The Town of Hennessey will start the new 2023-24 year with an estimated carryover of $4.038 million.

That’s according to the town’s combined budget summary discussed by the board last week.

Anticipated income for the new year is $3.949 million.

That makes $7.987 million available for trustees to appropriate for the new year fiscal year that starts July 1, according to the new budget.

Trustees also have the option to increase, or decrease, budgeted items throughout the year.

Trustee David Jones said he’d noticed that the street department will again have a healthy budget, but he hasn’t seen much work done on streets lately.

Much of that money goes to pay for the street lights, said Trustee Bert Gritz.

Jones said he was surprised the lights were charged to that account.

Trustees approved the new budget 5-0 in their 6 p.m. Thursday, June 15, meeting.

There was a 3-0 vote to approve the budget in a required public budget hearing held at 5:30 p.m.

Town Clerk Kelley Vaverka said she was not aware that notices to board members were needed for the budget hearing.

She said the public hearing was posted at Town Hall and also published according to state law.

There was only one citizen at the public hearing.

Present for both meetings were Mayor Clif Vogt and Trustees Randy Bohnstedt and Gritz.

Also attending the 6 p.m. regular meeting were Vice Mayor Harold Shaw and Jones.

Fire Chief Will Retire

Fire Chief Gritz announced his retirement as chief.

“I sent in my paperwork to the state and it will be effective June 30,” he told the board.

Gritz has been a member of the volunteer fire department for 45 years.

In his letter informing the board of his retirement, he wrote: “I hope in some way I have helped improve the fire department’s capabilities to provide quality emergency services to our community…Please accept my gratitude in allowing me to serve this amazing community!”

He also wrote that he has full confidence in Assistant Fire Chief James Matousek; Captains Brandon Scott, Dustin Munroe, Terry Berkenbile, Jake Streck and Logan Macy “and the other dedicated firefighters.”

He said all of the firefi ghters are eligible to apply for the chief’s job and the interim town administrator will select the new chief.

Property Declared Public Nuisance

Code Enforcement Officer Tony Hickey asked the board to declare property at 302 E. Kansas as a public nuisance and trustees followed the recommendation.

He said, according to the county records, the property is owned by Donald P. Cox Et Al.

Hickey said he notified Cox, who lives in Kingfisher, about the problem in April. He said Cox talked to him April 25 and had put a new sheet of plywood on the back porch and padlocked the cellar.

The house has been vacant since 2007 and “it has become a serious public safety hazard,” Hickey wrote in his report.

The roof is caving in on the porch, the tall columns in front of the house are unstable due to no support. Multiple windows have been broken and some are boarded up. The brick foundation is crumbling in several places, said Hickey’s report.

He wrote that the “whole property smells of cat urine” because neighborhood cats are using the structure “as a habitat and breeding ground.”

Hickey said Cox doesn’t want to invest more money in the house because he said there is an issue in getting a clear title.

His code violation report included 11 pages of property photos and Hickey said the next step would be for the town to demolish the structure, and add the costs to Cox’s county taxes, or sell it in a sheriff’s sale.

In addition to Hickey being named as code enforcement officer in March, he was also named the animal control officer.

Jones told Hickey he appreciated the thoroughness of his report. But, there are a lot of other properties in town that are also in “really bad shape,” Jones added.

“I’m trying to make it look better, one property at a time,” Hickey told him.

Soccer Field Mowing

Shaw said there aren’t many places on the west side of town for kids to play.

He said several teams are playing on the soccer field at Oklahoma Avenue and Cemetery Road and they could use some help with mowing.

Stephen Sanchez represented the soccer group that included eight boys and coach Ray Gonzalez, whose son plays.

Sanchez told the board they have five teams practicing and playing there and said there are lots of stickers on the field as well as tall weeds.

He said they are playing against teams in Enid, and have won, but need the town’s help with the field.

Sanchez asked for the town to spray for the weeds and mow it regularly.

Shaw said it will probably take a brush hog to start with, and Trustees unanimously agreed to do the work and keep it mowed.

The boys thanked the board and trustees thanked them for coming.

Hiring Another Officer

Trustees voted to hire another police officer at the request of Police Chief Aaron Pitts.

That will allow two offi cers on every shift for at least five days a week, the chief told the board.

Officer Matt Bruner was also in the audience.

Bruner addressed the board in January when they discussed switching from on-site dispatchers to the E-911 service.

He said the department’s biggest safety issue was the need for another officer on each shift.

The chief said Tyler Baxter was hired as a parttime officer, pending fulltime employment due to a required physical. Baxter will replace an officer who recently resigned.

A contract with the school for the town to provide a Hennessey officer as the school’s resource officer was approved.

Pitts said this year’s contract calls for $21 an hour.

Starting Pay for AP/Payroll Clerk Opening Interim Town Administrator David Treanor said there is a problem with the $12 an hour starting pay for the accounts payable/ payroll clerk using step 1 on town’s pay chart.

He said they would start interviewing applicants the next day.

Elected Town Treasurer (and accounts receivable clerk) Shelley Burch said there was a “really qualified candidate” who said she wouldn’t work for under $15 an hour.

There was talk about giving Treanor “latitude” with the pay depending on an applicant’s skills and experience.

Then Shaw suggested they go up to $15.37 an hour (step 9) for someone with experience and it was unanimously approved.

Board members agreed to look at raises for employees next month.

Treanor’s Administrator Report

Hirings – Daniel Blaze Shimanek was hired in the public works department to replace Dylan Atherton.

Purchasing – 61-inch Scag mower in Parks Dept.

Waterline – Bid for REAP project on Dunlap awarded to Marsau Enterprises Inc., Enid, May 30, for $217,737. Work is to start on or before June 21 and be completed within 90 days. A pre-construction meeting was June 1 with Cowan Engineering Group, Marsau and the town.

Drainage – Work continues on South Mitchell Road project. Additional footage from Third Street north will begin when pipe gets in sometime in July.

Building Permits – 300 block East First Street, water well; 700 S. Dunlap, addition; 200 Billy Bob St., shed; 400 block South Cherokee, addition; 300 block Osborn Street, covered porch; 200 block West 4th Street, shed; 300 block South Cimarron, shed.

RV/Sewer Dump Ordinance – Attorney will reach out to board on this.

Food Truck Ordinance – Discussed in April. Changes made by the board were sent to attorney. No action yet.

Repairs

Trustees approved: Fire Department repairs to Engine 1 (“that’s 43 years old” said Gritz) $13,273.16; Engine 2 (2012) $1,210 and Tanker 1 annual pump maintenance, $1,060 with Myder Fire Support Services, Chickasha.

A $14,250 quote from Rush Pump for a complete pump repair requested by Water Superintendent Alyssa Kubat and $32,056 to Utility Service in Perry, Ga., for repairs to a 200,000-pound ground storage water plant tank.

July 4 Fireworks

The board approved a $7,497.24 statement from Rainbow Fireworks of Inman, Kan., for the annual Fourth of July public fireworks display.

Jones asked if the company had been used in the past and if it delivered the fireworks. From the audience Bryan Burch said they have used the company, the cost is about the same as last year, it would be at least a 30-minute show and he’d pick them up.

The board’s next scheduled meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, July13.