Published: September 21, 2009 10:20 am      

City council eyes hike for court fees

Proposed increase would cover the cost of debt collection services

McAlester city councilors plan to consider raising the amount of municipal court costs, along with an additional fee for fines and court costs that are past due.

The proposals to increase the costs and fees are among agenda items to be considered for action when the city council meets in regular session at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall.

Currently, the city is charging $25 in municipal court costs for violators in city court. The state has passed legislation allowing cities to raise that amount to $30.

Councilors also plan to consider raising fees to cover the costs of an increase in collection services for court costs and fines.

The debt collection agency currently working with the city raised its fee for collecting past due court costs and fines from an introductory rate of 17 percent to 25 percent in July, according to city documents.

During the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year, the city paid $5,507 in collection fees. Since the beginning of the current fiscal year on July 1, the city has been charged $919 in collection fees.

If the proposal is passed, the increase to 25 percent would be passed on to violators, according to the agenda item before the council.

The measure also seeks to have the matter declared an emergency, so if the increase in costs and fees is passed, the increase would go into effect immediately.

Prior to acting on the matter, the city council plans to hold a public hearing.

In other action during the Tuesday meeting, the city council plans to:

• Consider and act upon Change Order No. 2 for the Fourteenth Street and Village Boulevard utility extension project with Bravo Construction Inc., of Wilburton.

This would allow Bravo Construction, which is already working on water and sewer extensions along U.S. Highway 69, to extend the 10-inch sewer main which is currently being constructed on the east side of the highway to Village Boulevard.

The change order would extend the project another 3,511 feet south to Lakewood Church at an additional cost of $221,496.57, which brings the total contract price to $470,194.21 for the utility extensions. Also, the change order would give Bravo Construction another 75 days to complete the additional work.

• Consider and act upon the purchase of one 2010 Ford F-350 Chassis Cab 4X4 truck, at the request of Fire Chief Harold Stewart.

The city received a $22,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture in 2008 to purchase a one-ton 4X4 cab and chassis to be used as grass/brush truck, and the city will be reimbursed after submitting an invoice, according to Stewart.

• Consider and act upon a request to purchase a new one-ton two-wheel drive crew cab pickup with a utility bed, at the request of Community Services Director Mel Priddy.

The city received a low bid from Carter Chevrolet of $25,632 for the truck, according to Priddy. It would replace the a three-quarter ton 1995 Dodge with 107,000 miles currently used by the Parks Department, Priddy said.

• Hear a presentation regarding Oklahoma Dental Association’s Mission of Mercy.

The Mission of Mercy is a project in which up to 200 dentists and 75 hygienists, assisted by from 500 to 600 other volunteers, come to a community and see up to 2,000 patients free of charge.

Plans are to hold the first event in Tulsa next February and to hold it in Oklahoma City in 2011.

Dr. Douglas Auld, of McAlester, who is the vice president of the Oklahoma Dental Association, would like to hold the event in McAlester in 2012.

Auld thinks the Expo Center is the only place large enough to host the event in McAlester. He wants to ask the council about using the Expo Center at an agreement similar to the one made with the city of Tulsa, which is charging $1,500 for utilities.

• Consider and act upon an ordinance amending Ordinance 2327, which established the budget for Fiscal Year 2009-2010, repealing all conflicting ordinances, providing for a severability clause and declaring an emergency.

City councilors will consider amending the budget due to the following items:

• Another $6,470 for the Southeast Expo Center. Money wasn’t included in the original budget to cover the entire cost of insurance for the Expo Center, according to city records. The insurance includes general liability, equipment, property and a blanket bond. The $6,470 would be in addition to the $15,000 balance before the amendment.

Another proposed adjustment concerns a $40,595 U.S. Department of Justice Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act Assistance Grant.

The grant had been jointly applied for on behalf of the city and Pittsburg County. Both the city and county received grants of $20,297.50, with the city to administer the grant.

A third proposed budget adjustment is for $36,851 for replacement of air conditioning units. The amount had been budgeted during the prior fiscal year, but had not been spent, and instead will be spent this year, according to city documents.

Prior to acting on the requested budget amendments, the city council plans to hold a public hearing on the proposal.

City councilors are also set to hear a presentation of the monthly financial report through August from Chief Financial Officer Gayla Duke.



Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.