Letter to the Editor: Audit - Davis - 02/17/2012

Details

Published on Friday, 17 February 2012 14:34

Dear Editor,

Does Elk City require a state audit?  No.  Should Elk Citians want an audit?  Yes.  I am writing this editorial because this topic is dear to my heart just like our Elk City community is.  When I was elected as Commissioner of Ward 3, I spoke with my constituents and learned that there was not a lot of trust in Government, local or national.  I felt the same way as they did.  I wondered if all the proper processes and channels were being followed as required by our charter and state law.  After starting on the commission I requested financials in particular from some of our city’s profit centers.  In one instance, when the city was selling one of them, I was given three sets of numbers detailing its value.  This was not a small difference in value either.  In fact, the difference involved more than ten times the amount estimated for conduction of the state audit.  I feel this is unacceptable.  I think we finally got the right value together to properly evaluate this profit center to set a dollar amount when the commission voted unanimously to sell this system.   I hope we did.  Our employees were not hiding anything, but our processes and book keeping practices allowed for transactions to show in different places, thus making it hard to have accurate numbers.  Our constituents deserve better accountability of their money.

Read more...

Letter to the Editor: Audit Petition - Sampier - 02/16/2012

Details

Published on Thursday, 16 February 2012 13:47

Attention Residents of Elk City,

I have been in Elk City a very long time. Due to my health and current medical concerns, I have not been able to get out and get as many signatures for the petition for a State Audit of the City of Elk City like I would like to, but I am on the committee. 

After 30 years in law enforcement, I know that things are not always what they seem. In my lifetime, I would like to know that there is honesty and integrity in our local city government. 

In my opinion, a state audit would ensure that our city officials are doing things like they should. It's nothing like a local audit. The mayor would have you believe that a local audit covers everything a state audit would, but I am here to tell you that is simply not true. A state audit is much more thorough and includes more things than purchase orders. 

Read more...

Letter to the Editor: Big Elk Stadium - Kerr - 02/16/2012

Details

Published on Thursday, 16 February 2012 13:42

Dear Editor,

I am writing this to inform the Elk City Community of the Big Elk Stadium renovations. We are planning to do these renovations with private contributions and donations. 

The schools district is trying to pass a bond issue to address the academic needs of the younger students in our district. Public schools can only can only pass a bond of indebtedness for a certain percentage and with the proposal the Board of Education is working towards for the younger students we will be at the cap of the indebtedness.

Today, the Elk City Athletic facilities are lacking compared to other 4A high schools. We have plans for added/needed improvements that will help us in our new endeavor to bring our facilities to the level of other 4A schools.

The Elk City Football Booster Club is a volunteer organization of parents and friends that help support all sports programs. We believe that through athletics young men and women will have a positive and rewarding experience while focusing on team work and learning life lessons. These building blocks enable our youth to become more successful in the classroom, on the field, and in their future careers. 

Read more...

Editorial: Burglaries require response from citizens as well as police officers

Details

Published on Tuesday, 14 February 2012 12:18

Random and late-night burglary has become an all-too-common occurrence in Elk City. 

If it hasn't happened to you, a neighbor, your friend or a member of your family, there's always a chance it could.

There's not a week goes by that police don't receive a call from a citizen who has walked outside to find their car or truck has been broken into. Many times, valuables and even firearms have been stolen.

A few months ago, burglars were simply checking which cars were unlocked. Now, they're breaking windows with whatever they can find in the yard.

We don't know how many people are behind these burglaries. But we know you can help stop them.

Late-night burglars rely on quiet and empty streets to commit their crimes. An active neighborhood watch program could end this plague - at least temporarily, if neighborhoods band together. Not everyone sleeps all night long, so it's probably a good idea for Elk City's insomniacs to glance out their windows every once in a while.

Read more...

Letter to the Editor: Martindale - Audit Petition - 02/13/2012

Details

Published on Monday, 13 February 2012 15:07

To the citizens of Elk City: 

As many of you have heard, there is a committee of concerned citizens from Elk City who are gathering petition signatures for a State Audit of the City of Elk City.  For clarification:

• We have a formed committee of 25 volunteers consisting of some of the most respected names in Elk City & the surrounding area & from all walks of life. 
• A member of our group as well as others outside of our group have met several times over a period of time with members of the State Auditor’s office in order to bring all of this together. We wish to follow state law and be completely transparent in our part of this endeavor.
• What we seek is an objective 3rd person opinion to ensure the city of Elk city has operated within the boundaries of the city charter, state & federal law & to ensure tax payer money has been spent legally & that no other irregularities in day to day transactions exist. This audit will differ from “local” audits performed by Elk City CPA firms in that it will be a forensic or thorough audit not only of purchase orders issued by the city, but also a review of the methods in which the city does business on a day to day basis. It is not a question of “trusting previous local audits,” as Mr. Schuelein wrote in his article in a local newspaper. We have nothing but respect for the CPA firms in our city. A state audit is completely different from a “local” audit.

  Read more...

Letter to the Editor: Help, Inc. - Thank You - 02/06/2012

Details

Published on Monday, 06 February 2012 13:50

Dear Editor,

Greetings from HELP, Inc.

HELP, Inc. of Elk City thanks the community for their unprecedented generosity.  As the old National Guard armory rose from the ashes, HELP pitched in with five other non-profits with the same vision.   The result is a greatly expanded food ministry, covering three counties. With the help of the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank, the Elk City Bar-S Foods, and the Elk City Wal-mart Supercenter, we served over 300 families monthly in 2011.

Churches and organizations giving monetary donations monthly are:  First Baptist Church, First Assembly of God Church, Antioch Christian Church, First Christian Disciples of Christ Church, Church of God, and the First Christian Builders Class, United Methodist Thrift Shop, and the United Fund of Elk City.   

Other churches and organizations donating funds were the First Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the United Methodist Lois Smith Circle and the Faith Class, the Elk City Ministerial Alliance, the Debra Sunday School class, the Disciples’ Women class, FEMA, Cultus Club, and the American Legion.  

Corporate donors included Chesapeake Energy, ExxonMobil Corporation, ConocoPhillips Corporation, Apache Corporation, and EOG Resources, Inc.   

Individual donors  were  Dr. and Mrs. L.V. Baker,  Rev. Roy Rowlan, Matt and Natalie Rule Burns, Ron and Carol Sloan, John Polcyn family, John Jones, Nola Hunt, Dave and Marsha Dickinson, Joe and Etta Britton, Randy Thomas, Bill and Lois Hubbard, June Miller, Emma and Lynn Brewer, Carson Culver, Sean Proctor, Mike Walllis and Mary Ann Gleeson, 

Read more...