Along with choosing a new mayor and commissioner, Kingfisher city residents will be voting on a new sales tax at this year’s municipal election April 7.

City commissioners passed a resolution Monday night calling for an election on replacing the expiring third-cent tax with a permanent half-cent sales tax to fund capital improvement projects.

Voters approved a temporary tax five years ago designated to fund quality-of-life improvements, which was primarily used to fi nance the rehabilitation of the Vernie Snow Aquatic Center.

The five-year tax, which started as a half-cent for the first three years before being reduced to a third-cent for the final two years, will expire in October.

If approved by voters, the new capital improvement tax will take effect in November, City Manager Dave Slezickey said, increasing the sales tax collected within the city limits to 9.25 cents on every dollar spent (3.5 cents city, 1.25 cents county and 4.5 cents state).

Although the city has benefitted from robust sales tax collections in recent years, one-third of its current permanent 3 percent sales tax is pledged and paid directly to the hospital for the purpose of paying down its construction debt.

The new half-cent tax would be utilized for maintenance of the city’s capital assets and infrastructure, including any improvements or expansion as approved by city commissioners.

Some of the proposed projects include construction of a new fi re department, renovation of Memorial Hall and resurfacing Will Rogers Drive between 13th Street and Main Street.

At the same April 7 election, voters will be replacing Mayor Steve Richards and Commissioner Tammy Mueggenborg, both of whom are barred from seeking re-election by term limits in the city charter.

Commissioners approved a resolution calling for the election for those offi ces and setting a filing period of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 3-5 at the Kingfisher County Election Board.

Both offi ces are for terms of four years and candidates must be qualifi ed electors living within the city limits.

Tower Request Nixed

Commissioners voted unanimously to deny a conditional use permit recommended by the city’s planning and zoning board for construction of a 220-foot AT&T wireless communications tower at the Kingfi sher County Fairgrounds.

The tower would have been located north of the rodeo arena in the northwest corner of the property, close to Elks Road and its approval by the city would have been subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration and Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission.

A number of citizens spoke in opposition to the proposal since the location is along the Kingfi sher Municipal Airport fl ight path and creates a public safety issue for pilots attempting to land there.

Those who spoke out included Randy Mecklenburg, Tanner Farrar, Bill Reitz, Mike Matthews, Kyle Mecklenburg and Jerry Copeland.

Kole Talbot, a representative of the company contracted to construct the tower, also was present, but could provide few answers to questions raised by commissioners and members of the audience.

Richards, Mueggenborg, Wendell Prim, Bill Tucker and Roxie Alexander all voted yes to a motion by Alexander to deny the tower permit.

Newfield Park Moves Ahead

Commissioners took more steps to bring the Newfield Community Park closer to reality.

An ordinance vacating certain streets and alleys within the park, allowing them to be closed to through traffic, was unanimously approved.

The ordinance closes Eighth and Ninth streets from Admire Avenue north to their termination points north of Robberts Avenue.

It also closes 10th Street from Broadway to just north of Admire and closes Admire from Ninth Street west to the alleyway between 10th and 11th streets and closes Miles Avenue from Ninth Street to 11th Street.

A number of alleyways are also vacated within that same area.

In a separate action, the city voted to accept the fi nal two properties acquired by Kingfisher Trails Inc. for inclusion in the planned park.

Those properties include:

•Lot 19 and a tract adjacent to Lots 1 – 4 and 19 – 22 Block 9, Fossett’s Addition.

•Lots 11 – 13 and part of Lot 14, Block 8, Fossett’s Addition.

Commissioners also approved a Kingfi sher Trails plan to create a new Francis Nature Trail connecting the existing trail at Briscoe Park Complex to the Walton Plaza at the Kingfi sher Walmart.

Kingfisher Trails is applying for a grant to finance construction of this trail extension from the southeast corner of Briscoe Park through the Francis property to the plaza on the south side of the Walmart parking lot.

Other Business

In other business, commissioners voted to:

•Reschedule the February meeting from Monday, Feb. 10, to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, to allow commissioners to attend the annual Chamber Banquet.

•Amend 2020 regular meeting dates as approved at the December meeting to change the date of the October meeting from Oct. 12 to Oct. 13, correcting a typo.

•Declare property located at 712 S. 13th as a nuisance due to an accumulation of junk appliances, vending machines, vehicles and other items in violation of city code. The owner is working to clean up the property.

•Approve a lease with the Kingfi sher Airport Authority for the Kingfi sher Municipal Airport property.

•Acknowledge receipt of a waterline extension permit from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to extend the waterline to the Kingfisher County Criminal Justice Center.

•Approve a contract with the Northern Oklahoma Development Authority for a grant fi nancing fi re hydrant improvements.

•Approve a scope of services agreement with Cowan Engineering for the wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation project.

•Approve a maintenance contract with Huber Technology for a vertical lift screen at the Second Street lift station.

•Approve a lease agreement with Billy Matthews, current owner of the former Dolese property, for access to city water wells at that location.