Alva Review-Courier -

As the city of Alva took shape, a lot of information about infrastructure was not written down and filed. Instead, the locations of water lines, sewer lines, valves and manholes remained stored in the memories of city employees. As those employees retired or took other jobs, that knowledge was lost.

The city has been working to map those locations and document repairs and new construction. At Monday night’s Alva City Council meeting, there was discussion about adopting new software to make the job easier. The iWorQ software was demonstrated to city departments and also described to the city council at an earlier meeting.

iWorQ comes in several modules to handle different tasks. At Monday’s meeting, the council discussed contracting for two of those modules: Community Development and Public Works. The Community Development module is intended for use by the code enforcement officer while Public Works would cover water, sanitation and streets as well as facilities and fleet management. The Public Works package also includes a TextMyGov application for citizens to text about problems.

Mayor Kelly Parker said the software company was offering the city a good deal. They agreed to upfront prices of $2,250 for community development and $5,500 for public works, a total of $7,500. That would fit into the city’s current budget without a need for an amendment. The remaining $7,500 for community development and $16,500 for public works would not be due until the new fiscal year budget takes effect after June 30.

After the first year, the city will pay an annual subscription fee of $7,500 and $16,500 for the two modules. The minimum commitment is three years.

During the iWorQ demonstration earlier, Councilmember Taylor Dowling asked about SOC certification but was not satisfied with the answer. At Monday’s meeting Dowling again raised that question. He called to council attention a paragraph in the iWorQ agreement that states, “iWorQ is not responsible for the content entered into iWorQ’s database or uploaded as a document or image. Access to iWorQ cannot be used to record personal or confidential information such as driver’s license numbers, social security numbers, financial data, credit card information or upload any images or documents considered personal or confidential.”

SOC stands for Service Organization Control. The SOC 1 report is for financial information like credit card numbers. The SOC 2 report is for non-financial information. The certification process involves an audit by a third-party to verify that a company is meeting SOC guidelines.

Mayor Parker said the software will not be used to store sensitive information such as social security numbers or credit card information. He said the city uses a different application for the automatic payments on utility bills.

Dowling was still not convinced. He said the software company should bear at least part of the liability for possible sensitive date breaches.

Councilmember Daniel Winters made a motion to approve the city manager signing the contract with iWorQ. Connor Martin seconded. The motion carried 6-2 with Dowling and Troy Brooks voting no.

Other Business

City Business Manager Angelica Brady was absent. Mayor Parker said virtually every department in the city has positions open. Those are posted on the city’s website.

The city’s auditor Chris Angel is retiring. With his retirement, his firm will no longer do city audits so Alva will be looking for a new auditor. The city’s part time grant writer has resigned so that position is open, too.

April 8 was the deadline for applications for the Alva business manager position. Seven applications were received. The Oklahoma Municipal League will be going through their qualifications to determine those who might fit Alva’s needs and will provide a ranking.

Every six years the Oklahoma Municipal Retirement Fund (OkMRF) plan is reviewed by the IRS. The OkMRF submitted a plan revised to comply with IRS changes and state changes. The council voted to approve the plan as submitted.

The council signed off on the REAP project for drilling an offset well in the city’s water well field. This will allow the city to receive a $55,000 reimbursement from the REAP grant.

The city’s insurance, the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group, is governed by a board of trustees. The council was given a list of candidates to fill two positions on the board. Mayor Parker read the list and said he did not know any of the candidates although the city manager knew one of the incumbents. Winters made a motion, seconded by Stelling to vote for the two incumbents. The motion passed 6-1 with Brooks abstaining.

An executive session was held regarding the resignation of the city attorney and contract negotiations with the firefighters’ union. Following return to open session, the council accepted the resignation of Rick Cunningham as city attorney effective June 30. Cunningham began in that position in 1998, serving the city for 24 years.

The council approved minutes of the last meeting, claims of $316,080.56 and payroll expenses of $182,395.44 as well as two fuel invoices for the airport which exceeded the manager’s spending limit. One was for $25,339.56 and the other was $33,677.72.

Alva Utility Authority

During the brief Alva Utility Authority meeting, trustees approved minutes of the last meeting, claims of $137,227.52 and payroll expenses of $48,630.99.

Alva Economic Development Authority

The Alva Economic Development Authority meeting was also brief. The trustees approved minutes of the last meeting, claims of $38,693.41 and payroll expenses of $13,833.06.

A video of the entire meeting may be viewed at http://www.AlvaReviewCourier.com.