Town budget includes plans for streets, vehicles, other projects

Cathy Spaulding, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
·2 min read

Jun. 22—New vehicles for police and fire departments, plus continued improvements for town streets and buildings are part of the Fiscal Year 2022 budget Fort Gibson trustees approved earlier this month.

The $15.8 million budget shows a 5.4 percent increase over the $15 million budget approved in June 2020. Part of that is due to a 36 percent increase in the general fund budget, from $3.59 million for FY 2021 to $4.89 million for FY 2022.

Budget figures for 2022 show a fund balance of $8.3 million left from 2021. The 2022 budget also is based on anticipated $2.37 million collection in taxes.

Town Administrator Brian DeShazo said the budget includes a 2.5 percent cost of living adjustment for full-time and part-time employees.

DeShazo said the budget includes $240,000 for a new fire truck, funded by fire department sales tax. The town also includes $60 for an animal control vehicle and $100,000 for two patrol units, partially funded by a grant.

DeShazo said Fort Gibson plans on contracting $1 million for street repairs throughout the city.

"This will address deteriorated roads, as well as drainage," DeShazo said.

The budget includes $200,000 for improvements to the municipal and community building. Municipal building updates include new carpeting and paint, as well as a more efficient customer service counter. Improvements also include replacing the HVAC system, a new window for drive-thru, LED lighting and technology upgrades.

The city plans to spend $500,000 for parking lot improvements. Also, $70,000 was budgeted for interior renovation at Q.B. Boydstun Library.

Parks and recreation-oriented projects include a $600,000 match for a federal grant to improve the Carl Perry Baseball Complex. Phase 1 of the project, funded in part by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, will go for new lighting and handicapped parking and access.

Also, $301,000 will go toward an asphalt "Learning Trail," to go around the Fort Gibson Public Schools' sports complex. It is part of the Oklahoma Parks and Tourism Grant. DeShazo said the project could start within a couple of months.

The town is almost finished with renovations to the Soccer Complex, which was damaged in the 2019 flood, he said. Final repairs to fields and irrigation system should be finished in early July, he said.