Enid commission approves $18,029.22 restitution to state for Skeleton Creek fish kill
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Summary
The Enid City Commission approved an $18,029.22 payment to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for restitution tied to a May 25, 2025 fish kill in Skeleton Creek; staff said the state billed by fish count and the city will follow up on administrative orders and compliance.
The Enid City Commission on a 6–0 vote approved payment of $18,029.22 to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for restitution related to the May 25, 2025 Skeleton Creek fish kill.
City staff told the commission the state’s billing was based on a per-fish statute and that the agency’s count was in the tens of thousands. "And somebody went out there and dutifully counted, I don't know, 55,000, 57 fish," a city staff member said during the meeting, noting that many were likely small fish and that the department is allowed to bill by count.
The staff member said the payment follows the city’s consent order with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and that city staff have already begun revising their administrative order and will continue follow-up conversations with involved parties. The speaker also confirmed the city had not conducted its own re-count of the fish.
The commission voted to pay the invoiced amount as presented. No separate motion to appeal or contest the state’s count was recorded during the meeting; staff described additional compliance conversations and an administrative-order revision as the next steps.
The approval was made during the municipal-authority portion of the agenda and was part of routine claims and restitution matters considered by the trustees and commission.
