Lawton City Council looking at new recommendation for RSVP program

Lawton city staff has reconsidered its proposal to drop the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.

But administrators still are recommending that the City Council turn down a $37,500 grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service because the city’s program doesn’t meet all the grant criteria, according to action set for today’s agenda.

Council members said last month they weren’t ready to make a decision about discontinuing the city’s RSVP, the only one in Oklahoma run by a municipality, said Parks and Recreation Director Christine James. The program is funded, in part, from federal grants which come with specific criteria that must be maintained. An analysis by former administrator Jessica Musselman showed the program had to fight to attract and maintain enough volunteers and because it can’t, “falls far short of reaching grant obligations.”

Mayor Stan Booker and several council members wanted more discussion on the situation, which is why Parks and Recreation Department is coming back with a new recommendation.

While the grant funds still will be rejected, the City of Lawton would continue operating a scaled-down program that could continue to hold semi-annual senior volunteer recognition banquets, work that would be coordinated by the administrative position within the Parks and Recreation administrative budget. Relinquishing the grant would allow the Federal AmeriaCorps organization to advertise those funds to other interested organizations, city administrators said.

Ward 5 Councilman Allan Hampton, a longtime RSVP participant, said those programs are operated by other entities in other cities, and he asked whether that was an option for Lawton. Booker agreed.

“I have a problem with dropping the program so abruptly without transitioning to someone else,” Booker said.

In another hold-over item, council members are ready to vote on a ballot proposal asking voters to consider extending the existing ad valorem program to help pay for another $60 million worth of road, bridge and associated infrastructure projects. Booker has said it is the city’s best option for vital road projects, as well as bridges on South 11th Street and Cache Road that have deteriorated to the point they must be replaced (South 11th Street) or repaired (Cache Road).

The election would be Sept. 12, the same day Lawton already has municipal elections set for the Wards 6, 7 and 8 council seats. The ballot resolution would include specific projects, with the council tasked with setting priorities. The project list includes the two bridge projects, as well as specific road projects that have been mentioned in recent months, including rebuilding Northwest Ferris Avenue between Fort Sill Boulevard and Northwest 2nd Street.

The city’s proposal is to sell $60 million more in General Obligation Bonds, using ad valorem revenue to repay the 25-year debt. The ballot resolution restricts the revenue to roads, bridges and city infrastructure associated with those projects.

The council also will continue discussions for the third time on a proposal to add a new level to the executive pay scale, as part of an overall plan to increase pay for city employees to help attract people into positions and retain the employees they have.

Council members already set the new pay scale for general employees into place, but has wanted information for comparison from the cities of Edmond, Norman, Broken Arrow, Moore, Enid and Midwest City. The goal is to have information about what executive-level pay is — essentially, department head salaries — and how their job descriptions compare with that is expected from Lawton employees who qualify for that scale.