The Public Works Committee met on May 20, 2026, to consider several routine items including two settlement payments, two easement closings, a license agreement for a sewer line, and a detailed discussion on the Office of Financial Empowerment and Financial Empowerment Center budget for fiscal year 2026-27.
All items were presented by city staff and recommended for approval. Council members had brief questions on the sidewalk injury case (Councilor Bingle questioned why barriers were not placed) and expressed no opposition. It is presumed these items were approved, as no vote against was recorded.
Note: No agenda or minutes were available; the above is based solely on the transcribed discussion.
Are we ready? I'm starting to live. Okay, I'm calling this meeting to order. Welcome to the 2 30, which is now 3 30. Public works committee meeting. Item number one, call to order. Number two, resolution authorizing payment of $25,000 to Kathy Bennett on behalf of Luther Bennett and Greg Diddy Law. From the sinking fund is payment of a judgment and fee. And welcome. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Chad Becker from Treasury. Here as always to give council assurance that there's sufficient cash in the sinking fund to pay this judgment ahead of our levy placement on the property and tax rolls. The judgment has been approved by the court and the mayor. And with council's approval, finance will uh file paperwork with county to levy the human over three years. And Jack's gonna talk about this case. Just very briefly. So uh Mr. Bennett was as you vehicle traveling southbound on Martin Luther King Boulevard, our police officer traveling northbound, observed two cars racing southbound, initiated overhead lights. Uh starting to make a U-turn in front of uh the vehicle that Mr. Bennett was the passenger in uh collided with the vehicle, Mr. Bennett uh suffered injuries and and probably tort claim for those injuries and pain suffering. Uh initial claim was an excess of seventy thousand dollars after some back and forth negotiation in this uh admitted liability case. We're admitting liability in this situation. Um negotiated a settlement of 25,000 dollars. The mayor's approved that uh for your consideration. Thank you, Jack. Very helpful. Any questions? Okay, we can leave the door open. Yes, it was just because I was too loud. Okay, we're gonna continue on. We're in a meeting. Number three, resolution authorizing payment of $95,000 to J. M. Brown Plaintiff and Donald Smolen Plano, Oklahoma Healthcare Authority from the sinking fund. This is you as well. Me as well, and my part is the same. So we have a covering here to talk about this case. Okay, counselor. So um in this case, uh Mr. Brown was traveling on the riding his bicycle on the sidewalk near Springdale Park uh off East Pine Street, and this this occurred uh June 21st of 2024. Um the month before the city had removed a piece of the sidewalk to repair a water leak, and uh they had broken up the concrete, and we never replaced it after repairing the leak. And so he was riding his bicycle at 9 p.m. Uh, did not see the piece of uh portion of sidewalk missing, front tire went into the crevice. He flipped over the bicycle, ended up breaking bones in both his hands, uh chipped and dislocated his front teeth, and um, of course the city admitted liability and uh we negotiated a settlement with him and his attorney uh for 95,000. The settlement was presented to the mayor. Mayor's approved the settlement and that's where we are today. So that's the cost of two front teeth replacement. Where was this again?