June 14, 2025 Issue, Page 1 of 12

Page Text

SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2025 Weekend Edition Commissioners Approve 25-26 Budget, Includes New Employee Compensation By Sheryl Ponce as well as the different enterprise funds. Wilson continued to say that although she of the expenses. With those comments, suggested the change in compensation for The estimated beginning balance at the end would be a little more conservative than Ivester took over the hearing to discuss the all employees. The Elk City Commissioners met for of June was $35,644,820. The total revenues spending 100 percent of the revenue, she upcoming changes in employee compensa- The increase is an automatic $2 for all a special meeting Tuesday, June 10th, at budgeted were $34,587,235, with total ex- reviewed the previous year’s sales tax rev- tion. fulltime employees. This includes salaried 10 a.m., in City Hall. They held a public penses being $46,374,110, which was a net enue, and Elk City’s revenue has been con- Ivester began by saying that in the past and hourly employees. The second part of hearing on the FY 25-26 budget. During change of -$11,786,875. The ending bal- sistently strong, therefore, she feels com- they have increased the pay by a flat per- the increase is based on merit pay. He de- the hearing city accountant, Meredith ance would be $23,857,945. fortable with this budget. centage increase, with the exception of the scribed it to include a possible $2 increase Meacham Wilson, and City Manager, Tom She continued to go over the General Wilson noted that the people that are police and fire departments. With the rate added to an employee’s rate, but it will be Ivester, explained the rational for the bud- Fund’s Summary of Revenues and Expen- employed by the City of Elk City are the of increase, they still are unable to remain based on his/her supervisors’ evaluation get requests, they approved the budget. ditures. The budget that was proposed al- most important part of the budget, and she competitive in the job market, which is why Wilson went over the Budget Summary located 100 percent of the sales tax income. added that they are the greatest cost or part he and the Human Resources Department See BUDGET page 2 WOHS Welcomes New Artists to Route 66 Museum Complex ECPS Board Approves By Sheryl Ponce Cell Phone Policy Two new artists, Sharon Owsley and Charl Adair, have joined the other talented artists who have dis- Changes According to played their works in the education building on the Route 66 Complex. The pair of friends have worked Legislative Mandates together since before COVID, along with several other artists who were painting at home. They joined By Sheryl Ponce together as friends and artists. “When COVID hit, Charl and I, and about eight The Elk City Public School’s Board of Education met others of us, started zooming on Monday, Wednes- Monday evening, at 6 p.m., in the board office, for their days and Fridays to help each other out. There are regular monthly meeting. Vice-president, Katie Archer some artists that are more advanced than I am, so was not present for the meeting. we would all be on the Zoom and painting in our The board approved the consent agenda that includ- ed the minutes from the May 12th regular board meet- See ARTISTS page 9 ing and May 27th special meeting, along with the fi- nancial reports. They continued to item 7A, which was the approval of the Personal Electronic Devices – Cell Phone – Free Educational Environment Bell to Bell and DDCC-R-Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing - Addendum Non CDL. According to Sparks, the district must adopt a pol- icy that supports the Senate Bill 139, which requires schools to restrict student cell phone use during the school day. This mandates districts to develop their own polices to limit student cellphones and personal electronic devices that includes smart watches. This bill bans the use from bell to bell for the 25-26 school year. The bill exempts those who require cell phones for medical reasons. Although this is a one-year ban, dis- tricts have the option to maintain, adjust, or discontin- ue the restriction. Sparks said that to be eligible for a grant to fund equipment to enforce the policy, the dis- trict must formulate a three-year policy. “To get a grant to be able to help support the teachers in this, we have to say that it’s for three years. So that’s why this policy says this will be enforced beginning July 1, 2025, and remain in place for a period of three years. If a student uses their phone for a medical emer- gency, such as if they’re a diabetic, they still get to use the phone,” Sparks explained. He continued to say that the biggest difference is that it is a bell-to-bell ban. Students can keep their phones on their person but not use them. He suggests that at See BOARD page 2 Mobile Wellness Coming to WOFCC Air Evac Gives Rotarians a By Sheryl Ponce In conjunction with the Western Oklahoma Family Rundown of Services Care Center, The District 5 Southwest Oklahoma Mo- bile Wellness Unit will be in Elk City on June 18th and Aug. 20th, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The. unit will be By Sheryl Ponce ship, and you have to be flown by one of our available for wellness checks, sports physicals, or blood aircraft, we have 328 locations, we will bill your pressure monitoring. Elk City Rotary President, Rob Stephens, intro- health insurance. If you have health insurance, In addition, the unit will offer family planning ser- duced Christy Lovelace, Air Evac’s Membership and then if you don’t have that membership, vices, STI/HIV testing, cholesterol checks, and more Sales Manager, and Elk City’s Air Evac Director, you’re going to get the remaining bill of what in- services. All of these services are with no out of pocket Tammy James for the group’s regular meeting last surance does not pay. If you have the member- costs. Thursday, at noon, in Elk City’s Golf and Country ship, you will not get that remaining bill,” Love- The host for the mobile unit is the Beckham Coun- Club. Lovelace began by talking about the advan- lace began. ty Health Department, who is working to improve the tages of becoming an Air Evac member. She said that the membership program cov- health of residents in the community. “The membership program is out there for a To check out their events and a full calendar of stops reason. Obviously, if you don’t have a member- See AIR page 9 go to https://brnw.ch/mobile. SWOSU Mixer for all Weather ford & Sayre Alumni Thursday June 19th @ 5:30, Elk Cit y Countr y Club Weather Vol. Vol. 117,121, No.No. 54 24 Mail delivery Home delivery Viewonline View online tomorrow 99/70 93 / 70 75 75 cents cents, 12 pgs. 580.225.3000 580.225.3000 elkcityoknews.com elkcityoknews.com