Downtown landscaping was one of several topics of discussion for the Bartlesville City Council on Monday, with a proposal — and a unanimous vote to approve — the creation of the “Downtown Landscape Task Force.”
The task force is expected to make recommendations regarding landscape improvements in the downtown area to the City Council no later than April 17. The recommendations will be based on a plan compiled last year by Main Street Bartlesville, as well as a Streetscape Concept prepared in 2014 by the consultant Howell and VanCuren.
The task force consists of Ward 3 Councilor Jim Curd Jr., Ward 4 Councilor Alan Gentges, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers and Parks Superintendent Bobby Robinson, as well as representatives from the Bartlesville Redevelopment Trust Authority, Main Street Bartlesville and downtown property owners.
The recommendations could result in a plan to overhaul landscaping issues in the downtown area, which has stalled in recent years due to debates on how to fund the improvements.
In a separate but related agenda item, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers told the council that funding is identified in the 2008 half-cent Capital Improvement Project sales tax fund for improvements to Second Street, from Keeler Avenue to Cherokee Avenue, and on Dewey Avenue, from Second to Fourth streets.
“A contract is in place with Ambler Architects to do the landscaping (portion of the project),” Siemers said, noting that the lighting portion has already been completed.
The contract was for $38,000, Siemers said, with the lighting portion running $18,000-plus.
“There is right at $20,500 left on the contract,” he said.
2016 Annual Financial Report highlights
In other business on Monday the council heard a report on the City’s financials and the results of a recent audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016. According to Senior Audit Manager of Arledge & Associates Anne Cole, the City’s “total net position increased by $4.5 million,” or 2.5 percent from the prior year.
Highlights of the audit, which summarize the City “in a nutshell,” Cole said, include:
- During the year, the City’s expenses for governmental activities were $24.7 million and were funded by program revenues of $5.1 million and further funded with taxes and other general revenues that totaled $24 million.
- In the City’s business-type activities, such as utilities, program expenses exceed program revenues by $2.5 million.
- Sales tax increased by $897,169 or 5.4 percent, over the prior fiscal year; however this increase was related to an increase in the City’s rate from 3 percent to 3.4 percent.
- Removing the effect of the City’s sales tax rate increase from 3.0 percent to 3.4 percent, this translates into a decrease in taxable sales of approximately $6.1 million from the prior year.
- At June 30, 2016, the General Fund reported an unassigned fund balance of $3,048,301, which is an increase of 13.4 percent from the prior year unassigned fund balance. A majority of this increase is related to the net effect of an increased commitment for the next fiscal year’s budget of about $379,000 and unassigned net revenues over expenditures of approximately $728,000.
- For budgetary reporting purposes, the General Fund reported revenues over estimates of $384,668, or 2.4 percent, while expenditures were under the final appropriations by $514,639 or 2.7 percent.
Noteworthy changes to the City’s capital assets included:
- Completed more than $531,000 in major road rehabilitations
- Completed the rehabilitation of the City Operation Facility, costing more than $2.5 million
- Completed more than $1.3 million in wastewater projects
- Completed construction of Lee Lake, costing over $765,000
- Through a partnership with the Bartlesville Public Schools, provided financing for improvements to the High School and Central Middle School. More than $4.6 million spent in fiscal year 2016
According to the audit, “The City retained its AA- bond rating despite difficult economic times.” The City’s bond rating is the third highest in Oklahoma for public entities, Cole said.
The highlights also state the City added an additional $673,000 dollars to its stabilization reserve fund, bringing the total to $4.5 million, or 14.7 percent of budgeted expenditures.
Council members to serve on committees
Also on Monday the council made several council committee appointments, including:
- Mayor Dale Copeland and Ward 5 Councilor Dr. Joseph Callahan to the Water Resources Committee
- Vice Mayor John J. Kane to the Library Trust Authority
- Copeland to the Bartlesville Redevelopment Trust Authority
- Ward 3 Councilor Jim Curd Jr. to the Bartlesville Development Authority
YMCA to manage recreational fields
An agreement was also approved for the Richard Kane YMCA to manage the City’s recreational fields for the calendar year 2017. The fields include the Price Baseball and Softball Fields, Robinwood Park Soccer Fields, Daniels Soccer Fields, Lee Lake Soccer Fields, Artunoff Softball Fields and Virginia Avenue Multi-Purpose Fields.
Community Development Director Lisa Beeman and YMCA Director Robert Phillips told the council the agreement will be revisited at the end of the year to review the agreement and make modifications, if necessary, for the Fiscal Year 2017-18.
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