The Duncan Banner

Local News

October 13, 2008

Council faces full agenda

Must set dates for primary, general election of Mayor

DawnDee Bostwick

DUNCAN — After many weeks of light agendas, the Duncan City Council will have several items to discuss at its meeting Tuesday night.

Included on the agenda is an item to establish a filing period and set the dates for a primary and general election for the office of mayor. The position is held by Gene Brown, who has been serving as mayor since his election to the office in February 2006.

In other business, the council will consider canceling a contract that would have provided a different route of access to Duncan Public Library.

The alternate route would have connected Plato Road to the library’s property. In a memo to the council, City Manager Clyde Shaw said that while several property owners have donated the necessary right of way to build the road, owners of the Hampton Inn have “declined to donate the right of way at this time.”

The Hampton Inn right of way is the last piece of property needed to build the road, and because other property owners have donated the land, Shaw said he did not feel it would be fair to pay Hampton Inn for the property.

Without the land, the road cannot be built as planned. Shaw noted that there are other routes of access available for consideration.

The council will also discuss the inspection policy for sub-contractors employed by the city.

In another memo to the council, Shaw wrote that the “city and its sub-contractors are required to meet any and all applicable codes,” but because the city is a charter-city, it can be more restrictive and require inspection of all services before a trench is closed up.

The matter was brought up by Councilman Ricky Mayes, who said in an e-mail to Shaw that an inspection to ensure all work performed by sub-contractors was up to par could be a worthwhile investment for the city.

Finally, the council will also consider funding an Oklahoma Department of Transportation project for improvements on Elk Avenue.

The project is estimated to cost more than $2.1 million. For its part, the city will pay more than $1.4 million of the project’s cost, with ODOT paying $750,000.

To fund the project, the council will consider transferring about $425,418 from street improvements, which has $800,000 budgeted for the year. The remaining $1 million was budgeted separately in the budget process for the year, in anticipation of the Elk Avenue project.

The City Council meets at 5:15 p.m. in the Duncan Police Administration Building at the corner of Willow and South Seventh.

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