Hennessey town board members will no longer serve as day-to-day operation supervisors for 15 different departments/ areas. Instead, those duties will be up to Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman and Public Works Director Curtis Turner.

That’s what the Hennessey Board of Trustees and Utilities Authority decided in a unanimous vote Monday, March 11, at Town Hall.

Tillman and Turner will report to the board, as needed, about these departments: Building enforcement, Cemetery, Emergency government, Emergency manager, Fire department/EMS, General government, Library, Museum, Parks, Planning and zoning, Police department, Sanitation, Streets, Swimming pool and Water and sewer departments.

“Now instead of getting (complaint) phone calls about your departments, you will get calls about all of them,” one board member was overheard saying to a newer member after the meeting.

All members were present for the March meeting: Mayor Mike Shaw, Vice Mayor Bert Gritz, Wes Hardin, Keith Meek and Clif Vogt.

In the audience was Richard Simunek who goes on the board in May to replace Shaw, who did not run for office again.

Police Department

The board accepted the March 20 resignation of Hennessey Patrol Officer Christian Solis effective March 20. He will be a full-time deputy sheriff with the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office.

The written monthly police report included two letters of commendation for both Solis and Officer Mike Jones for their courtesies and professionalism.

In the case of Jones, a former Naval officer who lives in Florida thanked him for recognizing his son’s need for medical help instead of placing him in jail. Jones also used his off-duty time to help that father get his son’s vehicle and service animal.

The report showed 82 citations issued in February with fines of $16,341, six arrests and 61 reports.

Other Business

The board set April 27-May 7 as the annual Town-Wide Cleanup and routinely renewed the Workers Compensation Insurance with CompSource Oklahoma.

They were scheduled to set a date for a surplus property sale, but instead instructed Turner to check with an auctioneer for a June date.