accounted for accurately.

What’s next: The council authorized staff to post and recruit through a temp service and to coordinate with the Cherokee Nation program for additional short-term help. Individual hires will be brought forward for hire paperwork and onboarding per city procedures.