Luther Town Trustees took off from their day jobs and businesses to participate in required daylong training provided by the Oklahoma Municipal League.
The four new Trustees heard presentations about budgeting, meeting decorum, employment issues and the Open Meetings law among other things.
According to OML, state law requires each person elected for the first time to a position of a municipality … to attend an institute for municipal officials consisting of eight (8) hours of training. The Oklahoma Municipal League is certified by the Department of Career and Technology as a trainer to implement the training law.
Trustees Jenni White, Jason Roach, Trandy Langston and Paxton Cavin attended the training at Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City. They were elected in April.
Each of the trustees personally paid the $85 fee for the course, as a way to save the town money, according to White who serves as mayor.
The training is for “any person who is elected to an office in municipal government or is appointed to fill an unexpired term of an elected office, and the clerk and the treasurer whether elected or appointed.
Ron Henry, the fifth trustee, was elected in 2015 and was not required to take the training again. Incidentally, Henry is scheduled to appear in Oklahoma County District Court on June 13, for a preliminary hearing on allegations of voter fraud.
The board met in Special Meeting earlier this week and approved a budget for the Town and Luther Public Works Authority. In the public discussion portion of the meeting that lasted a couple of hours and was broadcast on Luther Register’s Facebook page, the board took up a wide range of topics from updating city codes AND focused code enforcement when it comes to things like unkempt properties, tall grass on lots, abandoned structures, stray dogs and other violations. Trustees gave a green light to creating a Parks & Recreation Committee, a move they’ll take up at the June 13 meeting officially. How about faster internet for residents and the Town? In the works.
At Tuesday’s meeting, trustees also discussed an insurance battle regarding a police car that was damaged in a recent accident and whether to buy business cards for employees. In addition, trustees agreed to add an “accolade” portion of their meetings to highlight town employees and citizens who go above and beyond their work or service. And, the board agreed to welcome an invocation at the beginning of each meeting, along with the Pledge of Allegiance. Trustee Paxton Cavin reported she had discussed the opportunity with Pastor Derrick Carney, First Baptist Church, who said his fellow ministers on the Town Ministerial Alliance would be pleased to offer prayers at each meeting, and to work together on mutual interests for Luther’s citizens. Amen.
