Rowynn Ricks
Woodward News
Woodward, Okla. — With two city commissioners off on spring break vacations, the Woodward City Commission held a short meeting Monday night.
After some complaints from Commissioner Roscoe Hill, who thinks that “surely there’s a solution to this somewhere,” the commission denied a sewer backup claim from an overflow to a residence in the 3000 block of 22nd St. on Feb. 6.
Hill noted that he wishes the commission would find some way to be able to help city residents who are victims of sewer backup damage.
The commission then approved a “long-standing,” annual $30,000 contract between the city and the Main Street Program for “professional services.” However, Commissioner Michelle Williamson noted that she would like it if someone from the Main Street Program could present the commission with a report of how the program has used the money in the past.
But the commissioners had to table their third and last main agenda item, which was the sixth change order from Kline Mechanical with regards to Fuller Park for an increase of $6,726 for changes to the elevator equipment room.
City Manager Alan Riffel explained the vote on the change order was tabled “because we would have had an abstention and we need three votes.”
Williamson always abstains in votes addressing business with Kline Mechanical because her husband works for the construction company.
Later in his report to the commission, Riffel noted that the city is “out for bids on the water field expansion project phase one, which is the offset drilling of three wells (for the Terra Nitrogen expansion).”
The city manager then discussed some ongoing “dealings with the William S. Key inmate work crews,” noting that due to cuts to the Department of Corrections budget, DOC is no longer providing transportation for the crews.
But having to pick up the inmates is not deterring the use of the work crews, as Riffel noted the inmates are still “the best value we receive for work.”
In fact, instead of decreasing the use of W. S. Key prison crews, Riffel said, “(City Finance Officer Doug) Haines and I have been working to replace summer part time workers with prisoners.”
“We have to have the work done,” he said, noting the inmate labor provides “a much cheaper rate” to take care of tasks such as mowing services.
The city manager noted that he “expect(s) to grow to approximately 40 inmates,” to replace the “eight to 10 part time jobs that will be eliminated.”
Since this would “multiply the number of prisoners we’re transporting,” Riffel said the city will be purchasing a used 70-seat bus “within the next 60 days” which he expects to cost $30,000 to $40,000.
However, he expects that by using cheap inmate labor instead of part time workers, the city “over the season will save $40,000.”
“We should be able to offset the cost of this expense with the savings in the first year,” he said.
