Alva Review-Courier -

Monday night the Alva City Council, Alva Utility Authority and Alva Economic Development Authority approved budgets totaling over $14 million in projected expenditures. A public hearing was held earlier this month as required by law, but no one from the public attended.

The Alva City Council approved a budget for $8,940,773 in expenditures. The Alva Utility Authority adopted a budget with $3,899,397 in expenditures. The budget approved by the Alva Economic Development Authority includes expenditures of $1,289,133.

Priorities for the budget were established during the city’s budget retreat in March after department heads had developed their list of needs.

Alva Business Manager Joe Don Dunham says the city has a substantial capital improvement plan for the next fiscal year beginning July 1. The municipal building, which includes the city offices, police department and fire department, will be replacing the boiler/air handler system. A more efficient heating and air conditioning system will be installed that will allow most offices to have separate temperature controls.

The street department will continue doing street repairs started in 2014-2015 and plans to purchase an asphalt warmer/pothole repairing machine.

The water-wastewater department will be expanding the wastewater collection system (sewer) in east Alva, updating the well field chlorination station, replacing 6,300 linear feet of 16 inch water distribution from the well field to Alva, installing a booster pump at the 14th and Oklahoma water storage tank and refurbishing some of the water wells in the well field.

Safe Routes to School

The council discussed the safe routes to school policy resolution. Dunham explained that adopting the resolution would help in a grant application. A $400 grant is available that could be used to help finish the POW walking trail.

The route would start along Harper Road from the current walking trail, go behind VAP and Buena Vista to Share Drive and Murray, down Sunset to Young St., along Davis and tie in at Monroe and Eighth. It would be an ODOT project with the trail being constructed in street right-of-ways.

The Safe Routes to School Policy is meant to encourage children to walk and bike to school to keep them healthy. It states that between 1969 and 2009 the percentage of children walking and biking to school dramatically declined from 48 percent to 13 percent.

The council members approved a motion adopting the resolution.

School Resource Officers

The Alva Public Schools have requested that two officers be assigned to the schools for the coming year. Officers will work 14 hours per day for the Alva district during the school year. Northwest Technology Center has also approved an agreement to employ an officer for two hours per day.

The city will be reimbursed at a rate of $33.86 per hour for the actual hours worked. This is an increase of $5 per hour. When school is not in session such as the summer months, the officers work for the city. Both agreements were approved.

Tourism Committee Appointments

The Tourism and Development Committee consists of five members with three appointed by the city and two selected by the Alva Chamber of Commerce. One of the city appointees is to be from the hospitality industry.

Monday night, the chamber submitted their nominees of Norville Ritter and Dr. Charles Tucker to be reappointed to the committee. The council approved the appointments.

Other Business

The council approved the annual Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG) worker’s compensation premium renewal. The city will be paying $139,788 for the year which is down from the $141,012 last year. This year’s premium was reduced by credits in the city’s participation in the retention program.

All council members except Dr. Bo Hannaford were present for Monday’s meeting. The council approved paying claims of $224,071.49 and payroll expenses of $259,344.13.

In addition to approving the budget, the Alva Utility Authority voted to pay claims of $408,440.29 and payroll expenses of $62,243.10.

The Alva Economic Development Authority concluded the schedule of city meetings Monday. Trustees approved paying claims of $273,889.65 and payroll expenses of $17,225.17 in addition to the budget resolution.