Chickasha council tightens ‘trash’ definition, approves construction contracts, delays comprehensive plan and OKs fire-truck financing

The Chickasha City Council on an evening meeting approved an ordinance that narrows and clarifies the city's legal definition of "trash," awarded several construction contracts and payments, postponed adoption of the city's 2050 comprehensive plan, and authorized financing and a municipal lease for a 100-foot aerial fire truck and an engine pumper.

The council passed Ordinance No. 2025-02, amending Chapter 34 (property maintenance) to revise the definition of trash in Section 34-88. Councilmembers said the change is intended to help code-enforcement officers more clearly identify material that must be removed from private property, including decayed wood, plastic and disassembled appliance parts left outdoors for extended periods. The council also approved the ordinance's emergency clause.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said recent code cases exposed ambiguities in the prior language that complicated enforcement. The new definition is intended to reduce disputes and give officers a clearer citation standard.

In other business, the council awarded RFP COC-2409, a design-build contract for a parking canopy, to WW Builders of Duncan, Oklahoma, in the amount of $210,498, and later approved Change Order No. 1 for the same project. According to staff, WW Builders submitted an alternate bid that reduced costs by nearly $30,000 and changed the metal roof gauge; the change order reduced the overall amount by about $8,010 while keeping the roof within the project's specifications.

The council approved Pay Request No. 2 for COC-2408, Shannon Springs Pool rehabilitation, in the amount of $175,655 to Sunbelt Pools Inc.

On the comprehensive plan, the council voted to postpone adoption of the Chickasha 2050 comprehensive plan indefinitely. City staff said language in the draft must be revised to address federal guidance issued after the draft was prepared; staff also told the council the remaining balance on the plan contract is about $25,000 and that the consultant will make the edits at no additional charge. The council's motion was phrased as postponement (indefinitely) to allow time for the revisions and for reprinting the document.

On equipment financing, the council first voted to reconsider its Sept. 16, 2024, approval of financing with Liberty Bank after negotiations stalled. Staff said Liberty Bank sought additional collateral beyond the vehicles, which city officials considered inadvisable. The council then approved financing through First National Bank and Trust Company of Chickasha and approved a municipal lease and option agreement to finance the 100-foot aerial fire truck and the engine pumper. Fire department staff said the vehicles remain on order and the department's place in the manufacturer's queue was not lost; the chief reported the earliest delivery is about two and a half years out.

Public comment included two speakers. Sherry Payne said she had materials for the council to review and urged officials to pause a plan so the public could be better informed; she emphasized property rights and religiously grounded objections to perceived outside influence. Paula Wilson, a new Chickasha resident, proposed development of a community garden, described contacts with Oklahoma State University extension and local organizations, and said she had identified potential sites and resources for irrigation, soil testing and volunteer labor.

The council handled routine consent-docket items and closed the meeting by calling into separate municipal-authority and airport-authority sessions, each of which approved its respective consent docket and adjourned.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2025-02 (amend Section 34-88 definition of "trash"): Approved (emergency clause approved). Vote tallies recorded in roll calls indicated unanimous approval in both the ordinance vote and the emergency-clause vote as shown on the meeting record.

- RFP COC-2409, parking canopy award to WW Builders: Approved; pay amount $210,498. (One recorded abstention during the roll call on the award; the transcript shows Smith abstaining while other voting members voted yes.) Change Order No. 1 for the project was approved (reduction of roughly $8,010; approved by roll call).

- Pay Request No. 2, COC-2408 (Shannon Springs pool rehabilitation to Sunbelt Pools Inc.): Approved; $175,655.

- Chickasha 2050 Comprehensive Plan (adoption postponed/"postponed indefinitely"): Motion to postpone indefinitely approved to allow language edits and reprinting; staff said the consultant will perform edits and that remaining contract balance is about $25,000.

- Financing for 100-foot aerial fire truck and engine pumper: Council moved to reconsider the Sep. 16, 2024 financing approval with Liberty Bank; after discussion, the council approved financing through First National Bank and approved a municipal lease-and-option agreement for the vehicles. The fire chief said the delivery timetable remains roughly 2.5 years.

Speakers (selected, as identified in the meeting record)

- Councilman Burrows, Chickasha City Council (council member) - Councilman Gerdes, Chickasha City Council (council member) - Rachel, city staff member (city staff) - Chief Tony, Chickasha Fire Department (fire chief) - Sherry Payne (resident) - Paula Wilson (resident) - WW Builders (contractor; organizational representative) - Sunbelt Pools Inc. (contractor; organizational representative) - First National Bank and Trust Company of Chickasha (bank representative) - Liberty Bank (bank referenced in discussion)

Authorities referenced (as named in the meeting record)

- Ordinance No. 2025-02, "Amending the Code of Ordinances Chapter 34, property maintenance, Section 34-88, cleaning and mowing property" (referenced during Item 6A and Item 6B votes). - RFP COC-2409 (design/build parking canopy) and Change Order No. 1 for COC-2409 (referenced during Items 6C and 6D). - COC-2408, Shannon Springs Park Pool rehabilitation; Pay Request No. 2 to Sunbelt Pools Inc. (referenced during Item 6E). - Municipal lease and option agreement with First National Bank and Trust Company of Chickasha to finance the 100-foot aerial truck and engine pumper (referenced during Items 6G-6I).

Clarifying details

- Ordinance 2025-02: The amendment specifically revises the definition of "trash" in Section 34-88; staff said the change codifies examples such as rotting wood, plastic and disassembled appliance parts left outdoors for long periods. - RFP/contract: Award to WW Builders of Duncan, Oklahoma, for $210,498 (COC-2409). Change Order No. 1 reduced the cost by about $8,010 and involved a change in roof metal gauge (notes in the record indicate the roof gauge change still met project guidelines). - Pool pay request: Pay Request No. 2 for Shannon Springs Pool rehabilitation (COC-2408) equals $175,655 to Sunbelt Pools Inc. - Comprehensive plan contract: Remaining consultant balance cited in the meeting record was about $25,000; staff said the consultant will make the required edits at no additional charge and that federal guidance prompted the language changes. - Fire apparatus timeline: Staff and the fire chief reported the vehicles remain on order and the manufacturer's schedule places delivery roughly 2.5 years from the meeting date.

Meeting context

The council spent substantial time on code enforcement language (the ordinance), contract awards and project payments, and on financing for public-safety apparatus. The comprehensive-plan postponement stemmed from recent federal guidance and was described by staff as requiring edits and reprinting; staff said the consultant could not return a final printed document by the next meeting and requested postponement. Public commenters addressed both the comprehensive plan and a proposed community garden. No litigation, legal challenge or contested appeal was recorded in the transcript.

Ending

The council completed its consent-docket business and adjourned the city-council portion of the meeting; the record shows the municipal authority and the airport authority convened briefly, approved their consent dockets and adjourned.