Following this past weekend’s Juneteenth festivities, Mayor Ed Bolt made a proclamation at the Monday evening Commission Meeting that on that day, June 20, the City of Shawnee “Commemorates Juneteenth and the Dunbar Heights Historic Neighborhood.”
The proclamation was followed by a presentation of the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Performeter by Frank Crawford with Crawford and Associates.
According to the memo by Assistant Finance Director Jacob Bussell, “The Performeter is a unique and proprietary financial analysis and rating tool used to measure a government’s financial health and success.”
Thanks to the help of extra funds received from the Cares Act in FY 21, the City’s overall rating came out to 8.1. The individual ratio categories that were scored included Financial Position, Financial Performance, and Financial Capability.
The Performeter presentation stated, “The 2021 overall reading of 8.1 indicates the evaluator’s opinion that Shaw nee’s overall financial health is well above satisfactory, and it also represents an increase in the overall scoring ratio when compared with the prior year.”
Approval was made on several financial items, one being the adoption of the 2022-2023 budget starting July 1 of this year. The proposed budget was first brought to the board for review on May 16 of this year and again presented on June
6, along with a public hearing.
The Interactive Budget Book can be found on the City of Shawnee website for those inter ested in taking a look. The book includes a breakdown of the budget by fund, as well as department. Each budget is broken down by its revenues and expenditures.
An amendment was voted on and approved for the FY 2020-2021 budget to appropriate revenue for expenditures within the General Fund for Police Vehicle Repairs, Police Grant Expense, Interim City Manager Services, Legislative Consulting Services, and Fire Vehicle Repairs.
After much discussion over temporary funding solutions for Shawnee Fire Department staffing issues in the past weeks, commissioners voted to implement a Public Safety Fee of $1.65 per month to every City of Shawnee utility account.
This will give the Department the financial capability to grow its staffing from 48 firefighters to 51. The fee will go into effect on
Aug. 1, and payments will start being received on Sept. 1. This fee is only a temporary fix and will be brought back to the Commission for reevaluation each year.
The Board also voted to approve the annual agreements for FY 22 with Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency (COCAA)
/ Central Oklahoma Transit System (COTS), Shawnee Forward, and Community Renewal of Pottawatomie County.
Each organization submitted the yearly funding proposal for its services, that was then reviewed by the Community Service Contract Review Committee. Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency (COCAA) requested an increase of $75,000 to $85,000 and was approved for $80,000.
According to the memo by Assistant City Manager Jacob Foos, “Shawnee Forward requested an increase from $295,000 to $323,400 and an additional $102,000 to be used for an Incentive Program.”
Based on staff recommendation Shawnee Forward was declined the extra funds, and the board approved to keep its funding at a total of $295,000.
Community Renewal was approved for the total of $65,000 to provide and plan the events Boo on Bell and the Downtown Christmas Parade that in the past were put together by Safe Events For Families (SEFF) as they are putting their focus on other activities.
Community Development Director Rian Harkins also presented the City’s findings from the Santa Fe Depot Visioning Process.
After going through the results from their Online Survey, Town Hall Meetings, Listening sessions, and Community Group meetings, the City’s key takeaways included,
Preserve the Santa Fe Depot
Utilize the building as a draw for downtown
Continue to honor Shawnee’s history
Community support exists to combine revenue-generating opportunities with a museum and community space.
Commissioner Cami Engles requested that staff present reports in the next few months as they work towards the next steps in the project.
The next steps include finalizing a mission statement, working with the community stakeholders on funding and marketing strategies, and applying for additional funding, etc.
