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Kiowa officials close fire department accounts, pull transactions and appoint William Ellis as Fire Chief
Summary
Following an executive session under Title 25 O.S. §307(B)(1), the Town of Kiowa voted to close Fire Department bank accounts, direct the treasurer to pull transactions from those accounts, refer the matter to the Pittsburg County DA, and appoint William Ellis as Fire Chief.
The Town of Kiowa governing body on Oct. 2, 2025 voted unanimously to close all Kiowa Fire Department bank accounts, direct the Town Treasurer to retrieve account transactions from First Bank of Kiowa, refer certain matters to the Pittsburg County District Attorney’s Office and appoint William Ellis to the Fire Department Chief position.
The council voted to enter executive session at 6:07 p.m. under Title 25 O.S. §307(B)(1) to discuss employment matters related to the Fire Chief position with the City Attorney present. The body returned to open session at 7:10 p.m., and then approved three written findings. First, the council instructed the City Attorney to contact the Pittsburg County District Attorney’s Office in the direction given by the Mayor and council. Second, the council directed the Kiowa Town Treasurer to pull all transactions from all Kiowa Fire Department accounts at First Bank of Kiowa. Third, the council voted to place William Ellis in the Fire Department Chief position in accordance with Town ordinances.
All recorded motions and votes were unanimous. The minutes record the movers and seconders: the motion to enter executive session was moved by D. Drake and seconded by M. Sexton; the findings and appointment motions were moved and seconded in the open session with votes recorded as yes from M. Sexton, J. Ray, T.S. Barker, T. Horn and D. Drake.
The minutes do not include documented statements from William Ellis, the City Attorney or the Town Treasurer and do not include the details of any investigation or the content of the direction to the Pittsburg County District Attorney’s Office. The minutes also do not contain bank account balances or specific dates for when transactions will be retrieved. Those items are recorded as not specified in the meeting record.
Next steps: the minutes instruct the City Attorney to contact the Pittsburg County DA and the Treasurer to pull account transactions; the record does not provide a timeline for those actions or the effective date of the Fire Chief appointment beyond the council’s vote.
