Council declares a day of celebration for Boy Scouts

At the Pawhuska City Council meeting Aug. 13, the council voted to adopt an employee handbook, which reflects the Oklahoma Mutual Assurance Group’s best practices recommendations. The council can modify the handbook after approval, Mayor Roger Taylor said. Rodger Milleson voted “no” and the rest of the council voted “yes” to adopt the handbook.

The council also voted to unanimously to adopt Resolution 2019-08-01 authorizing the city to participate in the OMAG Recognition Program.

This is the program for which the resolution is passed, the city participates in video training and for doing so the city receives a check, City Clerk Tonya Bright said.

Taylor said the video training gives instruction about issues in other towns and how the issues were handled.

Jourdan Foran, Ward II, added that the training included code of ethics and leadership assessments.

Justin Carr, Osage County Roads Department, appeared before the council to request approval of a Resolution 2019-08-02 authorizing the mayor to sign a Joint Use Agreement between the City and Oklahoma Department of Transportation for a public sidewalk to be located near the Veteran’s Park in Pawhuska. The council voted unanimously to approve this resolution. Anything in the agreement with ODOT would be with the city or designee and the Osage Nation could be named as a designee on the recommendation of the city attorney Heskett, City Manager Dave Neely said.

The city council voted to unanimously to approve the city manager to have a Blue Sky Bank credit card. Neely said the card would be “closely guarded.”

On behalf of the Cherokee Council, Randi Chesbro appeared before the city council to request having Sept. 28 declared as a Day of Celebration for the 110th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in Pawhuska. The council unanimously voted in favor of Chesbro’s request for the proclamation.

Chesbro said there will also be a parade and a reception for the 96 Eagle Scouts from Pawhuska. She asked the mayor to be one of those to speak at the celebration.

The council voted to unanimously to approve Resolution 2019-08-03 to have an At-Large Trustee for the Oklahoma Municipal Retirement Fund. Neely recommended that Robert Johnson be chosen as said At-Large Trustee. The OMRF is administrative in nature, Neely said. “It’s kind of like INCOG,” he said.

The council voted unanimously to declare a wrecked ambulance, 2005 E450, as surplus to be renovated into a command response trailer at Cavalcade and other events.

The council voted unanimously to accept the low bid for the fire station renovation in the amount of $49,500 submitted by Bill Lott Construction, Bartlesville.

Pawhuska Fire Chief Gip Allen said the fire department had received a grant to raise the fire station roof. They have to spend $33,000, and then once they do, within a specified time frame, the fire department will receive a grant of $25,000. The second part of the fire station renovation will be considered separately, Allen said, responding to a question from Foran.