The Town of Hennessey started the 2022-23 fiscal year with $1.48 million in unrestricted funds.

That’s one of the highlights in the town’s annual audit report presented at last Thursday night’s town meeting by auditor Ladonna Sinning of Arledge and Associates, Edmond.

Sinning also said the town had a fund balance of $769,497 in the general fund and it exceeded its liabilities as of June 30 by a $4.9 million net position.

However, before she took the podium to say that the town’s income had improved greatly over the previous COVID years, there was already a question from the audience.

Frank Patton asked: Why is the audit prepared on a modified cash basis of accounting instead of types of assets and liabilities in the financial statements?

Sinning told him that method is used because it’s most commonly used for towns the size of Hennessey.

Patton is an announced candidate for the April town board election and was bested by David Jones in a special election last year for an open seat after Trustee Keith Meek resigned.

Audit accepted and available to public

Mayor Bert Gritz, Vice Mayor Clif Vogt and trustees Richard Simunek and Harold Shaw accepted the audit report after more discussion.

Jones was absent because he’s recuperating from a knee surgery.

( Ed. note: The audit report is on the Town of Hennessey’s website under “2022 Hennessey MCB Report,” and a copy is also available for inspection at Town Hall.)

Other audit questions/answers

Shaw asked the auditor why it took so long to get the audit for the 2021-22 fiscal year (that ended June 30).

Sinning said the firm has to allow time for clients to close out their year and the soonest an audit could start would be in August.

Then the auditors decide on how they’ll proceed, perform the audit and prepare their report.

From the audience, Barb Walter said the school board had approved its yearly audit the previous Monday night “When the auditors come in, we don’t know in advance until they walk in the office what they want us to pull,” Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman said, “and that takes us time to get everything they want, especially with our small staff.”

Shaw said he thought they should go through and pull every item, even credit card receipts.

“We don’t have credit cards,” said Tillman.

The auditor said it would be too costly for an auditor to go through every transaction, but if there were questions in a particular area, they’d spend more time on it.

Simunek asked why the board doesn’t get the yearto- year comparisons quarterly, only yearly.

“Our accountant does the quarterly reports,” said Tillman, “but this is the auditor’s report.”

Signatures on checks and claims

“There have to be two signatures on each claim before it’s processed,” said Vogt, who is also the assistant treasurer.

After the meeting, Tillman said claim vouchers require the clerk’s signature and that of one trustee, but all trustees review the claim vouchers with the invoices and purchase order slips.

Three signatures are required on all checks, she said: the (elected) clerk, treasurer and either the mayor or vice mayor.

Simunek said there are usually high stacks of claims when he comes in to go over them and asked if they couldn’t be arranged by department.

Tillman said many claims are for several departments, such as electric and gas bills.

No audit problems found

Walter said she was glad there were no “findings” from the audit, but the school had a couple such as activity fund purchase orders were dated after dates on invoices.

Tillman recalled an audit year when they had a finding because bank statements could only be opened by the treasurer.

No one who makes deposits or posts deposits is allowed to do that, she said.

Tillman also said some people have commented about using the same auditing firm for several years.

The auditor said it takes time to get to know how clients operate and it would take more time for the audit with newer clients, which would mean more costs.

Sinner also said their firm alternates auditing teams at sites.

Call for election

Trustees routinely called an April 4 election to select three members to the town board and a town clerk. All posts are for four-year terms.

Filing is Monday-Wednesday, Feb. 6-8, at the Kingfisher County Election Board at the courthouse.

Those three board seats are currently held by Gritz, Vogt and Simunek.

Vogt has said he’ll run again, while Gritz and Simunek say they’re undecided.

Kati Walters is the current town clerk and told the Times & Free Press reporter she will not seek another term.

Candidates must live inside the town limits and be a registered voter in the town for six months in order to file for those seats.

Oops! On Last Month’s Executive Session

Shaw said he “misunderstood” last month’s agenda item that called for going into executive session to “discuss the job performance” of Tillman.

Shaw, Simunek and Jones voted against that executive session, which also canceled the next item to consider a “pay increase” for Tillman.

Shaw made his comment after Vogt motioned to approve an agenda item to give Tillman a 5% raise.

Vogt emphasized he’d not talked with any other trustees, or Tillman, before placing the item on the agenda.

He said he’d only contacted the town clerk who is responsible for the agenda, Vogt said Tillman deserved to be compensated for her work and hadn’t received a raise for several years while other employees had received raises that she’d recommended.

“She hasn’t had a raise since 2014,” said Gritz.

Shaw asked that discussion of Tillman’s raise be postponed until next month and others agreed.

All Storm Sirens Need Replacements

Gritz told the board that all of the storm sirens need to be replaced and “the one on the water tower isn’t functioning.”

The board approved going out for bids to replace the five existing rotating sirens (two at current sites) as well as a public address system with activation at the Hennessey Police Department.

The sirens must be able to be activated from police radios, or portable radio equipment.

Also, the sirens must be able to “chime” each weekday at noon as tests, according to bid information.

The rotating sirens are to be located at: 625 N. Arapaho (replacing existing siren); southeast corner of Iowa and Walnut streets (replacing existing siren); East Second Street on Senior Citizen Center property; southeast corner of 200 block of West 6th Street; and west end of Ike’s Avenue in Ike’s Acres.

An electronic siren is to be placed in the 100 block of West 1st Street.

Flooding Repairs/NODA Contracts

Tillman said drainage work is expected to start Jan. 23 to alleviate the flooding on Third, Fourth and Fifth streets west of Mitchell Road.

Krapff Reynolds Construction of Oklahoma City is doing the work.

The plan was for a larger project, the construction company agreed to that and its reduced bid of $367,352 was accepted.

The contract calls for the work to be completed by July 2.

The board also approved a $5,280 administrative fee to Northern Oklahoma Development Authority for its help in the town getting a CDBG grant to help pay for the work.

Trustees later approved a $127,701.91 REAP grant through NODA for waterline replacements.

White Vehicles Not Available

Tillman said she knew they’d been trying to get all of the town vehicles in white, but that is a problem because white vehicles aren’t available.

Some old vehicles “just need to be parked” instead of paying for extensive and expensive repairs, she said Police Chief Aaron Pitts said they need a new vehicle, but can only get it in black.

Tillman said new vehicles are budgeted for the police and other departments but are not available in white.

She and Pitts have gone through the state bidding agency “and even looked directly to dealerships,” but they aren’t available, Tillman said.

They had a line on a black vehicle for the police department, but they must “get on the list quick to get it,” the board was told.

Trustees reluctantly agreed to getting on the list for the black police vehicle.

That was after the mayor, who has been a stickler to get vehicles all the same color for better recognition, said he’d remembered when the town had red, blue and black cars and trucks.

Town Help With April Car Show

From the audience, Tony Blackburn said Cruisin’ Oklahoma cars will be in Hennessey Sunday, April 23.

He said about 1,800 cars and 4,000 people were in town during last year’s cruise and asked if the town would provide barriers, or get them from the county, for the show.

Tillman said the town can’t get barriers, but it will provide portable restrooms and trash containers as it has in the past.

Blackburn, who owns the Golden Chick Restaurant in Hennessey, also asked if the town could provide funds for advertising to help pay for promotion posters.

Tillman said they aren’t available.

He also asked about not allowing food trucks as they had last year. Tillman said she’d checked and as long as trucks have posted and updated licenses, they may participate.

Administrator’s Report

Resignation – Pat Vaverka.

REAP project – After board approved documents (that night) they are ready to go out for bids. Water Plant replacement projects – Wrong parts arrived, but hopes it will be completed by the first of February.CDBG Drainage Project – Approximate start date Jan. 23.Approved Building Permits (Dec./ Jan.) – 318 E. Oklahoma Ave., Solar Panels; 640 W. 7th St., Porch; 615 Redford Drive, Shed; 223 E. 1st St., Storage Building; 916 S. Main, Storm Shelter; 401 S. Cherokee, Electrical; 410 S. Main, Portable Office Building; 1161 S. Main, Electrical; 217 W. Iowa, Fence; 613 Rye Hill Road, Fence; 508 Manning, Patio; 223 E. 1st, Garage; 316 W. 5th, Electrical; 1145 S. Main, Marijuana Grower and Processor.

Others at Meeting

In addition to those mentioned above other town officials at the meeting were Treasurer Shelley Burch and Clerk and Recording Secretary Kati Walters.

Staffers in the audience were Pitts, HPD Offi cer Matthew Bruner and HFD Firefighter Tyson Copeland. In the audience were Jennifer Firgard with NODA, Enid, and guests Tony Blackburn, Kelley (Vaverka) Gettings, and Angela Bruner.