The Freedom Town Board held a public hearing before its regular meeting March 11 to give the public a chance to weigh in on the Town's plan to apply for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to fund the majority of installing new gas line for 6 miles north of town.

Present were Mayor Shad Brackin, Randy Rhodes, and Town Clerk Cindy Reed.

The topic was briefly dropped once the regular meeting began. The board heard from a landowner in the Red Bluff View neighborhood who spoke about the need to improve the neighborhood's cleanliness. The landowner ultimately said he would take action to clean it up. Mayor Brackin thanked him.

The board also discussed employing a code enforcement person for the town. Town Clerk Cindy Reed told the board that Ty Harper has gone through the training, passed the certification exam, and has his certificate in hand. She added that paying for Harper's wages – he would work on an as-needed basis – would not require any additional fund-finding. The board approved hiring Harper to handle code enforcement.

Then the board returned to the CDBG topic, approving the motion to apply for the CDBG grant, which is a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant. HUD requires a great deal of transparency between the town and its residents as regards the funding.

“Transparency and communicating about the project to the public is an essential component of the grant,” Jennifer Firgard, NODA & OEDA/CDBG & REAP administrator, who attended the meeting to explain the financial part of things.

In the application, the town will request an amount based on the cost of putting in those 5 or 6 miles of gas line and will also indicate how much money the town itself can put into the project. A town doesn't have to put in its own money, but it makes the chances of winning the grant much better.

“Shad and I have talked a lot in past couple weeks about finances,” Firgard said. She presented to the board the two options that Brackin thought were possible.

“The grant match you can ask for is $150,000,” said Firgard. “Anything else has to be covered by the town.” That would require the town to put up $67,632 in matching funds – an option that Brackin allegedly responded to with a loud, long “No way!”

Firgard summed up a solution Brackin identified.

“His thought was if we go with the original as is, and have that money, then we can at least try to get the whole project done off that first cost estimate.” If the application were to get funded, then the town could apply for additional REAP money next year, Firgard said.

“The second avenue was we ask the contractor for his estimate in phases, a phase I and a phase II. With that budget, the CDBG asking amount would be $104,999. So your portion to put in there would be $49,992,” Firgard said.

The board decided to wait until the whole board could be at the meeting to make the decision. The deadline is March 31.

A special meeting will be called before that date to choose a financial option. Brackin and Reed then signed all the CDBG grant application documents except for those that would require financial details that will be voted on at the special meeting.

Other Business

Brackin announced that the town has been funded $2,000 from OMAG to purchase a gas line locator. The board also approved past meeting minutes, and purchase orders for the general, grant, ambulance and fire funds.

General POs

Pioneer Telephone (blanket for all services): $1,800

Alfalfa Electric (blanket for services): $3,000

SPC (blanket for services): $600

Locke (ballast): $18.45

Lawnmower Shop (maintenance): $69.30

Ty Harper (training reimbursements): $657.81

Ditch Witch (locator): $3650

Fire POs

OK Firefighters Pension Contribution (2020): $900

Ambulance POs

G & G Electronics (replaced battery): $115

MTA POs

Harper Sanitation (Feb 2020): $3,667.16

Rural Water District (Feb 2020): $2,292.50

Locke (meter supplies): $29.34

Southern Star (Jan & Feb 2020): $2,233.18

Comfort Zone (sewer machine usage): $276

UTS (annual support and supplies): $3,156.50

UCI (annual drug test fee): $200

Harrison Construction (repair line): $700

Grant POs

Ditch Witch (locator): $2,000