If your Hennessey water and sewer bills went up in July, you weren’t alone.

However, they should have been corrected on your October bill, town officials said, but you may not have figured out how they gave you credit for the overpayment.

For example, instead of listing a credit of $64.90 on the statement, it lists it on the bill as a previous balance and in parentheses ($64.90).

However it does show the current amount due.

In continuing the example, if your current month’s charges are $88.71, then it will show the amount due as $23.81.

If you overpaid this month, it will be credited to you next month, said Tiffany Tillman, town administrator, at the town board’s Thursday, Oct. 12, meeting.

She said you can call Town Hall (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) if you have more questions at 405-853-2416.

Tillman assisted Town Trustee David Jones in explaining the new bill and the July problem.

She had told the board during a special meeting last month about the problem and went over it again this month with the help of Jones, who asked to have the item on the agenda.

Tillman said there are changes each July in the averages for charges, but that wasn’t done this year. ( Note: Tillman was not in her current town administrator position in July.)

Sewer rates are averaged (from November-February each year on July 1), but that didn’t happen this year.

It was fixed on the Oct. 1 billing, she said.

Tillman said it appeared that customers were being billed for one more unit of water than they used. When all of the new meters are installed, she suggested that customers be charged by the gallon and not by 1,000 gallons.

The town currently has 80 new meters to be installed. ( Note: Those who had the old meters were not overcharged.)

All Trustees were present for the meeting: Mayor Clif Vogt, Vice Mayor Harold Shaw, Bert Gritz, David Jones and Randy Bohnstedt. The only other elected official present was Treasurer Shelley Burch, who is also the Town Hall office manager. Absent was Town Clerk Kelley Fuksa.

Other staff present were Tillman; Deputy Town Clerk Kati Walters; Street Dept. Supervisor Alyssa Kubat; Library Director Steven Mitchell; Children’s Librarian Ruby Rodriquez, and HPD Officer Matthew Bruner.

2024 Grant Application to Move Waterlines

The board approved applying for a 2024 Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grant for $212,000 to move six-inch waterlines from the east side of Mitchell Road from Iowa Street south to Oklahoma Avenue.

It’s an effort to provide better fire protection with some good-flowing eightinch lines in that area, including Oklahoma Avenue, Trustee Bert Gritz said at last month’s meeting.

The school wants to put more parking on Mitchell Road and cement in the ditches in front of the elementary school to the south, Gritz said.

But the school district’s cost isn’t feasible if they’d have to move the town’s water lines, he’d said.

He’d also said that a new fire hydrant and valve was needed on the northwest corner of West Fifth and Dunlap streets.

When asked why it was needed, he explained that one of the streets would be hard for firefighters to get to a fire hydrant.

And, there was another hydrant in that area that was “not one of the best.”

Getting this grant could be a win-win for both the town, and the school, said Gritz, who recently retired as fire chief and is now teaching science three hours a day at the high school.

CD Interest Rates

Interest rates are now 3.3% on six-month CDs at InterBank, Mayor and Deputy Town Treasurer Clif Vogt told the board during an agenda item for approval.

“Some banks are 5.5%,” said Gritz.

Vogt said that rate was effective a month or so ago but he’d failed to get the item on the agenda.

When it was suggested it would be best to use a local bank, Gritz said that InterBank is part of a large banking group in Oklahoma City.

The town has CDs ranging from $200,000 to $1 million, said Tillman, in answer to a KT&FP reporter’s question.

Guests in the audience said they are told to shop at home and the town board should do the same.

Tillman said having funds locally also allows banks to be able to make more loans.

Gritz said the board is fiscally responsible to the people, too, and getting another 2% on a million-dollar CD is important.

Vogt asked Burch to get current rates from Inter-Bank and get them to the board.

Jones said he recalled that the board had asked Burch for that information at earlier meetings, but never got it.

Burch said she was on vacation the week of that board meeting and gave a copy to Starla Fuksa, interim town manager, before she left on her trip.

“I also left a copy of it on my desk,” she said.

No Payment on Storm Removal

No action was taken on a $13,603 payment for storm removal to Silver Arc Welding Inc., Enid.

“This wasn’t an approved purchase,” Gritz said because the board didn’t vote on it. He also said there was a citizen complaint about work done on their property.

“I asked and Clif and Harold told me to hire someone,” said Fuksa from the audience. She was the interim town administrator in August.

“An emergency board meeting should have been called,” said Gritz.

Other Action/Discussion

• Trustees approved purchasing eight surveillance cameras for $4,875 from Scout Systems, Stillwater.

• Approved purchasing a new aerator gun for the sewer lagoon at an estimated cost of $4,000. Tillman said Doyle Jones, the land owner, suggested it was needed. She said Jones was also complimentary of the job that Supt. Bryan Burch had been doing at the lagoon.

• Tillman said their attorney said he’d have an ordinance allowing for a bulk sewage dump at next month’s meeting.

• Trustees discussed and approved, the addition of restrooms and a utility area, at the pavilion in the cemetery.

• Voted to close out the 2023 REAP grant for the Mitchell Road drainage project.

• Approved payment of $32,000 annual dues on financial accounting software.

September Reports

New Pavilion (Jack Quirk) – The footing is in for the pavilion and Quirk said the structure will be erected by Thanksgiving. The new pavilion will be located off Main and First streets west of the alley where the former Lee Lumber building was located.

Police (Chief Aaron Pitts) – 236 traffic stops, 246 warnings, 98 citations issued, fines $23,049. Calls (185) – Abandoned vehicles 2; Agency assists, 3; Alarms, 3; Animal complaints, 15; Business checks, 24; Checking areas, 47; Civil, 3; Debris on Roadway, 5; Domestic disturbance, 5; Fire, 4; Foot patrol, 25; Follow ups, 16; Juveniles, 1; Medical emergencies, 3; Motorist/Citizen assists, 7; Noise complaints, 1; Property damages, 3; Reckless driving, 4; Scam investigation, 1; Suspicious vehicle/ persons, 4; Thefts, 4; Traffic Collision, 1; Transport, 1; Welfare checks, 3.

Fire (Chief Brandon Scott) – September Runs, 8 grass fires/mutual aid; 5 structure fires/smoke investigations/ fire alarms; 1 public assist; 9 medical assists; LIFE EMS calls 15; Updates: E1 still in Chickasha for repairs. R1 parts in and repairs completed and back in service (purchased with county sales tax money). E2 and T1 fully serviced and pump tested. Construction: second floor poured; Stairwell blocked with stairs and railing; Started bricking outside front. Started putting sheeting on the budding. We are not satisfied with the finished installation, so they are going to replace some. Steel is up on the north side. Hoping to have the whole building closed in with heat before it begins freezing consistently. Working with ONG to get a gas meter set as soon as possible. Still waiting to hear from them. October schedule – Pump and hose training. Planning on Emergency Vehicle Operation Certification training schedule next month. – Fire Prevention Month. – Firefighters/ trucks participated in homecoming parade, bonfire, and had fundraiser during Wine & Chocolate Festival. Oct 13 LuGreg trap shoot and raffle for county fire departments. Some HFD will work shooting stations. Oct. 20 elementary and Head Start programs. We ordered plastic helmets and water bottles for kids. Oct. 31 will be blocking off both side of Main and First streets to hand out trick or treat bags and candy to the kids for treating at businesses.

Water Department (Supervisor Alyssa Kubat) – Replaced lines at well #3 and at Pizza Hut to meter. – Fixed two-inch line at 132 E. 2nd St. – Roof finished at plant. – Changed meters and installed Mxus. – Fixed service line on East 5th St. – Fixed leaks at 607 E. 5th St.; East of cemetery and Oklahoma Ave.; Cemetery and Oklahoma; 207 W. Iowa, and Osborn and Iowa streets – Replaced shutoff valve at PD; 55 work orders.

Parks, Cemetery, Pool, Splash Pad, Building Inspection, Floodplain Administration ( Supervisor David Treanor) – Monday and Fridays empty trash cans in park and on Main Street and clean bathrooms at Bull Foot Park. Areas Mowed Weekly – Memorial, Bull Foot, Pat Hennessey, Scout cabin, water parks, cemetery, old lumberyard, soccer field, welcome signs, fire station, library, old gym and old daycare. Started mowing Simunek lots. Parks – Added new wood chips to playground area at water park in two phases. Cleaned out flowerbeds in Memorial Park (firsts of two stages, next one will be done in early October). Worked on mowers doing repairs as needed. Pool – Drained pool, started winterizing and cleaning up. Splash Pad –Pressure washed deck twice to clean off algae, repaired and replaced sign after storm, adjusted operating times so school could use it before 10 a.m. Building Inspection – Continued studying town and international building codes. Inspected and sent electrical inspection certificate to OG&E for 316 Roughneck and 523 S. Cheyenne. Reviewed and reported on building permit applications for 500 S. Cimarron, 302 S. Cheyenne, 301-408 and 411 Osborn. Took care of Board of Adjustment requirements for 500 S. Cimarron for town clerk. Met with Henson Construction foreman, Bobby Stanley, multiple times to inspect and observe construction on fire station addition. Worked on ISO/BCEGS paperwork. Researched state and town regulations about multiple dwellings on a property and met with Les Cofer. Met with First Baptist Church about storm damage and the repairs done according to town and international building codes. Misc. repairs and maintenance to vehicles and equipment (tire repairs and/or replacement, replaced brake calipers and pads on old 52-inch mulching mower, daily inspection of move oil, filters, blades, etc.) Jordan, Kolten and Blaze also took turns working at the dump almost every Friday.

Visitors at the Meeting

In the audience were these visitors: Ruth Ann Hobbs, Carolyn Maddox, Jackie Smith, Les Cofer, Meagan Tillman, David Tillman, Fuksa, Frank Patton, Wanda Choate, Sharon Pollard, Denise Meloy, Regina Wanzer, Ashley Zielny, Logan Tillman, Georgia Tillman, Barbara Platt, Lara Melz, Rachel Rodgers, Ashley Zielny, Shane Voskuhl and Peggy Patocka.