Published: July 12, 2008 12:52 pm            

Pelivan asks for matching payment

Pelivan Transit is asking Pryor for $31,444 to meet their local match grant funding.

Pelivan Transit Director Debbie McGlasson presented the figure at Pryor’s city budget meeting Tuesday. She said grants for Pelivan must carry a local match commitment.

McGlasson said last month’s fuel bill reached $30,000. The Pryor transit includes two vans and one van for the surrounding region.

“Demand is growing,” she said. “Wheelchair rides are up, elderly rides are up.”

McGlasson said Pelivan is receiving contributions of $76,067 from Claremore, $44,490 from Grove and $38,500 from Miami.

Pelivan’s Pryor transit transported 10,500 riders last year. McGlasson said Pelivan averages 30 to 40 people each day. The system helps bring job seekers to Pryor. Pelivan works with the city to accommodate transportation to events such as Country Fever, Rocklahoma and the upcoming September Dam J.A.M.

McGlasson said Pelivan has added a medical transit for local residents. The company plans to speak with county officials to develop service for outlying areas. McGlasson said SoonerRide pays for Pelivan to transport rural residents on Medicaid.

The committee rejected a request from the library board to promote Pryor Library Director Kim Risner to a four-year status at $39,987 per year.

The committee acknowledged the library is in excellent hands. Risner said juvenile checkouts have doubled this summer.

“There has to be some extraordinary circumstance in order to deviate from the pay plan,” said committee member Greg Rosamond.

“Kim’s done a good job at the library,” committee member Garry Harris added. “But I have to look at the overall plan.”

The committee members turned down the idea of a separate line item for library director in the city pay plan. Risner specified her request for the line item was made with or without a pay raise.

“Should we have separate line items for all our department heads?” asked Harris. The city considers three of their employees department heads, including Risner.

Mayor Jimmy Tramel said the current pay plan has worked.

“I like the pay plan,” he said.

Tramel said the city plans to give a four percent cost of living adjustment for all department heads. He said $79,000 must be cut from the new fiscal year budget with the four percent raise.

“I’m still holding to a $5 million general fund budget until we see where we’re at,” said Tramel.

He wants to increase the retirement fund eight to 10 percent, which he said “we may or may not be able to do.”

Tramel said Police Chief Dennis Nichols and Assistant Police Chief Derek Melton have been trying to conserve fuel. They have been writing a number of tickets for speeding, running yellow lights and no seatbelts.

Tramel said police officers handed out 45 to 60 tickets on Highway 69 in the past 45 days.

“They’ve been running traffic pretty heavy,” he said.

John Hawkins of Principal Financial Group presented a different city retirement plan. The city’s retirement plan has been with Hartford since 1987. The current plan costs $3,000 annually. The proposed plan would allow money spent by the city and employees to go into retirement plans. Principal has offered to waive the initial $1,000 setup fee.

Hawkins feels the plan will save the city $2,500 to $3,000 in expenses. Pryor Municipal Utility Board is already under Principal’s plan, and it would save money for all city employees to be under one plan.

“The fee structure will put more money in employees’ pockets,” said Tramel.

Nichols has done research on the leasing of a copier/printer for the police department. He asked the committee to delay action on the lease after looking over leasing prices more extensively.

“I think we’ll be better off to purchase it outright,” Nichols said. He said a copier can be purchased for $8,900.

Nichols reported the department received 24 applications for the police dispatcher position. He said eight people have been interviewed. He is ready to bring a recommendation for one of them to the next council meeting.

Nichols requested onsite training for the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System. He said the equipment is in, but police department employees have not had proper training for

utilizing it.

CAD is a records

management system. The system has the capacity to transfer dispatcher

information. Nichols said it will enhance the records system.

The committee approved the onsite training at a cost of $2,500. The funds will come from the 911 account.

The police station is getting a new computer server. The committee authorized Cardinal Tracking, Inc. to transfer the station’s information to the server at City Hall. The data will remain on City Hall’s server while Cardinal sets up the new server for the police station. The data will then be transferred back to the station’s server.

The new system will give the police department access to city warrants. If the system were to go down, the department would still have access to records.

Nichols expects Cardinal to charge $1,000 to $1,500 per transfer. The committee approved transfer of the computer data up to a cost of $2,000.

The committee approved purchasing a security surveillance system for the library. Risner said the systems she is reviewing are all under $10,000. She wants to get more detailed quotes before giving the council a recommendation next meeting.

Committee members rejected a proposal to award Pryor Chamber of Commerce 65 percent of monthly revenue generated by the Hotel/Motel tax. The Chamber has trouble providing upfront money for its sponsored events. The Hotel/Motel funds are awarded when the organizations or groups bring their receipts or proofs of purchase.

“It comes down to accountability for how the money is spent,” said Tramel.

Rosamond pointed out that other worthy organizations would automatically have no access to 65 percent of the tax revenue if the proposal was approved.

The committee approved using Hotel/Motel grant funds to reimburse $8,000 to Green Country Girls Softball. The money was used for dirt, fence and bleacher work.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.