Freedom's Town Board met briefly last week for their regularly scheduled meeting. Members Shad Brackin, Terry Smith and Rolando Galindo were present, along with town clerk Cindy Reed.

The meeting started by first approving the minutes from their last meeting. They looked at purchase orders for the general, fire, and ambulance funds next and approved those as well.

The agenda's next line item called for action on resolution 2018-12 for the notice of election. Smith's Ward 2 seat is opening up and a notice of election must be made. Requirements are that the candidate must live within the ward and be a registered voter in order to declare candidacy. The position is elected by the town at large and the seat is held for four years.

The filing period opens Monday, Feb. 4, at 8 a.m. and will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6. The election will be April 2 (the first Tuesday in of that month).

"You've done an excellent job thus far, and if you decide to stay, I will personally endorse your campaign," Brackin said jokingly. The resolution for notice of election was approved and will be turned in to the election board.

The group moved on to discuss the cell booster agreement with Pioneer. In a previous special meeting, the decision to adopt the agreement was made as long as the city's attorney signed off on it. Since then, the attorney, along with Brackin, met with Pioneer, and the contract was modified to fit Freedom's ordinance. Since the modification was made, Brackin felt it necessary to have a vote for approval for Pioneer's permit to place a cell booster in Freedom. Ultimately, the motion was made and carried.

Woods County Commissioner Randy McMurphy arrived after approval of Pioneer's permit issuance was made to discuss a traffic warning sign that was deemed necessary after the recent controversy regarding the town Christmas tree. He showed the board some signage options, and decided on one depicting "Christmas tree ahead."

In the maintenance department report, Brackin said according to maintenance manager Stuart Page (department heads are no longer required to attend board meetings as long as they submit a written report), the water tower will be offline for several weeks while it is being painted inside. Water service will not be affected. The report also mentioned some quotes on water system installation on a house that was purchased by Bruce Miller. One was for one-inch water line to run under Greer Road, and the other was for three-quarter inch line.

The office manager report was next, and town clerk Cindy Reed said that Bonnie Greer turned in her resignation. In her letter, Greer thanked the town for the opportunity to work for them. "We wish her the very best in her new venture," Brackin said.

Reed moved on, requesting approval for membership for Oklahoma Municipal Utility Providers. The cost is $50 annually for a town with a small population like Freedom. The membership would keep the town up to date on water issues and anything regarding DEQ regulations.

"There is such little support for municipalities and utility providers from those who enforce these things. Our state legislates these laws and there are huge gaps in what we're supposed to be doing as far as all these grey areas, and I think any organization that can help fill that in would be good," Brackin said. "I don't think it would hurt to try it for a year." Smith chimed in that she thought it was a good idea too, especially for $50. Galindo said it would be good to have more information on hand. Reed said she would make a purchase order for the membership.

In the town clerk and treasurer report, Reed said that one particular bill from Share Corp., a chemical engineering firm, seems to be running a bit high – about $2,000 a month. The lagoon hasn't been emitting a foul odor, but the high cost was worth looking into, she said.

One last thing discussed was securing information over a cloud instead of flash drives. Information is currently backed up twice a week and put in a safe, but in case of a natural disaster, like a tornado, a safe would do no good. The board agreed to consider taking action on that in the near future.