Surrounded by family and colleagues, two new police officers were sworn in by Special District Judge Pamela Hammers at Monday evening’s City Council meeting. Officers Steven Garr and Tyler Stratton took their Oath of Office, administered by Hammers and witnessed by Chief Mike Reed, vowing, “I will protect the rights, lives, and property of all citizens and uphold the honor of the police profession, with my life, if need be.” Mayor Craig Henderson welcomed and congratulated Garr and Stratton as they received a standing ovation from the audience.
A proclamation to make June 7th, 2021 Herb Carner day was unanimously approved by the Council. Carner, who has spent 65 years of “dedicated service as a barber to the citizens of Sapulpa and the surrounding community,” was not in attendance, but recently celebrated his remarkable anniversary with a surprise party at his shop hosted by friends and clients.
A Special Use Permit to allow medical marijuana processing at 421 North Second Street was unanimously recommended for the Council’s approval at the June 1st Planning Commission meeting and ultimately approved by the Council.
Applicant Barry Anderson is the Chief Operating Officer of NTCX, LLC, and gave a description of the new type of processing his company uses, called “cryo-ethanol extraction.” Anderson said the process involves using a “high volume of hemp and cannabis [in order to extract] the essential oils in the plant.” He submitted a thorough detailed packet that included the scientific aspects of the process, the company’s security measures, and renderings of the facility. Henderson commented, “It’s fascinating.”
Naifeh asked Anderson, “What kind of sales tax revenue do you generate?” and he replied, “Something that’ll probably make you all happy!”
The new budget for fiscal year 2021-2022, which begins July 1, 2021, was reviewed and ultimately unanimously approved by the Council.
“This is a good budget. We’re doing very well,” said City Manager Joan Riley. She explained that “sales tax revenue for 2021 was [at] an all-time high, while the 2021 budget held to a very conservative stance due to the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic. This combination resulted in a 20% increase in sales tax over budget.” This increase “can be attributed to online sales, medical marijuana, construction ongoing in our City, and our citizens’ commitment to buy local.”
Goals and objectives for next year’s budget include more than $20M of capital projects as part of 2020’s $40M bond passage, such as the “rebuilding of Fire Station #3, [the new] Fire Training Center, and implementation of the Downtown Master Plan; improvement of driver safety by adding a traffic light at 49th West Avenue and Highway 117 and the creation of a new road off Highway 66 extending Highway 117 to Ozark Trail;” and other bond issue projects such as improvements to the Sports Complex and the City’s parks and lakes.
Additionally, Riley said that “staffing levels will see a slight increase with key positions added to address Economic Development, Marketing and Social Media, Utility Maintenance of Sewer and Water Infrastructure, Project Management, Technology, and Animal Control,” and that some salaries will be raised, “which will be funded by the increase in sales tax and [the] overall health of the City’s budget.”
Lastly, “technology remains a focus” for City management, with the hiring of an outside company, SpringPoint, to “oversee and manage [the City’s] IT needs” and the implementation of new software across several City departments, such as Public Safety’s CAD System and the City garage’s new fleet tracking program.
Ms. Riley ends her letter at the beginning of the budget by commending Finance Director Pam Vann for her “hard work and dedication,” and City employees and the City Council for their “dedicated efforts.”
Two final plats for new housing additions that were approved at the last SPC meeting were approved at City Council. Oak Hill I, the modern townhome addition east of 33rd West Avenue, being developed by Chris Key, was one, and Rosewood Addition, a 19-lot addition of 1,500-2,000 square foot homes, off Dewey and Mayfield, being developed by Corey Carr, was the second.
