Published: June 25, 2008 11:01 am      

Pay hikes for non-uniformed city employees brought to councils’ attention Tuesday

McAlester’s city council approached a contract for mapping and addressing for an E-911 system, approved ordinances establishing a Board of Ethics and set a conflict of interest policy in place at a regular meeting Tuesday evening.

Six of the seven current members of the council were present for the meeting, the exception being Haven Wilkinson.

However, before the council took up items, a retiring city employee had forthright commentary about how the city’s non-uniform employees are treated.

Ann Autrey, who has worked in three departments including fire and police in her 16 years with the city, urged the city council to remember the non-uniformed employees.

Autry said in July employees were told they would be getting a cost of living increase, but when she finally got her check for more than three quarters She said her actual check, after taxes, was $26.53, and she understood that some employees got less, and one got in the thousands of dollars, “That was a slap in the face to me,” she said, of the amount she received.

Autrey said she had wanted to work four more years before retiring, but had it wouldn’t help her much to work the four additional years. In addition to retiring instead of working longer for the city, she also said she was giving her check back to the council and that they could use it how they saw fit.

She then placed what appeared to be a check on the council table, and left the room. Mayor Lewis, who has maintained a polite demeanor in many a moment in council chambers over the past three years, calmly thanked her for her remarks.

Autrey was followed by Maureen Harrison, who was with the group that put on the Juneteenth celebration that was held last weekend at Hunter Park in McAlester.

She thanked the council for their support, and wished them well. The mayor and part of the council later also spoke of their favorable impression of the celebration that was held, particularly the food.

Next up came the consent agenda, where 10 items could have potentially been approved without discussion. It turned out there wasn’t a lot of consent — there weren’t any ‘no’ votes cast.

Mayor Lewis withdrew from the agenda the re-appointments of Lee Anderson and Frank Phillips to the McAlester Economic Development Service board.

Councilman Travis Read had the other two re-appointments to the MEDS board that had been scheduled, Terry Lanham and Noble Miller, to be looked at separate from the consent agenda, which any council member may do.

When it came to votes, however, the re-appointments of both Lanham and Miller were concurred with by the council, on 6-0 votes.

Two items dealing with minutes were withdrawn from the consent agenda and discussed, as well, and the other four items on the consent agenda were approved at one time.

Under scheduled business, the council, without discussion, voted 6-0 to authorize the mayor to enter into a contract with a company to do mapping and addressing work in McAlester and the rest of Pittsburg County for an E-911 system.

Also approved 6-0, were ordinances dealing with conflict of interest, and the establishment of a Board of Ethics. Both of these items also saw emergency clauses pass that made them take effect immediately.

A minor amendment to the board of ethics ordinance was made by author Travis Read, to specify that the five-person citizen board be unpaid.

Comments from the mayor and a number of council members, some of whom will be leaving their offices soon, were made, as well as City Manager Mark Roath complimenting soon-to-depart chief financial officer David Burke on his job performance.

An executive session originally scheduled to discuss hiring a city attorney did not take place. That will be part of an executive session scheduled for a Thursday special meeting of the council, to begin at 6 p.m..

Two other items, based on a draft of the agenda for Thursday evening’s meeting, deal with litigation with Tandem Technologies Inc. and former city treasurer Rob Corabi, and status of negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement with the firefighters union for the fiscal year only days away from being over, is also to be discussed.

Interviews with city attorney applicants are expected at the closed-door meeting of the council, as well. Upon returning into open section at Thursday evening’s meeting the council could take action on any or all of the matters discussed in executive session.