City rejects trimming bid due to tree-mendous disparity

With Sequoyah County trees now leafing out and the need for many of those trees to be trimmed this summer, Sallisaw announced its request for bids from companies that could provide tree trimming services.

The city received one bid, which was opened on March 24.

The city commissioners rejected it at their monthly meeting on Monday.

The bid from Asplundh Tree Experts was for $1,160,655.58. The city’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget has $175,000 available for tree trimming. It’s a difference of more than $985,655.

“It was drastically over what we had budgeted,” City Manager Keith Skelton told the city commissioners.

That’s why the city staff recommended rejecting the bid and re-evaluating the bidding process during upcoming Fiscal Year 2024 budget preparations.

The commissioners also heard from Tammie Hope of Sallisaw, who believes charges should have been filed and fines should have been imposed stemming from a February incident in which one of her dogs was mauled by a neighbor’s dog.

According to a written statement by Hope to the city, the incident occurred on Hope’s property in which she was with her son’s two Huskies, which were on leashes. Accompanying her were her three Chihuahuas, which were not on leashes.

Hope said the three Chihuahuas began barking at the neighbor’s dogs, which were in a fenced yard and secured by chains.

The neighbor’s dog, which Hope described to the commissioners as a “mean and vicious” Mastiff mix returned the barking. The neighbor’s dog reportedly broke its chain and jumped over the fence and began mauling one of the Chihuahuas “in my yard. He almost killed my dog.”

Hope took the Chihuahua to Fort Smith Animal Emergency Clinic where it was treated and released.

“I’ve never felt so abandoned and so discriminized against in my own city, in my home, and nobody will do anything about it,” said Hope, who says she’s lived in Sallisaw for more than 30 years.

She said details of the incident were forwarded to attorney John Montgomery, “and he denied my case, he didn’t even hear me, he didn’t even give me a chance.”

Hope also told the commissioners a similar incident involving a child had allegedly occurred on a prior date, but an intervention averted any harm to the child. Hope did not provide any details related to this alleged incident.

“Nothing was done,” she told the commissioners. “If it had been any other kind of dog, they’d have shot him.”

She claims there were four witnesses to the near-attack, but the child’s father didn’t press charges.

She said police reports have been filed after each of these incidents.

Mayor Ernie Martens deferred to Chris Carter, senior code inspector for the city, regarding applicable city statutes. Carter confirmed animal control representatives have previously investigated reported incidents in Hope’s neighborhood. He said he and animal control representatives will visit the neighbor Tuesday to further assess the situation.

In other business, the commissioners approved

• A resolution adopting the publication of penal ordinances with biannual supplements. State statutes require such publication, which serves as the public notification.

• An update to the city’s administrative policy for recognition of citizens and organizations. Skelton said additions and updates to the policy “simply adds additional guidance in the renaming of streets, the naming or renaming of public facilities, and placement of recognition signage within the community.”

• Accepting recommendations for the board of trustees for the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group. Recommended for the board are Tim Lyon, city manager of Midwest City; Pam Polk, city manager of Collinsville; and Russ Meacham, chief financial officer for Perry.

The commissioners also heard staff updates, including financial status as well as economic development and grants activities.

In his administrative report to the commissioners, Skelton said:

• Research/work continues on stronger ordinances/fines for property maintenance and junk motor vehicles. “We anticipate a discussion on this during the May budget meetings. We are also looking into a possible junk vehicle removal program that can be implemented to remove junk vehicles before citations are issued.”

• The City Manager and City Clerk have begun preliminary review and edits of the City of Sallisaw Personnel Manual, but that due to ongoing budget work, no timetable has been determined for completion.

• Discussions have begun regarding operations of the new swimming complex for summer 2024. These discussions include, but are not limited to, the number of lifeguards and other personnel that will be needed, days and hours of operations, and admission costs.

• As a continuation from the March meeting on city vehicles, “we continue to look for solutions for replacement vehicles that are needed. This discussion will continue as we prepare the FY 2024 budget.”

• Two employees have completed the MESO-credentialed CDL instructor course. These employees will now be able to instruct other city employees who need to obtain a CDL license.

• Negotiations have begun with Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 148 for the FY 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Regarding city projects, Skelton said the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) has received nine responses to its Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) requests for proposals. He and finance director Robin Haggard are part of the review team tasked with selecting proposals that fit the needs of GRDA customers. “We expect this process to last through June. After the proposals are reviewed, we will be able to use the selected vendor, if we choose to, for the city’s AMI project.” Skelton reminded the city commissioners that GRDA has agreed to finance AMI projects for the electric side, which includes the AMI infrastructure and electric meters. The city would be responsible for the water meters.

Sallisaw Municipal Authority

Immediately following the city commissioners meeting, the board for the Sallisaw Municipal Authority convened and approved:

• Renewing the three-year agreement between the SMA and the Sallisaw Youth League for operation and use of the Sallisaw Sports Complex.

• A purchase order to Anixter Power Solutions in an amount not to exceed $325,000 for electric materials for the north U.S. 59 electric line relocation project. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has agreed to reimburse the SMA.

• A request to declare as surplus a 28×58 mobile home located on the Rhodes property SMA recently purchased. As surplus, the city staff can solicit sealed bids for the sale and removal of the mobile home.

The board also received an update on the GRDA power cost adjustment (PCA). City Manager Keith Skelton reported that the GRDA’s PCA rate trends in conjunction with the natural gas index. The cost of natural gas continues to be a main factor in the GRDA PCA costs passed on to GRDA customers. The excess cost of the PCA, not included in the city base rates, is calculated and passed on to customers as the cost of power base adjustment (CPBA) charge.

April’s PCA is expected to be $0.03742 per kWh, which is down slightly from March ($0.03746), February ($0.03822) and January ($0.03806).