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Medford council approves 25‑year OG&E franchise, schedules special election
Summary
The Medford City Council approved Ordinance No. 508 granting Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company a 25‑year franchise to operate an electric distribution system and amended a resolution to call a special election on the matter; motions carried unanimously.
The Medford City Council voted July 21 to grant Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company a 25‑year franchise to install, operate and maintain an electric distribution system and to sell electricity within city limits.
Alex Mantz, representing OG&E, presented the amended franchise ordinance (Ordinance No. 508). Mayor Gary Bowen moved to approve the ordinance; the motion carried with all voting yes (Debbie Kretchmar: Yes; Shari England: Yes; Steve Zeman: Yes; Gary Bowen: Yes). The council then amended Resolution No. 6.63 to call and hold a special election for the franchise and approved a special election proclamation later in the meeting.
Why it matters: granting a franchise authorizes OG&E to operate and maintain distribution infrastructure in Medford for a specified term and puts the question to voters via a city election. The council took formal action to place the franchise before voters after the third‑party presentation and council deliberation.
Next steps: the amended resolution calls for a special election on the franchise question; the council approved a special election proclamation but did not set an election date in the minutes. The ordinance and the resolution were both approved by recorded unanimous votes.
