Friday July 27. This past week has been quite eventful. On Monday I met with Shirley Woods of Watonga to finalize plans for her to lead an afternoon of Karaoke during the Cheese & Wine Festival. In the early evening she'll lead a street dance, trying to get people and festival goers to get up and move around and dance. The Karaoke is primarily for adults but the street dance is for everyone. It should lend a party atmosphere to the festival.
I'm pleased to have the band "Yesterday's Wine" with Chad Slagle and Katie Bellew-Lyle on Saturday afternoon during the cheese & wine festival, along with other local acts performing on Saturday and Sunday. We're looking for some additional fun & games for children -- possibly some carnival booth games.
At the Kiwanis meeting on Wednesday lunchtime, Linda Earnst and several members of her Physical Therapy staff came to tell the group about what PT services are available at the Watonga Mercy Hospital. The cooks at the Senior Center always make the most delicious (and balanced!) meals for us. Lunch meals are also available to the pubic daily for $5.50.
The Watonga Republican's July 24 issue was full of good information. Rhonda put in an article summarizing the July 16 City Council member, with additional information from Harriette Nitzel, City Clerk, indicating that the City has voted to condemn several properties in town. Ms. Nitzel gave the reporter the addresses of those properties and photographs and addresses were included in the issue. Everyone got excited that the City is moving forward on taking care of dilapidated and dangerous properties. Upon further research and inspection, it was discovered that the properties listed in the paper to be torn down are properties that were condemned by City order "a long time ago". I personally have not seen the minutes of the meetings where they were voted to be demolished but Rhonda has been provided with that information. From my own records I know some were condemned in August 2012 (a full year ago) and some this past January or February. And the old Cheese Factory was condemned back in 2007 after the storm/hurricane." Now the City owns that property. So, technically, the City has not yet done anything about cleaning up these houses except pull the paperwork out of a file cabinet and hopefully pass them on to Marvin with instructions to proceed with demolition. We can only wait and see how long it takes to get that done. I have, however, noticed lots of yards being cleaned up, mowed, trash removed, even some of the washing machines in one yard being moved..... there is definitely some positive movement in the town toward cleanup!!! Yay!
`
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
WINDOW DRESSING
The front windows of the Liberty Theatre have a new design etched on them. The design is an art deco representation of the Oklahoma sun shining on Oklahoma wheat stalks. Drop by and look at the art by Drew Barrett (full disclosure, my son!).
Community Band performance
A fun time was had by all who attended the Community Band performance last Thursday. It was a full house in the audience.
RESULTS!
Driving around Watonga on Sunday, I see MANY yards have been mowed this weekend. The articles in the newspaper have had an effect and hopefully some of this action is the result of Code Enforcement efforts.
But that doesn't mean the problem is solved. The abandoned properties and many empty lots are still overgrown. I've made a list of 10 properties I have been watching for over six months that nothing has been done on-- and that means that the Code Enforcer hasn't been in touch with those property owners. The code enforcement process is: (1) identify a code violation; (2) send a 10-day notice letter to the owner; (3) if the letter is returned unclaimed, post the notice on the door of the property for 10 days; if still no action is taken by the owner, a Citation with a fine is issued; and (4) a work order is sent to the Department Head for action (mowing or cleaning). This process can take 30 days, and by now our new Code Enforcer has had time to issue Citations. We won't know until the next City Council meeting.
But that doesn't mean the problem is solved. The abandoned properties and many empty lots are still overgrown. I've made a list of 10 properties I have been watching for over six months that nothing has been done on-- and that means that the Code Enforcer hasn't been in touch with those property owners. The code enforcement process is: (1) identify a code violation; (2) send a 10-day notice letter to the owner; (3) if the letter is returned unclaimed, post the notice on the door of the property for 10 days; if still no action is taken by the owner, a Citation with a fine is issued; and (4) a work order is sent to the Department Head for action (mowing or cleaning). This process can take 30 days, and by now our new Code Enforcer has had time to issue Citations. We won't know until the next City Council meeting.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
July 16, 2013 City Council Meeting
Notes of July 16 City Council meeting
The City received and Clay Loosen opened one bid from Thompson Educational Furnishings in Edmond, OK, for construction of a Circulation Counter at the Library, in the amount of $16,075.00 including delivery and installation in accordance with specifications published by the City Clerk. Head Librarian Terry Crawford said she didn’t know if it included carpet and teardown. Doyle Province suggested that the Library Committee review the bid in light of questions about what it covers. A meeting of the Library Committee with Brenda Curry, Kendra Baker, and Edna Justice was scheduled for Tuesday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m.at the Library. That committee’s recommendation for approval of the bid can then be put on the agenda of the City Council for the August 6 meeting.
Insurance premiums of approximately $2,500.00 for coverage of equipment at the airport was presented for approval. The equipment is not insured at this time. [see the Agenda for a list of the equipment to be covered.] The proposal for coverage presented was from OMAG, who carries the City’s other insurance. The expenditure was approved.
The Council discussed the Finance Committee’s recommendations for Police Department salary raises and then voted to approve the following: 5% raises for Chief Massey, Troy Magers and Tony Almaguer; a raise to $14.50 per hour for CLEET certified officers; $888.00 every two weeks for the dispatcher; $13.00/hr for the animal control officer Doug Jackson. Dacia Phillips from the CPA firm stated that the money for these raises had been included in the recently-approved budget, with a limit on number of officers to be 7. The council also approved an additional payment of $200.00 for every year of police experience to new officers over and above base salary. [it wasn’t clear if this was a one-time “bonus” or to be included in regular salary].
An agenda item to hire Manuel Hernandez as a police officer was withdrawn by Chief Massey. Chief Massey said Mr. Hernandez withdrew his application.
The City council then approved a donation of the Hospital’s old “Emergency” sign to Rt 66 Museum, as Mercy Hospital has installed a new sign. Harriette Nitzel stated that the sign had already been delivered to the museum.
Gene Pflughoft presented a request from Central Oklahoma Regional Development (CORD) for payment of annual contract dues in the amount of $3,650.00. The City’s dues for last year was $5,400.00 but the request has been reduced due to loss of population (loss of the prison) at the request of Andy Barrett, the city’s representative on the CORD board. Mr. Pflughoft gave a summary of economic development activities he has worked on over the past year here in Watonga with the Watonga Action Committee and the Chamber of Commerce. He has brought two prospective buyers for the property that was a nursing home on Clarence Nash Blvd., but both offers were turned down by the owner. Projects currently being addressed through CORD are efforts to reopen the prison; coordinating with the State Park on promoting events and activities to bring people to Watonga; working with school Superintendent Seitter on youth leadership programs; and working with Youth & Family Services with youth programs at the SPOT. He is looking at programs to motivate property owners to revitalize, use, or sell the empty buildings on Main Street. Gary Olsen asked “why can’t we bring in new retail businesses” to Watonga. Mr. Pflughoft indicated that it is tough to bring in new businesses and that he will continue working through CORD to locate and encourage businesses to come to Watonga. Payment of the new contract amount was approved by the council. [see my comments below under "Code Enforcement"]
The City Council approved a request from Librarian Terry Crawford to declare as surplus and sell two 60-drawer solid wood card catalogs, 2 desktop computers, and 1 AV cart. There was no discussion of advertising for bids to sell the property.
Under new business, Dacia Phillips from RS Meachum CPA firm was asked to present the CPA firm’s financial report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. City expenditures were [significantly more] than budgeted expenditures for the General Fund and the Light & Water fund. [I don't have the exact figures in my notes so I don't want to put anything incorrect here, but the expenses were several thousand dollars higher than budget. No detail was given as to why expenditures exceeded budget. Each City Council person has a copy of the financial report and can answer questions if you want to know.] There was no further discussion or action taken concerning the financial information provided [because Dacia's report was not put on the Agenda for consideration or action.]
Clay Loosen stated that the City Clerk had submitted to FEMA approximately $16,000. In expenses as a result of the snow storm in February 2013. The City received reimbursement of approximately $9,500.00 . Mayor Loosen complimented the City Department heads’ work in dealing with the snow storm. He also said that the city department heads need to do better to coordinate services and getting paperwork to the Clerk in order to get higher reimbursement from FEMA in the future.
Clay Loosen stated that Marvin needs a new trash truck. Dacia Phillips stated that there is money in the Sales Tax fund to cover this expense.
Kendra Baker asked how stray dog calls should be handled when our animal control officer is off duty. There is a stray dog that comes into her yard and has “almost bitten” her children. Richard Hightower stated that in the past, the police officer on duty at the time would handle the call. The council agreed that that would be appropriate, and that if the officer on duty cannot handle the situation, then Doug Jackson should be called. Dan Webber suggested that there should be a policy and procedures manual that addresses such matters. Clay suggested that Kendra talk to Chief Massey for his input on handling dog calls when the animal control officer is off duty.
Richard Hightower then asked for some clarification about the Hospital bond issue, specifically what repairs and capital improvements are to be covered by the bond money, and the procedure that needs to be followed to get repairs done. He indicated he had met with Bobby Stitt and Robbie Pearson from the hospital in an effort to figure out the procedure. Dan confirmed that prior to the bond vote, Mercy Hospital and representatives of the City met and had put together a list of repairs and capital improvements that needed to be done in order for Mercy to lease and operate the Hospital. Harriette Nitzel said she would get a copy of that list to Mr. Hightower. Richard Hightower suggested that Mercy representatives might want to go through the list and prioritize items to be done. Dan Webber said that competitive bidding rules apply. [We, the public, approved the bond to pay for repairs and improvements to the hospital, based on a report prepared jointly by tMercy and City representatives. The problem now seems to be getting the City to let go of the money to make those repairs and improvements. Yes, there is a process ...]
Robbie Pearson from the Hospital asked, “when are we getting the roof fixed?” Harriette then said they [the contractor] were waiting for work on the “hood” to be finished, and Robbie said that had been completed back in June and paperwork submitted to the City. Contradicting herself, Ms. Nitzel then said that all necessary paperwork on the part of the City has been completed and that Mercy needs to contact the contractor. Mr. Hightower suggested that both Harriette Nitzel and Robbie Pearson call the contractor and keep each other informed of progress. Mr. Hightower suggested that there needs to be better communication between Mercy and the City Clerk on these matters.
Mr. Hightower asked if City Council had approved a new heating and air conditioning system for the hospital, and no one seemed to know. Dan Webber said that a request needs to be brought before City Council for funds for such capital improvement. Richard Hightower said he would act to coordinate between the City and the Hospital in order to improve communication and help the process run smoother.
Doyle Province then wanted to review for the entire Council the Fire Committee meeting that was held on June 8 about Code Enforcement. He indicated that “we have the ordinances”, we just need to enforce them, and that Robert Daugherty was continuing to work on it. He said that he saw in the OKC news recently that Oklahoma City has 21,000 properties with code violations. Robert indicated he was not only responding to citizen complaints but also doing his own patrolling and finding properties in violation of City Code. Doyle stated that he had spoken to a woman at OML (Oklahoma Municipal League) to get more information on state requirements for Code Enforcement. Only a certified Code Enforcer can issue citations. He said that OML puts on a code enforcer class twice a year and the next one is in early September. The cost is $150 per person. Doyle suggested that the City might want to have “a couple more” city employees certified as Code Enforcer. Richard Hightower suggested that the City put an article in the local newspaper about what kinds of things are violations of City Code, and letting the public know that they need to “clean up or get a citation”, and asked Harriette Nitzel if she would prepare something. Edna Justice asked: Can a citizen, like myself, go up and knock on a neighbor’s door and tell them that their yard needs to be mowed {or other violation is present}? Dan Webber said “yes”. Doyle Province asked “who maintains the City’s website?” and Terry Crawford acknowledged that she did. Terry said she and Mary Larson were working on putting a Citizen’s Complaint form on the website. [As of this meeting, Clay still couldn't tell us how many property owners had actually received abatement letters; or how many, if any, citations had actually been issued. It has now been more than a month since our Code Enforcement officer began and we don't know where he is in his efforts. Driving around town, we can see that there are still many of the same properties that have tall grass and weeds and there are still dilapidated but abandoned buildings.
The process is supposed to be: (1) letter sent to owner (2) if returned unclaimed, letter posted on door of property for 10 days (3) citation issued if offense not corrected.
Edna Justice commented that she noticed there was no reporter from the newspaper present this evening but she hoped there would be something in the paper to let citizens know that they need to clean up their properties or they will be receiving citations for code violations. [The Watonga Republican had a good article in this week's issue about the City's intentions to enforce City Code. ]
/linda
There was a good showing of citizens at this week's City Council meeting. Although the Agenda was not very long, the meeting lasted until 9:00 p.m. with a lengthy discussion of City Code Enforcement.
I present here my notes recorded during the meeting -- just the facts, m'am. My personal comments are in brackets and bold.
Present at the meeting were Mayor Clay Loosen and all City Councilpersons except for Bobby Spencer. Also present were Arlen Newman from the Ambulance Service, Harriette Nitzel, Dan Webber; Dacia
Phillips from RS Meachum CPA firm, Doreen Flaming, Head Librarian Terry Crawford, Robert
Daugherty, Marvin Schweigert, Noelle
Denucci, Neisha Newsom from Light & Water office, Police Chief John Massey,
Bobby Stitt and Robbie Pearson from Mercy Hospital, Jaime
Pearson, Linda Barrett, Mary Larsen, Tony Almaguer, Gene Pflughoft from CORD,
and Andy Barrett.
Minutes of the last regular City
Council meeting and monthly reports from the Light & Water office, Treasurer, Golf,
Police, Fire, Airport, Library, and Ambulance were approved without comment. [copies of the agendas were available for the public, but not the department reports.] Clay Loosen asked Arlen Newman if he wanted
to go over the Ambulance report and Mr. Newman said “no”, he likes to “stay at arm’s length away” and leave the numbers to the CPA firm that prepared the report. He told the Council that they could contact the CPA firm with any questions they might have. The City received and Clay Loosen opened one bid from Thompson Educational Furnishings in Edmond, OK, for construction of a Circulation Counter at the Library, in the amount of $16,075.00 including delivery and installation in accordance with specifications published by the City Clerk. Head Librarian Terry Crawford said she didn’t know if it included carpet and teardown. Doyle Province suggested that the Library Committee review the bid in light of questions about what it covers. A meeting of the Library Committee with Brenda Curry, Kendra Baker, and Edna Justice was scheduled for Tuesday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m.at the Library. That committee’s recommendation for approval of the bid can then be put on the agenda of the City Council for the August 6 meeting.
Insurance premiums of approximately $2,500.00 for coverage of equipment at the airport was presented for approval. The equipment is not insured at this time. [see the Agenda for a list of the equipment to be covered.] The proposal for coverage presented was from OMAG, who carries the City’s other insurance. The expenditure was approved.
The Council discussed the Finance Committee’s recommendations for Police Department salary raises and then voted to approve the following: 5% raises for Chief Massey, Troy Magers and Tony Almaguer; a raise to $14.50 per hour for CLEET certified officers; $888.00 every two weeks for the dispatcher; $13.00/hr for the animal control officer Doug Jackson. Dacia Phillips from the CPA firm stated that the money for these raises had been included in the recently-approved budget, with a limit on number of officers to be 7. The council also approved an additional payment of $200.00 for every year of police experience to new officers over and above base salary. [it wasn’t clear if this was a one-time “bonus” or to be included in regular salary].
An agenda item to hire Manuel Hernandez as a police officer was withdrawn by Chief Massey. Chief Massey said Mr. Hernandez withdrew his application.
The City council then approved a donation of the Hospital’s old “Emergency” sign to Rt 66 Museum, as Mercy Hospital has installed a new sign. Harriette Nitzel stated that the sign had already been delivered to the museum.
Gene Pflughoft presented a request from Central Oklahoma Regional Development (CORD) for payment of annual contract dues in the amount of $3,650.00. The City’s dues for last year was $5,400.00 but the request has been reduced due to loss of population (loss of the prison) at the request of Andy Barrett, the city’s representative on the CORD board. Mr. Pflughoft gave a summary of economic development activities he has worked on over the past year here in Watonga with the Watonga Action Committee and the Chamber of Commerce. He has brought two prospective buyers for the property that was a nursing home on Clarence Nash Blvd., but both offers were turned down by the owner. Projects currently being addressed through CORD are efforts to reopen the prison; coordinating with the State Park on promoting events and activities to bring people to Watonga; working with school Superintendent Seitter on youth leadership programs; and working with Youth & Family Services with youth programs at the SPOT. He is looking at programs to motivate property owners to revitalize, use, or sell the empty buildings on Main Street. Gary Olsen asked “why can’t we bring in new retail businesses” to Watonga. Mr. Pflughoft indicated that it is tough to bring in new businesses and that he will continue working through CORD to locate and encourage businesses to come to Watonga. Payment of the new contract amount was approved by the council. [see my comments below under "Code Enforcement"]
The City Council approved a request from Librarian Terry Crawford to declare as surplus and sell two 60-drawer solid wood card catalogs, 2 desktop computers, and 1 AV cart. There was no discussion of advertising for bids to sell the property.
Under new business, Dacia Phillips from RS Meachum CPA firm was asked to present the CPA firm’s financial report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. City expenditures were [significantly more] than budgeted expenditures for the General Fund and the Light & Water fund. [I don't have the exact figures in my notes so I don't want to put anything incorrect here, but the expenses were several thousand dollars higher than budget. No detail was given as to why expenditures exceeded budget. Each City Council person has a copy of the financial report and can answer questions if you want to know.] There was no further discussion or action taken concerning the financial information provided [because Dacia's report was not put on the Agenda for consideration or action.]
Clay Loosen stated that the City Clerk had submitted to FEMA approximately $16,000. In expenses as a result of the snow storm in February 2013. The City received reimbursement of approximately $9,500.00 . Mayor Loosen complimented the City Department heads’ work in dealing with the snow storm. He also said that the city department heads need to do better to coordinate services and getting paperwork to the Clerk in order to get higher reimbursement from FEMA in the future.
Clay Loosen stated that Marvin needs a new trash truck. Dacia Phillips stated that there is money in the Sales Tax fund to cover this expense.
Kendra Baker asked how stray dog calls should be handled when our animal control officer is off duty. There is a stray dog that comes into her yard and has “almost bitten” her children. Richard Hightower stated that in the past, the police officer on duty at the time would handle the call. The council agreed that that would be appropriate, and that if the officer on duty cannot handle the situation, then Doug Jackson should be called. Dan Webber suggested that there should be a policy and procedures manual that addresses such matters. Clay suggested that Kendra talk to Chief Massey for his input on handling dog calls when the animal control officer is off duty.
Richard Hightower then asked for some clarification about the Hospital bond issue, specifically what repairs and capital improvements are to be covered by the bond money, and the procedure that needs to be followed to get repairs done. He indicated he had met with Bobby Stitt and Robbie Pearson from the hospital in an effort to figure out the procedure. Dan confirmed that prior to the bond vote, Mercy Hospital and representatives of the City met and had put together a list of repairs and capital improvements that needed to be done in order for Mercy to lease and operate the Hospital. Harriette Nitzel said she would get a copy of that list to Mr. Hightower. Richard Hightower suggested that Mercy representatives might want to go through the list and prioritize items to be done. Dan Webber said that competitive bidding rules apply. [We, the public, approved the bond to pay for repairs and improvements to the hospital, based on a report prepared jointly by tMercy and City representatives. The problem now seems to be getting the City to let go of the money to make those repairs and improvements. Yes, there is a process ...]
Robbie Pearson from the Hospital asked, “when are we getting the roof fixed?” Harriette then said they [the contractor] were waiting for work on the “hood” to be finished, and Robbie said that had been completed back in June and paperwork submitted to the City. Contradicting herself, Ms. Nitzel then said that all necessary paperwork on the part of the City has been completed and that Mercy needs to contact the contractor. Mr. Hightower suggested that both Harriette Nitzel and Robbie Pearson call the contractor and keep each other informed of progress. Mr. Hightower suggested that there needs to be better communication between Mercy and the City Clerk on these matters.
Mr. Hightower asked if City Council had approved a new heating and air conditioning system for the hospital, and no one seemed to know. Dan Webber said that a request needs to be brought before City Council for funds for such capital improvement. Richard Hightower said he would act to coordinate between the City and the Hospital in order to improve communication and help the process run smoother.
Doyle Province then wanted to review for the entire Council the Fire Committee meeting that was held on June 8 about Code Enforcement. He indicated that “we have the ordinances”, we just need to enforce them, and that Robert Daugherty was continuing to work on it. He said that he saw in the OKC news recently that Oklahoma City has 21,000 properties with code violations. Robert indicated he was not only responding to citizen complaints but also doing his own patrolling and finding properties in violation of City Code. Doyle stated that he had spoken to a woman at OML (Oklahoma Municipal League) to get more information on state requirements for Code Enforcement. Only a certified Code Enforcer can issue citations. He said that OML puts on a code enforcer class twice a year and the next one is in early September. The cost is $150 per person. Doyle suggested that the City might want to have “a couple more” city employees certified as Code Enforcer. Richard Hightower suggested that the City put an article in the local newspaper about what kinds of things are violations of City Code, and letting the public know that they need to “clean up or get a citation”, and asked Harriette Nitzel if she would prepare something. Edna Justice asked: Can a citizen, like myself, go up and knock on a neighbor’s door and tell them that their yard needs to be mowed {or other violation is present}? Dan Webber said “yes”. Doyle Province asked “who maintains the City’s website?” and Terry Crawford acknowledged that she did. Terry said she and Mary Larson were working on putting a Citizen’s Complaint form on the website. [As of this meeting, Clay still couldn't tell us how many property owners had actually received abatement letters; or how many, if any, citations had actually been issued. It has now been more than a month since our Code Enforcement officer began and we don't know where he is in his efforts. Driving around town, we can see that there are still many of the same properties that have tall grass and weeds and there are still dilapidated but abandoned buildings.
The process is supposed to be: (1) letter sent to owner (2) if returned unclaimed, letter posted on door of property for 10 days (3) citation issued if offense not corrected.
Edna Justice commented that she noticed there was no reporter from the newspaper present this evening but she hoped there would be something in the paper to let citizens know that they need to clean up their properties or they will be receiving citations for code violations. [The Watonga Republican had a good article in this week's issue about the City's intentions to enforce City Code. ]
/linda
Monday, July 15, 2013
Code Enforcement meeting
Notes of Fire committee meeting, July 8, 2013 to discuss Code Enforcement.
Meeting called to order by Clay at 6:31 p.m. Present were Clay Loosen, Lou Rother, Doyle
Province, Brent Wilkinson, Verlin Bills,
Noelle, Linda Barrett, Andy Barrett, and Robert Daugherty. Mary Larson and Edna Justice arrived a few
minutes after the meeting started.
Clay asked Brent Wilkinson to conduct the meeting. Brent
reviewed the code enforcement procedures, asked Robert what his process
was. Daugherty said he visits sites on both the east and west sides of town,
working North; he takes photos; figures
out who owns the property that is in violation (grass and weeds), then sends out a Certified Mail letter advising of
the violation. He said many of the
letters are returned unclaimed, and that he wasn’t sure what the next step
would be. Linda Barrett noted that the
next step is to post the notice letter on the door of the building for 10 days
according to the City Code. (I had
a copy of the Code with me; if the owner doesn’t respond after 10 days, a
citation can be issued with a Court date and the matter will be heard by the Municipal
Judge. ) Robert continued that if the owner still doesn’t take care of the
property, or doesn’t show up for
hearing, then a work order goes to go to Donnie or Marvin (for mowing, clearing
trash, etc.).
Neither Robert nor Clay could answer the question of how
many letters have been sent out yet, but Clay said “a stack this big” and
indicated about two inches with his hand.
Clay said “he’s only been on the job for two months, let’s give the guy
a chance.”
Verlin Bills asked how many hours Robert is supposed to
devote to Code Enforcement, and Doyle said he had no set number of hours. His Code enforcement duties are on in
addition to his asst. fire chief duties.
So in other words, the City didn’t “hire” a code enforcer; they gave an
employee the extra duties of a code enforcer and got him certified. He does not get extra pay for being code
enforcer. Robert’s not limited to 40 hours a week. It was
asked what the fines would be for tickets (citations) issued, and Clay
indicated $50.00 - $200 according to
section 1-108 of the City Code.
Lou Rother asked what is going to be done about properties
already condemned. Clay said they are on
a list to be taken care of. Martin is
doing as much as he can, doing the best that he can. He said that last year Martin tore down 13
houses in two weeks. Doyle said it can
take a long time before a property is demolished because Marvin has a “long
list” of properties that need to be taken care of. Doyle said it can take “as
long as 15 years” on some properties, depending on the circumstances (the
property he was referring to was occupied and there were other circumstances
that prevented the city of tearing down the building). Andy asked how many condemned properties are
on the list and Noelle indicated 13. That number was repeated by Clay. C
Clay said he had met that morning with John Massey, Dan
Webber, and Robert Daugherty to review the ordinances and go through the
process. They all agreed , and it was
Dan’s suggestion according to Clay, that
Robert can write a ticket (citation, summons) and mail it to the owner
after sending the 10-day notice letter. Clay said this can be a long process and a
lot of paperwork. Someone asked if we
could get a report of progress from Robert and he said “yes”. Doyle said he couldn’t find the state statute
on Code Enforcement and questioned whether or not a Certified Mail letter was
sufficient notice.
Discussion then turned to giving Robert a “priority list” of
what code enforcement he should do. Clay
indicated weeds and grass first, trash in yards 2nd, cars third, and
then dilapidated properties. Clay
mentioned that prior to getting Robert certified as Code Enforcer, the city
didn’t legally have a code enforcer, even though Marvin, Donnie, Mark Huff and
police chief Massey acted as code enforcers during that time.
There was discussion of not focusing on a specific side of
town to avoid residents feeling like they are being profiled. It was agreed that Robert needs to achieve
a “balance” as to the properties he visits and cites. He’ll try to get a report to City Council
monthly. Edna said she wasn’t as
concerned about getting a report as she was about just getting the job done,
that Robert write tickets for violators.
Edna asked if the City needed to hire part-time clerical help for
Robert, and Doyle said he didn’t think so because the City Clerk is helping
with the paperwork. She asked if we have
such a backload, do we need a full-time code enforcer? Doyle said “I don’t think we are there
yet.” He suggested that could be an
issue considered next year at budget time.
It was pointed out that there are many buildings in town
that are unoccupied, abandoned, open to the elements and are fire and safety
hazards, and have already been condemned by the City. Verlin asked about “where do I draw the line”
about deciding what properties to cite and turn over to Marvin for demolition. He expressed concern that when one person
gets a citation, that person will ask “why isn’t my neighbor getting a ticket
when his grass is just as high.” Doyle
said that Verlin is the chief safety officer and that code enforcement was at
Verlin’s determination as to how he prioritizes properties to cite and
condemn. There was lots of discussion
about properties that have already been condemned as a safety hazard but are
still standing, not boarded up and open to the elements and children. It was suggested that the owners of these
properties be issued citations and assessed fines as our city Code provides . Verlin Bills noted that one such property is
“ready to be torn down” but Marvin has concerns about the structural integrity
of the building it is attached to, so nothing is going to be done. That wasn’t sufficient explanation for the
people attending the meeting and it was suggested that citations be
issued. When the matter becomes a
financial problem for the property owners, they will do something about the
safety condition.
Cars and other junk in yards can be a fire safety hazard and
prevent the fire department from being able to attend to a fire.
Clay said that “ things are different in a small town” and
that “we can’t get away with huge fines.”
People in the audience chimed in and said that laws need to be enforced
in a small town the same as in a large town.
Edna said that we may need to hire a full-time code enforcer
in light of Robert’s time limitations, and Doyle responded that we would need
to consider that at budget time, not at this time after the year’s budget has
already been approved.
When talking about Robert’s
time limitations in being able to be out on the street to look for code
violations, Clay suggested that citizens file complaint forms as a way to help
our Code Enforcer identify properties that need attention. Clay said that would be helpful to
Robert. A complaint form should be completed at the
City Clerk’s office and it then goes to Robert.
In that way it doesn’t look like
the City is “attacking” anyone in particular.
Doyle suggested that an on-line form be set up on the City’s website, so
that a complaint form can be filled out on-line and emailed directly to Robert.
He
suggested that Terri Crawford may be able to help set that up since she manages
the City’s website. Mary said she would
be glad to work with Terri in setting that up.
The Chamber of Commerce will put together a list of service
providers who are willing to mow, clean up yards and haul away trash, and will
make that list available to the public and through Robert Daugherty. The businesses on the list will in no way be
endorsed by the City to avoid liability but the list will be made available
through the Code Enforcer as a service to the community.
Lou noted that we won’t be able to attract people to our
town if it doesn’t get cleaned up, even if we do pass a bond issue for a new
high school.
Clay and all council members present expressed to Verlin and
Robert that they have the full support of the Council in their code enforcement
efforts. The
meeting ended on a comment by Clay that the City will work hard on Code
Enforcement and cleaning up the town.
Submitted by
Linda Barrett
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Fire Committee meeting tomorrow evening
Remember that the City Council's "fire committee" is going to meet tomorrow at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. to talk about possible solutions to the continuing problem of Code Enforcement here in Watonga. It would be nice to have some citizens there to show that they are concerned. Mayor Loosen has hired a Code Enforcer, but he (Robert Daugherty) is also a full-time fireman (and assistant fire chief). His primary duty is fireman. Mayor Loosen guessed that Robert spend about 10-12 hours a week but couldn't say for sure. He had some notice of violation letters in his hand but couldn't tell us how many notices Robert has actually sent out. Both the fire chief and Robert himself have said he doesn't have time to do Code Enforcement the way it needs to be done.
It has been brought up several times to the City Council that we need a separate full-time Code Enforcement officer just to get caught up on all of the properties that need to be addressed. It is a process and it takes time, but the fact that it is a process doesn't justify not doing the job. Is the City Clerk doing the clerical (paperwork) part of code enforcement or is that part of Robert's job? Is there any kind of written job description for Code Enforcement officer? This is how it has worked in the past: The code enforcement officer sees a code violation (excessive weeds and/or tall grass, trash in yard, etc.). He fills out a form with the name and address of the owner of the property and turns it over to the City Clerk. Her office then sends out a letter notifying the owner of the violation and gives the owner 10 days to remedy the situation. The letter itself says there will be a hearing at the end of 10 days, but up until now there are no hearings held on code enforcement. Most property owners take care of the violation timely or ask for an extension of time. If the owner doesn't comply, the City will mow or clean the yard and then send a bill to the homeowner. Our City Code provides for a citation to be issued by the Code Enforcer and a fine of "up to $500.00" to be levied on the owner, but this has never been done. The City has plenty of Codes to enforce -- we don't need any new codes; we need the City to enforce the Codes.
There are several properties in Watonga that have been "condemned" by the fire chief/code enforcer over a year ago. When are those properties going to be demolished? They are a health and safety hazard and some are a serious fire hazard.
Our City's failure to enforce city Code isn't a matter of money or time.... Yes, every town deals with the issue of Code Enforcement. The problem here in Watonga is that it just isn't being dealt with. The citizens of Watonga can and should hold the City government responsible for taking care of this serious issue. But unless people speak up, it's going to continue on the path it is now and probably just get worse. WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO ONE OF THESE PROPERTIES? There are several city council representatives who are on top of this issue and ask questions and want something to be done about it. Talk to your councilperson and let him or her know how you feel about it. But even more importantly: ATTEND the Committee meeting if you can and hear what solutions are being suggested by your council person.
It has been brought up several times to the City Council that we need a separate full-time Code Enforcement officer just to get caught up on all of the properties that need to be addressed. It is a process and it takes time, but the fact that it is a process doesn't justify not doing the job. Is the City Clerk doing the clerical (paperwork) part of code enforcement or is that part of Robert's job? Is there any kind of written job description for Code Enforcement officer? This is how it has worked in the past: The code enforcement officer sees a code violation (excessive weeds and/or tall grass, trash in yard, etc.). He fills out a form with the name and address of the owner of the property and turns it over to the City Clerk. Her office then sends out a letter notifying the owner of the violation and gives the owner 10 days to remedy the situation. The letter itself says there will be a hearing at the end of 10 days, but up until now there are no hearings held on code enforcement. Most property owners take care of the violation timely or ask for an extension of time. If the owner doesn't comply, the City will mow or clean the yard and then send a bill to the homeowner. Our City Code provides for a citation to be issued by the Code Enforcer and a fine of "up to $500.00" to be levied on the owner, but this has never been done. The City has plenty of Codes to enforce -- we don't need any new codes; we need the City to enforce the Codes.
There are several properties in Watonga that have been "condemned" by the fire chief/code enforcer over a year ago. When are those properties going to be demolished? They are a health and safety hazard and some are a serious fire hazard.
Our City's failure to enforce city Code isn't a matter of money or time.... Yes, every town deals with the issue of Code Enforcement. The problem here in Watonga is that it just isn't being dealt with. The citizens of Watonga can and should hold the City government responsible for taking care of this serious issue. But unless people speak up, it's going to continue on the path it is now and probably just get worse. WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO ONE OF THESE PROPERTIES? There are several city council representatives who are on top of this issue and ask questions and want something to be done about it. Talk to your councilperson and let him or her know how you feel about it. But even more importantly: ATTEND the Committee meeting if you can and hear what solutions are being suggested by your council person.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Yard Sale this weekend!
I've been told there is going to be a really good yard sale this weekend, Fri and Sat., at 521 Cerny in Watonga. Go early!
For July 4th fireworks, Mayor Loosen has said that the airport property will be open (the gates will be unlocked and open) for those who want to sit at the airport to watch fireworks.
HAVE A HAPPY AND SAVE FOURTH OF JULY!
For July 4th fireworks, Mayor Loosen has said that the airport property will be open (the gates will be unlocked and open) for those who want to sit at the airport to watch fireworks.
HAVE A HAPPY AND SAVE FOURTH OF JULY!
City Council meeting July 2
A WELL-INFORMED ELECTORATE IS THE BASIS OF A DEMOCRACY.
It is unfortunate that the Watonga City Clerk won't publish the minutes of City Council meetings on the city's website. When asked for a copy of the minutes following a meeting, she'll say they aren't available because they haven't been approved by City Council, which will happen at the next City Council meeting. Although the Watonga Republican covers the meetings, we also have to wait a week before that news is published.
Sometimes the meeting Agenda is published on-line, sometimes not. Ms. Nitzel's answer to that is "it only has to be posted on the office door." That's really not helpful to those who don't drive or otherwise can't get by her office or those who would like to print out a copy prior to the meeting.
Last night's agenda was light, but much discussion was had toward the end of the meeting about Code Enforcement. The City announced the hiring of Robert Daugherty as Code Enforcer in April. He then attended the required classes for certification. At a meeting several weeks later, when asked how the Code Enforcement was going, Mayor Loosen said Robert was "getting set up" and was waiting for letterhead and "stuff".
Last night, Councilman Hightower asked the Mayor how is our code enforcement going. Mayor Loosen answered something vague like "it's coming along." But when pressed, he didn't know much about how it is coming along. He didn't know many letters to property owners had been sent out. He first said he thought citations had been issued but when asked how many, he corrected himself and said "letters" had been sent out. He said he had just been handed some Certified Letters by Harriett Nitzel but didn't know how many there were. He finally acknowledged that NO citations for code enforcement have been issued. Andy Barrett asked if the Mayor could provide a report at the next meeting of how many letters have been sent, what properties have been taken care of either by the property owner or the City. There were questions about how much time Mr. Daugherty is required to do the job as Code Enforcer, how many hours per week, and can the job be done in that amount of time. Mr. Daugherty had told one City Councilman that his duties as a firefighter comes first and he hasn't had much time to devote to Code Enforcement. Clay acknowledged that Daugherty's firefighter duties were priority. Donnie Dunn, Marvin Schweigert and Mark Huff used to do Code Enforcement but have been relieved of those "duties" except to "help when they can." Marvin spoke up and said it is a "long process", and that it can be 15 to 20 days before anything is done after the initial warning letter is sent [NOTE: Robert Daugherty has been paid as Code Enforcer for over a month as of this date].
Then the question was raised as to whether or not Daugherty has the time to do the job as Code Enforcer, do we need to hire someone to do the clerical work, and why don't we hire a full-time enforcer. It was acknowledged that the City has plenty of Codes to enforce; they just aren't going through the steps to hold anyone accountable. [** read my next post about the history and current state of Code Enforcement here in Watonga, and what the process is supposed to be.] After much more discussion, Clay felt like the meeting had spent enough time on the subject and wanted to move on. Richard Hightower asked if the matter could be put on next meeting's agenda, and it was decided that the Fire Committee should meet on July 8 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss how the new Code Enforcer is doing and what needs to be done to get Code Enforcement done. Richard Hightower said he would stay on top of the subject and would be asking questions about Code Enforcement at future Council meetings.
Though a lot of time was spent discussing Code Enforcement, there were really only three action items on the Agenda other than the usual approval of prior minutes and claims. (1) The City approved construction of a custom circulation counter at the Watonga Library. The agenda listed the action item as "discussion and action to advertise" for bids to be opened at the on July 16 meeting. Gary Olsen mentioned that the item had been discussed at a previous meeting, so it is presumed that specifications and a construction plan have been presented and a request for bids published in the newspaper.
(2) Mary Larson appeared on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce to request the annual $5,000.00 support by the City to the Chamber. The Chamber of Commerce works diligently to promote the City of Watonga to try to get businesses and families to move here. The request was approved to be paid out of the City's General Fund since the WEDA (Watonga Economic Development Account) is dormant. Councilman GARY OLSEN was the only person who voted "no" to support the Chamber of Commerce.
(3) Marvin Schweigert requested approval to advertise for a street overlay project covering three areas: Prouty Street to Norwood Street west, Laing St. west on 7th St., and Laing St. east on A Street. The request was approved, the request for bids will be published for bids to be received by the August 6 City Council meeting.
Under Old/New Business, Bobby Spencer related that the Route 66 Museum would like to have the hospital's old "Emergency" sign. There was some discussion and the group agreed that the Museum would be a good place for it. The Mayor said "ok, then let's give it to them [the Museum]. But then there was a question as to whether or not a motion needed to be made to dispose of the sign (which is City property), and whether or not a motion COULD be made because the item was not on the Agenda as an action item. One would think that the Mayor would know the process of voting on something at City Council, but it took Richard Hightower and Bobby Spencer to point out that the item hadn't been listed as an action item on the Agenda and couldn't be voted on at this meeting. Dan Webber then said the matter could not be decided at this meeting because it was not listed as an action item, so it is to be put on the next meeting Agenda.
The City Council meeting was followed by the WEDA meeting (no business), and the Public Works Committee meeting. (1) The council approved a call for bids for the application of insulation at the Watonga Airport. (2) The council had received one (1) bid for painting of the interior walls at the Hospital for approximately $78,000.00, but rejected it and decided to publish another request for bids.
Finally, there was heated discussion about Airport manager RD Ernest allowing a fuel discount of thirty cents per gallon to individuals purchasing 1000 gallons or more. It was put forth on the Agenda as a "request to allow" a discount, but during the discussion it came out that Mr. Ernest had already given the discount because of the emergency nature of the situation. Mr. Ernest wanted the Council to authorize him, as airport manager, to give future discounts for purchases over 1000. That request was denied.
The Watonga Republican does a good job of reporting on City Council meetings. Harriette Nitzel's printed minutes are less complete but do set out the "yay" and "nay" votes of the Council. With this blog I am attempting to give the public another view of the meetings. The more information a person has, the better he/she can understand the issues and form their own opinion. The only way to get the entire picture of what goes on is to attend the City Council meetings, on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Contrary to Harriette Nitzel's opinion, meetings of the various Committee of City Council are also open to the public. The next Fire Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Code Enforcement, BUT BE SURE AND CHECK THE DOOR AT CITY HALL in case the date changes or another Committee meeting is scheduled!
/Linda
It is unfortunate that the Watonga City Clerk won't publish the minutes of City Council meetings on the city's website. When asked for a copy of the minutes following a meeting, she'll say they aren't available because they haven't been approved by City Council, which will happen at the next City Council meeting. Although the Watonga Republican covers the meetings, we also have to wait a week before that news is published.
Sometimes the meeting Agenda is published on-line, sometimes not. Ms. Nitzel's answer to that is "it only has to be posted on the office door." That's really not helpful to those who don't drive or otherwise can't get by her office or those who would like to print out a copy prior to the meeting.
Last night's agenda was light, but much discussion was had toward the end of the meeting about Code Enforcement. The City announced the hiring of Robert Daugherty as Code Enforcer in April. He then attended the required classes for certification. At a meeting several weeks later, when asked how the Code Enforcement was going, Mayor Loosen said Robert was "getting set up" and was waiting for letterhead and "stuff".
Last night, Councilman Hightower asked the Mayor how is our code enforcement going. Mayor Loosen answered something vague like "it's coming along." But when pressed, he didn't know much about how it is coming along. He didn't know many letters to property owners had been sent out. He first said he thought citations had been issued but when asked how many, he corrected himself and said "letters" had been sent out. He said he had just been handed some Certified Letters by Harriett Nitzel but didn't know how many there were. He finally acknowledged that NO citations for code enforcement have been issued. Andy Barrett asked if the Mayor could provide a report at the next meeting of how many letters have been sent, what properties have been taken care of either by the property owner or the City. There were questions about how much time Mr. Daugherty is required to do the job as Code Enforcer, how many hours per week, and can the job be done in that amount of time. Mr. Daugherty had told one City Councilman that his duties as a firefighter comes first and he hasn't had much time to devote to Code Enforcement. Clay acknowledged that Daugherty's firefighter duties were priority. Donnie Dunn, Marvin Schweigert and Mark Huff used to do Code Enforcement but have been relieved of those "duties" except to "help when they can." Marvin spoke up and said it is a "long process", and that it can be 15 to 20 days before anything is done after the initial warning letter is sent [NOTE: Robert Daugherty has been paid as Code Enforcer for over a month as of this date].
Then the question was raised as to whether or not Daugherty has the time to do the job as Code Enforcer, do we need to hire someone to do the clerical work, and why don't we hire a full-time enforcer. It was acknowledged that the City has plenty of Codes to enforce; they just aren't going through the steps to hold anyone accountable. [** read my next post about the history and current state of Code Enforcement here in Watonga, and what the process is supposed to be.] After much more discussion, Clay felt like the meeting had spent enough time on the subject and wanted to move on. Richard Hightower asked if the matter could be put on next meeting's agenda, and it was decided that the Fire Committee should meet on July 8 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss how the new Code Enforcer is doing and what needs to be done to get Code Enforcement done. Richard Hightower said he would stay on top of the subject and would be asking questions about Code Enforcement at future Council meetings.
Though a lot of time was spent discussing Code Enforcement, there were really only three action items on the Agenda other than the usual approval of prior minutes and claims. (1) The City approved construction of a custom circulation counter at the Watonga Library. The agenda listed the action item as "discussion and action to advertise" for bids to be opened at the on July 16 meeting. Gary Olsen mentioned that the item had been discussed at a previous meeting, so it is presumed that specifications and a construction plan have been presented and a request for bids published in the newspaper.
(2) Mary Larson appeared on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce to request the annual $5,000.00 support by the City to the Chamber. The Chamber of Commerce works diligently to promote the City of Watonga to try to get businesses and families to move here. The request was approved to be paid out of the City's General Fund since the WEDA (Watonga Economic Development Account) is dormant. Councilman GARY OLSEN was the only person who voted "no" to support the Chamber of Commerce.
(3) Marvin Schweigert requested approval to advertise for a street overlay project covering three areas: Prouty Street to Norwood Street west, Laing St. west on 7th St., and Laing St. east on A Street. The request was approved, the request for bids will be published for bids to be received by the August 6 City Council meeting.
Under Old/New Business, Bobby Spencer related that the Route 66 Museum would like to have the hospital's old "Emergency" sign. There was some discussion and the group agreed that the Museum would be a good place for it. The Mayor said "ok, then let's give it to them [the Museum]. But then there was a question as to whether or not a motion needed to be made to dispose of the sign (which is City property), and whether or not a motion COULD be made because the item was not on the Agenda as an action item. One would think that the Mayor would know the process of voting on something at City Council, but it took Richard Hightower and Bobby Spencer to point out that the item hadn't been listed as an action item on the Agenda and couldn't be voted on at this meeting. Dan Webber then said the matter could not be decided at this meeting because it was not listed as an action item, so it is to be put on the next meeting Agenda.
The City Council meeting was followed by the WEDA meeting (no business), and the Public Works Committee meeting. (1) The council approved a call for bids for the application of insulation at the Watonga Airport. (2) The council had received one (1) bid for painting of the interior walls at the Hospital for approximately $78,000.00, but rejected it and decided to publish another request for bids.
Finally, there was heated discussion about Airport manager RD Ernest allowing a fuel discount of thirty cents per gallon to individuals purchasing 1000 gallons or more. It was put forth on the Agenda as a "request to allow" a discount, but during the discussion it came out that Mr. Ernest had already given the discount because of the emergency nature of the situation. Mr. Ernest wanted the Council to authorize him, as airport manager, to give future discounts for purchases over 1000. That request was denied.
The Watonga Republican does a good job of reporting on City Council meetings. Harriette Nitzel's printed minutes are less complete but do set out the "yay" and "nay" votes of the Council. With this blog I am attempting to give the public another view of the meetings. The more information a person has, the better he/she can understand the issues and form their own opinion. The only way to get the entire picture of what goes on is to attend the City Council meetings, on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Contrary to Harriette Nitzel's opinion, meetings of the various Committee of City Council are also open to the public. The next Fire Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Code Enforcement, BUT BE SURE AND CHECK THE DOOR AT CITY HALL in case the date changes or another Committee meeting is scheduled!
/Linda
Monday, July 1, 2013
New signs
Gotta say "WOW" about the new sign at Mercy Hospital on Clarence Nash Blvd. It is so professional looking! I haven't seen it at night but it looks like it is going to be lit up. And now we can tell where the entrance to the Emergency Room is also! It is so nice to see something new in town.
Have you been in the new Dollar General Store yet? It is another fabulous improvement to Watonga. Lots of room, organized and orderly, and clean! I hope the smoke alarm doesn't go off anytime soon!
Have you been in the new Dollar General Store yet? It is another fabulous improvement to Watonga. Lots of room, organized and orderly, and clean! I hope the smoke alarm doesn't go off anytime soon!
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