WEST SILOAM SPRINGS, Okla -- Members of the West Siloam Springs Board of Trustees and Municipal Authority voted to table the review and possible amendment to a previous action regarding the appropriation of funds from the state's Covid Relief Fund.
Tabling the discussion and vote happened because the town had not yet received funds and all Oklahoma municipalities had received a strongly worded letter from the state regarding best practices when applying to the relief fund, according to Kris Kirk, CPA, the accountant for West Siloam Springs.
The town of West Siloam Springs passed a resolution during a special meeting on Sept. 10 to apply for coronavirus relief fund money and was approved to receive $66,211 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act by the state of Oklahoma on Sept. 11, Kirk said.
Along with reimbursing the town for coronavirus related expenses up to $1,000 and giving a $1,300 bonus to Kirk and Municipal/Accounting Clerk Colleen McGuire, West Siloam Springs will ear-mark the remainder of the funds to go for police vehicles. The town has not decided whether or not to pay off the current lease or purchase police vehicles.
Kirk believes the town will get the money.
"When I go and when I read the guidance that the U.S. Treasury put out, I think we follow those guidelines and I think we are going to get the money," Kirk said.
Kirk said he was concerned that Oklahoma's Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) felt constrained to send out the letter.
Kirk pointed to a portion of the letter which states "Resolutions are not necessary and will not change the State of Oklahoma's guidelines on 'substantially dedicated' employees."
A substantially dedicated employee is defined by the letter as an employee who spends 50 percent or more of their time in a pay period on coronavirus related activities and have documents such as time sheets to support it.
OMES did not immediately respond to media inquiries concerning the letter.
Trustee Sam Byers asked Kirk if no other municipalities have received their Covid Relief Fund money and if the town receive a confirmation of approval from the state.
Kirk said there was a problem with the application process and the state sent West Siloam Springs an email requesting their Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S) number.
There was a problem with the application process which would not let Kirk or McGuire enter the town's D-U-N-S number. McGuire was eventually able to enter West Siloam Springs' D-U-N-S number.
D-U-N-S numbers are unique nine-digit identification numbers provided by Dun & Bradstreet, according to fsd.gov.
Kirk also said he heard Adair County may have received their funds, but said he did not know this for a fact. Adair County did receive money from the state, however they applied for those funds several months earlier and has not applied for the funds recently, according to Purchasing Agent Tammy Bigfeather.
The town of Kansas also received their coronavirus relief money, according to Office Manager/Bookkeeper Genia Yeager. Kansas received $61,664 on Oct. 2, Yeager said.
The board of trustees and municipal authority also discussed and voted on the following items:
• Approving the minutes of the Sept. 21 Board of Trustee meeting.
• Approving the minutes of Sept. 21 Municipal Authority meeting.
• Reports from Town officials Kirk; Police Chief Larry Barnett; Code Enforcement Waylon Chandler; Mayor/Municipal Authority Chair Elaine Carr; Vice Mayor/Municipal Authority Vice Chair and Assistant Town/Municipal Authority Clerk Rhonda Wise; Town Attorney/Municipal Authority Attorney Jot Hartley and Director of Public Works Keith Morgan.
• Approving the revision of the town of West Siloam Springs personnel handbook after the addition of drug section by Hartley.
• Tabling a discussion regarding ODOT placing six poles on U.S. Highway 412.
• Approving a tabled item from the Sept. 10 special meeting concerning cost of living raises and merit raises not tied to annual evaluations for West Siloam Springs police officers (excluding reserve certified officers).
• Tabling a discussion regarding an increase to the police pay scale across the board from patrol to assistant chief.
• Tabling a discussion on paying town CPA a fee based on percentage of funds received by town from CARES Act funds allocation.
• Approving a policy for use of the town's credit card.
• Approving the receipt on personal mail and or package/merchandise deliveries to town hall for town employees and officials only.
• Approving a decision not to renew Zips Car Wash memberships.
• Approving a decision to return of podium and inflatables.
• Approving the purchase of three police vehicles.
• Approving the mobile home application for Peggy Filmore. Mobile home to be placed on 5635 Cedar Drive (Granderson Mobile Home Park).
• Approving the final plat Phase Three of Snyder Springs Subdivision (formerly Meadow Subdivision).
• Approving the purchase orders for August. General Fund Purchase Orders 33837 through 33920 totaling $67,151. EMS PO# 115 $19,783; PO# 21 $239.
• Approving an emergency clause for emergency items that may come up after the agenda was created.
• Approving the town of West Siloam Springs Municipal Authority financial reports for September 2020.
• Approving the purchase of sewer line easement from Garey Lee Hewes and Carlene Hewes, husband and wife for the state line and U.S. Highway 59 sewer project.
• Approving the motion to deny a payment to Holloway, Updike and Bellen Inc. for Invoice #4 for Project 18WSSESSWR. The engineering firm double-charged the town and the municipal authority voted to deny the second payment.
• Approving September 2020 purchase orders. Water PO#'s 11696 through 11767 for a total of $51,850; Street PO#'s 1558 through 1563 for a total of $5,313; Meter PO#'s 640 through 648 for a total of $13,697.
• Approving an emergency clause for items that may come up after the agenda was created.
• Discussion and possible action on Raymond Anderson's evaluation and pay raise.