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2011-05-31T23:21:00.003-05:00

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2010-07-03T15:32:00.003-05:00

Click here to get some of THE PLAIN FACTS THAT YOU MAY BE LOOKING FOR .

THE ULTIMATE PRICE PAID FOR YOUR FREEDOMS

2010-05-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

Remember that this Memorial Day weekend is a commemoration for the soldiers of our great nation who have given their lives. Let us not be nonchalant in our recognition of those sacrifices that were made. The very freedoms, that weeks-years-decades and centuries ago were fought for, are far too often taken for granted in our hustle and bustle way of life. The freedoms of our country are beyond compare with anywhere else in the world. Celebrate by holding dearly next to your heart The Bill of Rights. Clasp onto them as tightly, as unyielding, as that of the weapon of the fallen soldier as he gasped for his last breathe of air on earth. And let not the last beat of his heart to have been in vain, as you reflect on this Memorial Day Holiday, along with all of the freedoms that you enjoy.

$297,000 WATER SPRINKLER BUDGET

2010-05-03T22:57:00.006-05:00

The Town of Buffalo will install an irrigation system in the existing Doby Springs Golf Course. Labor and Materials will be in accordance with the Budget submitted for this project. Approved Federal Funds $148,500. Town of Buffalo responsible for the other $148,500?

Budgeted labor and materials committed for street repairs $0.
Budgeted labor and materials committed for replacing asbestos pipes $0.
Budgeted labor and materials committed for fixing fire hydrants $0.
Budgeted labor and materials committed for fixing ..... . . . . .

Voting by the esteemed board to be held Cinco de Mayo.

Excerpts from Chief of Police Report

2010-04-07T23:54:00.004-05:00

"I am finishing up an investigation with the OSBI that should produce a substantial warrant for arrest."

"We did receive a complaint of a serious charge against another law enforcement officer in this county."

"The case due to the circumstances was immediately turned over to the OSBI."

"People one word "zoning," it has to be done."

"I have asked James to start looking for a grant for Tasers."

"I will strive to make it as painless as possible with the help of our fearless attorney"

PAST BUFFALO WATER TEST REPORT FROM DEQ

2010-03-24T18:47:00.003-05:00

In this PAST DEQ TEST RESULT you can see that out of the 17 only three were less than the reportable level. Previous tests show similar results prior to this one that was sampled on 11-05-2007.

You want some GROSS ALPHA, EXCLUDING RADON & URANIUM in your water, got it.

You need a little GROSS ALPHA, INCLUDING RADON & URANIUM, check!

How about COMBINED URANIUM, you betcha.

Won't settle for swig without COMBINED RADIUM (-226 & -228), enjoy.

And for good measure there is some RADIUM-228 straight up on the rocks.

Just sayin

TOWN OF BUFFALO’S CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT RECOMMENDS MODIFICATION OF THE EXISTING ORDINANCE

2010-02-28T21:37:00.000-06:00

After many unsuccessful attempts to make changes to ordinance #329, perhaps, with the CPA’s recommendation, the Trustees will do what should have been done long ago. Attempts were made back in August 9,2007 to make the needed changes to the ordinance. That was also followed by efforts to change ordinance #329 occurring in two separate meetings that where held in January 7,2009 and January 21,2009 . After 3 failed attempts in the last two years, will the auditors advice garner the attention needed to get this done once and for all?

The following excerpt is from the latest CPA report

“Based on the work performed to date with this engagement and the complexities involved in correctly calculating both statutory and extra duty pay consistent with the intent of the current Board of Trustees, we recommend considering a modification of the existing ordinance which would fix statutory pay and make future raises limited to additions to extra duty pay. ”

Enough Said!

Power Line Meeting Held @ Buffalo High School

2010-02-22T22:01:00.003-06:00

Area landowners congregated to listen to speakers present information concerning the impact of transmission line proposals. As mentioned in a previous article from Inside Buffalo there are plans for a large wind farm north of Buffalo. With the new industry naturally comes the need for transmission lines to carry that energy to large markets. The discussion revolved around issues of livelihood of the landowners. Also mentioned was the SPP proposals which impact a multi-state region that includes the Buffalo surrounding area. As during the meeting, there is sure to be lots of debate on both sides of these issues. That discussion is welcome here as well.

FAST MONEY AND FAST CARS....Special Spending Spree Spectacular

2010-01-17T21:45:00.009-06:00

Since our cup runneth over, the Town of Buffalo is entertaining a special meeting to spend more money. Special meetings have been used in the past to DODGE the repercussions of questionable actions. Instead of waiting to see if they can successfully get a grant to purchase another cop car they will "CHARGEr 150 mph" ahead to get another one now. They feel they have more money than they can shake a stick at, so now they are having special meetings to come up with ways to spend it. The water and sewer rate increase has given our civic leaders experience and therefore confidence in spending money like it grows on trees. Well why not, if this money tree dies out they can just plant another one by raising our rates again!

They will be deciding to get another cop car before actually getting a grant for it. They are doing this instead of being fiscally responsible and realizing that, even though our local economy has held its own, the monetary climate will take a longer period of time to rebound. Just as the economic impact locally was slower to hit here, so too will be the recovery. Meanwhile, the “I want it now” mentality continues to prevail.

We're Getting Hosed

2010-01-06T21:38:00.003-06:00

City officials do it again. Thirty three thousand dollars this time! During the Publics Works Authority meeting the board voted to buy a jetter. Instead of using money from the capitol outlay account, they decided to dip into the Public Works savings to buy equipment for the Town of Buffalo. With this purchase they have depleted the Public Trust fund down to just under half of what it had. At this rate of blowing the Public Works reserves, there will never be enough money set aside to ever replace the asbestos water lines that deliver those nutrients for the nourishment of our bodies.

However, during the regular board meeting they had no problem whatsoever of spending over sixteen thousand dollars from the capitol outlay account to purchase a mower for the golf course. Even with this purchase the capitol outlay account still has over six figures left in it.

Take your eyes off of Obama and have a look a little closer to home!
.

Town of Buffalo Blowing Public Trust Funds?

2009-11-06T16:20:00.005-06:00

Several months ago the Town of Buffalo formed a public trust authority. It was formed for the purpose of handling the moneys generated from the $14.00 increase on your water and sewer bill. Granted the trust formation was to give the TOB greater flexibility. Nevertheless, each month 7 bucks from the water bill and 7 bucks from the sewer bill is being kept tract of and put into its very own Trust “savings” account. It is very similar to putting back money for your kid’s college fund because you know sometime in the future you are going to have to spend a whole lot of money on them.

Their goal (at that time) was to raise the rates for infrastructure improvements that will be needed because the systems in place now are at the end of their life cycle. The infrastructure needs attention and that will cost lots of money. The savings are building and have been nicely since the rates have increased. Around $60,000 had been saved up since this was implemented.

The Public Trust had a rare meeting and decided to spend $23,000 to buy a house next to the fire department for more parking spaces. They were promised that $15,000 would be put back into the coffers of the Trust by other entities. That means that the Public Trust spent $8,000 of money that originally was intended for infrastructure improvements. That is a downfall of having a Public Trust that you can’t trust. Its flexibility has lent itself to self inflicted abuse. They used your rate increase for something it was never intended to be used for, to buy real estate. The fact is Harper, Buss, Daley, Carpenter, and Orange; as the public trust authority spent, thousands and thousands of dollars to buy a house, for more parking spaces, using moneys from the water and sewer rate increase.

Here is the kicker, as if you need more. The Town of Buffalo had left over from last year’s regular budget close to $100,000. They could have moved $8,000 of that over to the Public Trust fund instead of using any of the water and sewer fees to buy that house with. I’ll bet there are people in this town who would have much rather seen those very same dollars spent to repair/replace fire hydrants that don’t even work right.

I think I’ll go out and buy me a new fishing boat using my kid’s college savings fund.

Transparent Government

2009-09-02T22:17:00.003-05:00

Here is a REPORT that is based on transparent government. This was written by Oklahomans for Responsible Government. It is geared towards our schools and their websites. In this report are some ideas that would also serve the common good of our community and its municipal government. It would be nice to someday see these guidelines implemented by the Town of Buffalo if it should ever decide to become pro-active.

I have copied ideas and suggestions from this report that would apply to the Town of Buffalo bringing a higher standard that could easily be achieved with a little effort.

From the Report;

Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent in order to let elected officials know if that is the right way or another direction is needed.

Technology makes it easier for government entities to provide transparency, but only if they take advantage of everything that computers and the World Wide Web have to offer. It is up to taxpayers to let their leaders know that transparency is important and that technology is the most cost-effective way to provide the information to anyone who wants to view it at any time of the day.

The Internet is often the first place someone turns to in order to find out about a subject, so every government entity whether federal, state or local needs to have a presence on the web. But even a website is just the first step; it’s the content of that website that matters most. The best government websites are simply laid out, well organized and packed with information like how to contact elected officials, a budget or meeting schedules.

Complete information regarding contracts.

Board members were listed; there was no contact information or details on election dates or boundaries. Board members are the direct link between a taxpayer and the money being spent and as an elected official, they should have their contact information on the web where it is easily accessible.

The feature common to the most websites was contact information for administrators. Many also had the most recent board agenda online, but that is not enough. If someone wants to figure out exactly when a topic was considered by the board, there needs to be an archive of past agendas. Very few districts had minutes of past meetings posted. This needs to be corrected to hold the board members accountable for their votes.

Nothing about a budget or how to contact board members.

The budget for the current fiscal year plus previous years should be easily accessed.

Websites should list the date, time and location of every board meeting for the year. Agendas and minutes of past meetings should be posted online as well. Regulations covering public input at meetings should be clearly displayed.

Elected officials: Members of the board should have their names and contact information posted on the website. Each member should also have the term of their office and date of next election posted as well as the boundaries of their ward/district. If the board has committees, those committees and their members should be listed as well. It would help taxpayers if any financial disclosures and conflict-of-interest statements required of its elected officials are posted.

Public records: The website should include comprehensive information on how taxpayers can obtain public documents. That means listing which employee handles the request and what fees, if any, there are for copies of documents. It would also be nice if it posted an annual rating of its FOIA compliance: How many requests did it receive in a given year, how many it complied with, the average time required for compliance, and reasons for denials. If currently being sued for failure to provide public documents, this information should be included.

Post its policy on criminal background checks of current and/or prospective employees. The policy should include how often criminal background checks are conducted and what procedures are followed when it learns of past or current criminal conduct on the part of staff.

Check out this report to find your school's website evaluation

STICKING OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB (Originally Posted 1/28/2009)

2009-08-31T21:18:00.000-05:00

After being questioned about the accuracy of the previous cancer rate chart, a different chart that is more current has been found.

Anonymous says "Sales Tax Collections Dropping Like a Rock"

2009-08-28T23:29:00.009-05:00

Anonymous said...
“Easy to be critical isn't it? And if we dubbed you town board member tomorrow, how exactly would you address the water issue and where exactly, would you get the funds? With sales tax collections dropping like a rock, I just don't see where the money is going to come from."

Hey anonymous, Maybe you should be dubbed the town’s treasurer!

The sky is falling in Buffalo again.
The Town had a budget surplus of over 140 thousand bucks this last year.
That is money that could have paved a street or two. Maybe even ran a detailed water test.
Nope let’s put it in a 2% CD.

Tax collects for the last six months in 2009
Jan $28,607 vs $20,958 in 08
Feb $21,888 vs $17,254 in 08
Mar $21,196 vs $16,778 in 08
Apr $17,014 vs $16,106 in 08
May $18,887 vs $20,230 in 08
Jun $27,079 vs $22,509 in 08
July $19,786 vs $20,461 in 08

Please tell us anonymous, what sales tax collections you are basing your theory on!
The “we are going broke” hoax is alive and kicking.

Watch and enjoy while the TOB raises the water meter fees and account deposits. Hang on while the citizens of Buffalo get water boarded by the 300 thousand dollar water sprinkler system for the golf course. Buffalo politics at its finest.

THE STEVE WILKOS SHOW...Buffalo Toddler, Garrett Rice's Death Case

2009-08-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

The cold case of an infant who died in the care of a baby sitter is reopened.
Episode Detail: Admit It, You Killed My Baby - Steve Wilkos Show--- Allegations of child neglect that led to a 1-year-old's death from a drug overdose are discussed, and lie-detector tests are administered to the parties involved.

The show is going to air this Tuesday May 5th.

From looking at the previews it is going to be a heart wrenching show.

KOCB Oklahoma City

TUESDAY

Direct TV Channel 34 Tuesday May 5, 2009 @ 10:00am

Pioneer Channel 11 Tuesday May 5, 2009 @ 10:00am

Wednesday Chicago's WGN

Direct TV WGN 307 Wednesday May 6,2009 @ 1:00am

RUB-A-DUB-DUB THREE MEN AND THEIR TUB

2009-08-14T16:46:00.003-05:00

Recently an antique pedestal tub was removed from its original location. It was destined to be taken to the pile of white goods where it would have met its ultimate fate when the car crusher returns to town. During the removal of the antique tub it was discovered that it was manufactured in 1928. It was quickly claimed by one of the three men removing it with the condition that it had to leave the current property. It was strategically placed on a concrete slab on another piece of property the claimant owns.

The purpose of the location that was chosen was, first and foremost, to get it out from under their feet as quickly and easily as possible. An incidental purpose was to camouflage the awful traffic yellow paint color that clashes with the claimants landscaping and building color scheme. Traveling across rural America you might often see an antique tub, such as this, nicely done up with beautiful flowers and plants. What transpired in the short time (6 days) that it sat at its location was nothing short of shameful.

Its location became the topic of the town. Intriguing questions were directed back as to what was going to be done with the tub by numerous people. Some expressed concerns, some declared their unsolicited opinions, and many declared their absolute displeasure. All of the comments because of an empty antique pedestal tub sitting on a concrete slab.

The comments came from various people throughout our community. Co-workers mentioned it. Town trustees were quick to utter their thoughts. The city administrator gave his speculation about it. Acquaintances opined. The coffee shop gossip spread. Spouses spoke. Even the town’s economic developer along with the newly hired policeman stopped what they were doing to move the tub to another location. The consensus was all the same. It was unsightly and something had to be done about it.

The tub garnered a lot of attention. The local people demanded immediate action. All because of an empty antique pedestal tub sitting on a concrete slab

If only the same community outcry would occur regarding the DUNG HOUSE situation on the other side of town.

Rub-a-dub-dub three men and their tub.

"DIRTY" LITTLE SECRETS

2009-07-31T21:54:00.003-05:00

If you were suffering from any stomach cramps, diarrhea, or nausea around the middle of the month of July up until just recently, and wonder what the heck was going on, it quite possibly could have been the recent positive test of coliform bacteria in the town’s supply of drinking water. Get you a copy of the Town of Buffalo’s administrators report to learn more about it. That is one of the documents that are part of the consent agenda that is rarely discussed but routinely passes each month. What some refer to as the “Secret Documents”.

For those that have a sensitive immune system and need to know immediately when the water fails such test, there will come a day when the internet will be discovered by city hall that could put up a notice on their website. If the community is even luckier, the people at city hall may even discover that you can create an email list for those that desire to be notified immediately when the water becomes contaminated with coliform bacteria .

If only the new clinic had been opened prior to this outbreak they may have gotten off to a very prosperous grand opening.

Enjoy your belated letter of confidence that you will receive from city hall telling you about this occurrence of bacteria in you town’s water supply. That is all they are "required" to do.

New Topic Comments II

2009-07-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

This is for comments that may not be related to topics that have been posted.

HOT TOPIC!

2009-07-09T22:48:00.003-05:00

Here is a link to a real hot topic.

HOT TOPIC

Topic authenticated by person with local lineage.

145th Army Band Scheduled to Perform in Buffalo on July 4th

2009-07-02T22:02:00.005-05:00

Buffalo will be honored by the performance of the 145th Army Band during the activities scheduled this 4th of July. If you are looking for a relaxing afternoon and evening of entertainment, Buffalo's Celebration Park will be the place to be. Parking within a short walking distance of the park may be the most attractive feature of this year’s 4th of July. Bring a lawn chair and grab a shady spot for a stress free Independence Day Celebration.
Area residents are invited to avoid the Bush crowd and inconveniences. So come unwind with us in Buffalo this Saturday.

TOWN BOARD TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY?

2009-06-23T22:34:00.004-05:00

The Town Board is a having "special meeting" to discuss and act upon some special things concerning special people.

They may even go so far as to declare that there is an emergency in Buffalo politics.

Well isn't that special that they couldn't do this at the regular meeting that is coming up in July.

This meeting is really special because everyone will become rudely acquainted with the itinerant vendor ordinance. Maybe they will go so far as to tell the community why there is an emergency situation with this.

Oops! Almost forgot about slipping some cash to the Clerk and Treasurer. $1187.08 for each one of them. Better hurry and get er done before the audit changes again. Can you say Christmas in July!

Here is the link to the agenda for the "SPECIAL MEETING"

WAS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BUFFALO POLICE DEPARTMENT ALSO A HOAX?

2009-06-14T11:49:00.007-05:00

Will the political posturing lead to the taxpayers of Buffalo watching their dollars get handed off, by the fistfuls, to the Harper County Sheriff’s Department again? Will the Buffalo Police Department creation prove to have been another hoax pulled off by a selection of Trustees? Will the Town have a fire sale for the entire array of modern, top of the line, equipment that they have purchased in the last several months for the police department? Will the taxpaying citizens of Buffalo ever get tired of seeing their tax dollars handed over to Harper County entities? Hang on tight, this roller coaster ride you’re on is about to get exciting.

IT WAS ALL A HOAX !!!!

2009-06-06T00:35:00.006-05:00

After going through the numerous hurdles and steps for consideration for the LPAC our leaders of tomorrow have jumped on the Daley band wagon and decided not to let any of the public be active participants. So the sign up sheet was a hoax. The article in the paper was a hoax. The Friday at noon deadline for résumés was a hoax. It is obvious that Lewis and his hospital clan members couldn’t stomach the idea of having any of the applicants on any LPAC committee. So instead of having courage to back out early on, they devised more hoops and hurdles to jump through and over to get the people that signed up to trip up and fail to meet deadlines and submit paperwork.

What I find interesting about this is that with all of these hoops and timeline extensions that the only people that continued to be interested in the LPAC are same ones that are willing to continue to fight for a municipal government that is willing to work for any and all of its citizens. Why is it that Daley, Buss, and Carpenter couldn’t find any of their supporters to come forward with their qualifications to be on this committee? Where are their strong supporters when this calling came to the community to work together? Isn’t that what everyone likes to rant about? Kind of reminds me of the clean up day back in April. Rest assured none of us expected to be on this committee but it was pushed to the point that they had to completely backtrack to prevent the inclusion of even one of us.

What is really appalling about this whole thing is that the CIP is for the community and comes with high recommendations for community participation and involvement. That is exactly what they don’t want. It reminds me of when I was on the board back in 2002 and the TEA-21 Turner Street Project was being developed. One of the things I pushed for was to get all of the business owners up and down Turner Street to be on a committee to select the streetscape architect/engineer/designer for the project. I was approached by our economic developer (James) who had grave concerns about this. He asked if we really wanted to get all of these people involved with this project. I conveyed back to him that I firmly believed that we needed to. The response from the business owners was excellent and I truly believed that they felt a sense of ownership and acceptance of the project once they became a part of it. I believe that their participation led to them accepting the burdens that construction in front of their business’s doorstep will do. They were a part of it, thus they felt some ownership of it. They were actively participating in its success.

So after Daley makes a motion to leave the LPAC the way it is and during the second by one of her sidekicks, I yelled out, “It was a hoax?” Evidently the mayor was unsure of what I said so I got the pleasure of yelling it out again. I immediately thought back when James showed me that he didn’t want the public involved with the Town’s affairs. The new world order we have in place is all a hoax.

I may not hear very well but I am a good listener. I couldn’t help but notice the remarks that Mr. Fisher, who is with OEDA, had recently received the new revised priority list regarding the existing hoax of a CIP. Apparently the Town of Buffalo has been faking these public meetings that are required. Maybe I should say that James has been faking them. He is the one that submits the documents to OEDA. None of the board members can even tell you what is on the priority list. The standing committee never met to help James determine what should go on that list. Or maybe they did and only invited the good ole boys, whoever they are. It is absolutely unacceptable what our glorified grant writer, who holds the title of economic developer, has going on behind the back of our elected officials, faking the CIP all these years. When asked for a copy of the list by one of the Trustees he couldn’t even produce it. It is all a hoax. But since nobody ever reads this blog, especially our local elected Trustees, the hoax will continue. I am glad the Internet doesn’t reach out further than the confines of our city limits because I wouldn’t want our regionally elected officials that fund these CIP projects to find out that they have been PUNK’D also.

INTERNAL AUDIT

2009-06-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

So there really is one of these after all. Here is a picture of it.

The original Constitution of Oklahoma.
The original was one hundred and ten pages long.

Yet even today, it is a live working document that still requires adherence. It reaches out to the limits of all of the borders of the state it was written for. It, along with the State Statutes, covers all of the land of the Great State of OKLAHOMA!

Even in a little town like Buffalo its presence can still be felt. It is still alive and kicking. In spite of everything, its perseverance has a hold over our municipal officials. Because of this document the town board will be voting on an agreement with a CPA to do an internal audit to determine the statutory salaries for the town clerk and town treasurer.

Is this a great state or what?

THE INTERNAL AUDIT IS IN!!!!!

Angels With Wiskers

2009-05-25T17:53:00.006-05:00

Giving away mom

Kitten are gone but mom has to go too (or else)

Contact Greg or Susan

ARE THESE RANKINGS ACCEPTABLE?

2009-05-24T23:12:00.007-05:00

Click on the charts above to see larger view of them if needed. But then again maybe you shouldn't, you might not like what you see.

BUFFALO ELEMENTRY GREAT SCHOOLS RANKING

"MORE INTERESTING CRAP"

2009-05-14T22:55:00.005-05:00

Instead of taking jabs at residents, and their geographic residential neighborhood locations.....Let’s take a stab at the issues themselves.

Can anyone come up with any reason why the Town of Buffalo should pay for the energy consumption at city hall that exceeds their historical annual average? Besides the obvious reason of “The hospital administrator wants it that way.”

There are three other Town Board members perfectly capable of making and reaching an equitable solution to this issue. Give them a chance without interference. The conflict of interest reeks. But taxpayers keep getting it fed to them by the shovels full.

Put a clause in the lease that the Hospital will meet the excess utility usage that is above the historical average upon the completion of one year of lease. Set the lease up to adjust the corresponding ratio of utilities to reflect the new data upon the renewal of the lease.

Determine and agree upon the historical average usage of the utilities for the each type involved. It can be easily determined how many units of electricity are used on an annual basis. The same can be done with the gas. Put those numbers in the lease agreement. At the end of the year multiply the actual usage times the towns 40% share. If that number is more than the lease agreement number the town gets the difference returned to them for their overpayment of the utilities. If an overpayment is due to the town, multiply the number of units times the average cost of the units during that year. Use the new data to determine the new lease utility ratio splits. At that point the ratios may be different for electrical and gas. Put in the lease that if the overage is less than 10% then no adjustments shall be made.

If at all possible the Public Trust should be utilized to handle these affairs to prevent any negative impact on the Towns fiscal years’ budget. Put the lease money in the trust for unforeseen repairs and upgrades that might be needed. This is just about making good practical business sense because the Town of Buffalo is a business.

Are We Losing Our Marbles With The Municipal Budget?

2009-05-12T00:18:00.006-05:00

Analogy of how a municipal budget works.

Every year the town gets with the auditor and he tells the town how much total money can be spent for the next fiscal year. That number is, for the most part, set in concrete. It doesn’t matter if you spend money and then get it back it still counts against the budget.
It is not a revolving budget. It is not like a credit card that has a limit on it. You don’t get to make payments on it and get to keep spending as long as you stay under your credit limit.

Look at it like this. The auditor says you can spend 60 dollars for the whole year. At the start of the fiscal year to make sure you don’t go over budget he gives you two jars. One is completely empty and painted black where you can’t see in it. The second is clear glass and full of 60 marbles that represents each dollar you can spend. Now for each dollar you spend throughout the year you pull one marble out of the clear jar and put into the black jar and you never will see it again for the rest of that year.

Say you spend 5 dollars this month. You take 5 marbles out of the clear jar and put them into the black jar and you can’t see them any more. Let’s say that month someone pays their bill owed to the city of 6 dollars. That money goes into the bank and no marbles are put into the clear jar.

Then the next month you pay more bills using money in the bank and use up marbles from the clear jar. You receive more revenue and you put that money in the bank. You continue this cycle until all the marbles in the clear jar are gone or the end of the fiscal year comes, which ever is first.

When all the marbles from the clear jar are gone your expenditures are finished. You can’t get marbles out of the black jar and use them again. And the money that went into the bank didn’t come with any marbles. You can't buy more marbles with the money in the bank either. You only get more marbles again after next years audit and the auditor tells you how many you can have.

Even though you know there is money in the bank and you know that there are marbles in the black jar your budget is determined by the clear jar. When you use all of your marbles from it, there is no more spending allowed. Next year you will get the marbles back out of the black jar and you might get extra ones or the auditor may take a few away, based upon the revenues received.

Trustees should understand and keep track of our marbles in the clear jar all of the time.

DO WE STILL HAVE A POLICE CHIEF / FREEBIES FOR THE NEW CLINIC

2009-05-10T20:32:00.013-05:00

Do we still have a police chief? After coming out of executive session a motion carried instructing the new Mayor Lewis Carpenter to act upon what was discussed in executive session. That could mean anything including firing of the Police Chief.

There seems to be a new trend when coming out the executive session, that is, to make a motion to do something they decided to do in executive session. More secrets? So based on what happened at the last meeting one could assume that Buffalo may be without a police chief since no one knows what was said in the executive session and they can’t talk about it. Only leaves one to speculate what they are doing to him.

Hopefully Jeremy can avoid being contacted by Lewis long enough to conclude his investigation of the toddler’s death. So if anyone sees or hears from Jeremy please be sure to find out if he is still our police chief. Will he still be the police chief after June 30?

Has Jeremy endured more executive sessions than any former police chief in the history of Buffalo? He has only been here a little over six months. Could it be he is doing exactly what he was hired to do? This is approaching the edge of turning into a hostile work environment for him. Just hope we never lose him to the petty shenanigans coming from members of the Board and City Hall. Jeremy comes across as a pretty thick chested guy, will these things deflect off of him easily? When you see him, tell him you appreciate everything is doing for our community.

A special meeting will be held on May 11th to discuss and review the HCCH lease agreement. Take special notice in how the City Clerk, who is responsible for the posted agenda, left the word "ACTION" off of the description. This is a famous observable fact that City Hall uses to control the direction of certain activities by hindering the options that are available for the board to utilize. Don’t want the board to be able to do anything… conveniently leave the word "ACTION" off of the agenda item...that will tie their hands.

At issue is clarifying who is going to pay for the utility bills and how those will be handled. Also the taxpayers of Buffalo may be getting short changed on the square footage that is used to calculate the monthly rent. 2 out of 5 trustees work for the hospital so it will be very interesting to see where their true interests lie, as they take their seat to represent the Town of Buffalo as elected Trustees. Will there be a conflict of interest?

It is hard to think of any sustainable business that survives by giving away their office space for free. Furthermore, most renters pay for their own utility bills. Now if someone has done an analysis of the historic utility usage of the building and then uses that data to set the rental rate that would be different. Since there is no way of knowing what the new clinic will use, it is only fitting to make them take care of their own utilities. Instead the preference now will be to pull numbers out of their butt each month as to what their fair share will be. Taxpayer subsidizing a private clinics utilities, what a concept.

In conclusion on this topic, having the town pay the bills for the hospital will have a detrimental effect on the operational budget of the town. When the Town has this much on its plate, using up part of the Town’s budget to pay the clinic’s utilities is incomprehensible. The public trust should be the entity handling this lease to remove the effects that it may have on the Town’s budget. “The Public Trust”…will that turn out to be an oxymoron for Buffalo?

Holy Flames Batman, They're Torching OUR Pocketbooks!!

2009-05-04T17:27:00.002-05:00

This coming Town Board meeting is heating up to be an inferno of controversy. On the agenda is the proposal to establish charges for the fire department’s responses. The “Run Fee” policy proposal tentatively has amounts ranging from $300.00 to $400.00 penciled in for ALL RESPONSES. (fires or rescue….in town or out). The fire hydrant issue has been a hot topic for quite some time and this should only add more fuel to the fire.

Because of the hydrant issue our ISO rating, that many property insurances are based on, was sitting at an 8. That undesirable ISO rating may be causing your insurance premiums to be as much as 35% to 40% higher. The ISO rating is not solely tied to the fire hydrants. However, the flow rate of these hydrants could impact the rating. If our ISO rating were to be improved to a better class, a policy holder could see substantial savings in their annual premium. Because of the disrepair of the hydrants we may loose our good ISO rate an soon may be paying higher property insurance premiums.

UPDATE: The ISO rating for Buffalo has within the last year been up graded to a 6 from an 8. Because of this new ISO rating, a sample insurance rate for a 4 bedroom house in Buffalo, the premium was reduced by 27%. A policy that used to cost $1330 per year dropped to $971. That is a saving of $359 per year on this example!!

Now our elected officials may be so proud of our fire suppressing system they may think it is fitting to charge us a fee for a response. If you don’t have all of your property insured and you can’t pay the fee what happens next. Could they put the response fee on your property taxes? If you couldn't’t pay the $300 to $400 response fee how can you pay the extra amount on your property taxes? Could the municipal government then get a tax deed on your property because you couldn't’t pay your response fee? You betcha!!

What are we getting for our city sales taxes and monthly municipal bills? The town of Buffalo has the highest possible sales tax rate in the state. The town of Buffalo has year after year carried over moneys from the previous year’s budget into the next fiscal year only to have that extra money put into CD’s. Would it have been nice if the money would have been put into the fire suppression system that we have in place to better our ISO ratings? Would it have been nice to get a break on our insurance premiums before we get scorched by the flames of these response fees? Update: Not all insurance companies have the new ISO ratings in their database and many policies may not have had their premiums adjusted, that is if they use the ISO rating at all.

And what about those who can’t afford to insure their properties? They are not going to call the fire department for help when they know they will get burned again with a bill from the town. Will people be endangering their lives and property because they know how hard it is, in this economic downturn, to keep a loaf of bread on the table let alone shell out 3 to 4 hundred bucks for a response fee?

"Honey! Run and get garden hose drug into kitchen...Skillet caught fire again!"

"Hurry every chance you get... don't want the firemen to get here first" "Can't afford Em".

Maintain the new ISO rating before setting run fees! Continue to keep the ISO rating to help us save money on our insurance premiums! Then maybe you will get more money from people pledging that savings to the Buffalo Fireman’s Association than the fees you want to charge the taxpayers of the community.

Gus Blackwell rips Treasurer in Harper County Journal article

2009-04-26T22:46:00.013-05:00

Look at the following verbage that was used in a recent article that was published in the Harper County Journal.

Treasurer believes that the law is unconstitutional
Treasurer simply chose to disobey the state law
doesn't have to follow the law
Treasurer again chose to ignore this law
blatant violation of law
Treasurer would still be in violation of state law

They seem to have a negative tone as they stand alone. No one noticed the tone of these words. No feathers even became ruffled.
Yet when similar things have been written regarding Buffalo’s elected officials there is a perceived outrage. What gives?

These selected words came from his Capitol Corner article that is publish by numerous area papers. Gus, who also is an elected State Representative, can rip one of our elected officials and probably didn’t get one email from anyone from Buffalo. When you read the full article it is obvious that he is upset with the State Treasurer. Nonetheless, he is showing zeal about something he believes in. I am “okay” with this. I like his passion and I appreciate him for having it. If only we could be just as “okay” with people that have the same passion about our very own city government.

Note: The selected verbage that was used for this post is specifically selected parts of sentences that appeared in the article and its context shall not be construed in any way to be applicable to our city officials. This was done for illustrational purposes only.

NEW TOPIC COMMENTS

2009-04-25T22:46:00.005-05:00

This for comments that may not be related to topics that have been posted.

NEW ARTICLES WORTH SEEING FROM INSIDE BUFFALO

2009-04-25T22:46:00.001-05:00

First check out this must read article.
HARNESSING THE ECONOMIC WIND

Here is an interesting take from an outsider.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

(N)ew (B)log (C)lientele

2009-04-20T22:34:00.007-05:00

It is interesting to see where the blog visitors come from.

(Click on Map for Bigger View)

NBC Universal came to have a look at ONSIDEBUFFALO.
Why would they be interested with what is happening in Buffalo?

POOL TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER?

2009-04-17T00:43:00.020-05:00

Apparently Joe has misunderstood The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. Because of the title of the act, he must think that it is only applicable for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Because of this error, it is yet to be determined if the municipal swimming pool will get the required drain modification to be properly permitted for this summer's swimming season.

This act is actually a federal requirement. Oklahoma is the 46th state of the union. This union, which is commonly referred to as The United States of America, has its own form of government. This regime is known to most as the Federal Government. It trumps state governments. Since Oklahoma is a part of that union, it has to participate and follow the rules that are set out by the federal government. What they say goes.

So instead of opening the pool before Memorial Weekend, last year the lower the bar standard of Fourth of July opening was met. With this trend the Labor Day Weekend opening must be the new bench mark Joe has his sights on.

Those are the big three Holidays of the summer so plan your vacation package accordingly. Virginia is for Lovers is a popular tourism and travel slogan. If you do go to Virginia you will be right next door to the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. Check it out while you’re out there. That’s where the Federal Government is located that actually enacted The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.

FIRE HYDRANT DILEMMA

2009-04-16T22:36:00.007-05:00

I added circles to the fire hydrants to highlight the coverage areas or more importantly the lack thereof. This is for informational purposes only. It may or may not actually represent the fire departments ability to protect your property. This is not intended to point a finger at anyone for allowing over half of our fire hydrants to get to the state of needing complete replacement or repair.

IT IS TIME TO QUIT PUSSY FOOTING AROUND THIS PROBLEM AND SEND OUT FOR BID A CONTRACT FOR THE NEEDED REPLACEMENT OF THE FIRE HYDRANTS IN THE MOST UNPROTECTED AREAS OF BUFFALO ! (all caps is considered to be voicing something strongly or quite simply YELLING)

CLICK ON THIS MAP FOR LARGER VIEW

INSIDE BUFFALO FIRE HYDRANT ARTICLE

UPDATE APRIL 16, 2009

Anonymous said...
Anyone know where we stand on the fire hydrant issue? According to the map one that isn't working is by my home......

FYI

THESE TWO FIRE HYDRANTS HAVE BEEN LAYING AROUND FOR A LONG TIME JUST WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO DIG A HOLE AND INSTALL THEM.

MAYBE SOMEONE HAS JUST BEEN WAITING FOR A RAINY DAY TO GET
(AROUND TO IT)

BUT THEN AGAIN, IT MAY BE HARD TO FIGURE OUT JUST WHERE TO BEGIN INSTALLING THEM FIRST.

For a quarter you should be able to get a copy of the "secret document" at city hall of the most recent City Manager's report that explains just what exactly has been done since the last meeting in March regarding the fire hydrant issue.

New Modern Day Record Set

2009-04-11T12:17:00.006-05:00

Here is a list of some interesting things that can be noticed when you look at the Town of Buffalo’s database on the DEQ’s Safe Drinking Water Information System. Let’s start off with the most recent one. This one shows the Town of Buffalo has apparently set a new record for number of deficiencies at least as far back as this database goes.

You may also notice that there appears to be a significant deficiency that was found in August of 2007 that has yet to be resolved. These concerns are from site visits to the water system facility which is out at Doby Springs. Quite simply, these are inspections where the water comes up from the ground.

If you look further into the database you will notice that the following information is archived on their website.

So a little over a year ago one of the towns water wells was inactivated by the direction of Kenny Ground the area DEQ representative. Why? And furthermore, why wasn't any of this information shared with the community. Do the Trustees even know?

There is a related article that is on "Inside Buffalo"

Here is the link... D.E.Q. Visits Doby Springs

Upbeat Progress Before and After

2009-04-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

MONTAGE OF THOMAS SOWELL QUOTES

2009-03-17T22:48:00.000-05:00

“It's amazing how much panic one honest man can spread among a multitude of hypocrites.”-
“It is amazing how many of those who consider themselves "thinking people" respond automatically to words the way Pavlov`s dog was conditioned to respond to certain sounds”-
“The problem isn't that Johnny can't read. The problem isn't even that Johnny can't think. The problem is that Johnny doesn't know what thinking is; he confuses it with feeling.”

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best"-
"The beauty of doing nothing is that you can do it perfectly"-
"The simplest and most psychologically satisfying explanation of any observed phenomenon is that it happened that way because someone wanted it to happen that way.”-
“It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.”-
“We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did.”

“It is bad enough that so many people believe things without any evidence. What is worse is that some people have no conception of evidence and regard facts as just someone else’s opinion.”-
“Reality is not optional.”-
“People used to say, "Ignorance is no excuse." Today, ignorance is no problem. After all, you have "a right to your own opinion" -- and self-esteem to boot.”-
“Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? (2) At what cost? and (3) What are the hard facts?”-
“What is more frightening than any particular policy or ideology is the widespread habit of disregarding facts.”-
“When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”-
"Facts do not speak for themselves. They speak for or against competing theories. Facts divorced from theories or visions are mere isolated curiosities.”-
“For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert; but for every fact there is not necessarily an equal and opposite fact”

“The welfare state is not really about the welfare of the masses. It is about the egos of the elites.”-
“The words games of the left — from the mantra of "diversity" to the pieties of "compassion" — are not just games. They are ways of imposing power by evading issues of substance through the use of seductive rhetoric."-
"People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the time of people who have work to do"-
”One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”-
“Talkers are usually more articulate than doers, since talk is their specialty.”-
"Not only does the passage of time produce knowledge, it also produces ignorance... As the passage of time removes people with first-hand knowledge of an earlier era, they are replaced by people ignorant of those times and therefore easy targets for demagogues.”

“It is amazing how many people think that the government's role is to give them what they want by overriding what other people want.”-
"The desire to order other people around and make them conform to one own’s vision takes many forms."-

“The reason so many people misunderstand so many issues is not that these issues are so complex, but that people do not want a factual or analytical explanation that leaves them emotionally unsatisfied. They want villains to hate and heroes to cheer - and they don't want explanations that do not give them that.”-

“The big divide in this country is not between Democrats and Republicans, or women and men, but between talkers and doers.”-
“Those who have created nothing have maintained a constant barrage of criticism of those who created something.”-
“Why can't the talkers leave the doers alone? Perhaps it is because that would leave the talkers on the sidelines, with their uselessness being painfully obvious to all, instead of being in the limelight and "making a difference"

Quotes of Thomas Sowell

HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE !

2009-03-17T22:14:00.006-05:00

Well the line has been drawn and the challenge has been declared. Inside Buffalo says, “All you Buffalo Blogspot commenters who either post anonymously or post with a moniker/name volunteering to help clean up Buffalo or do other good deeds... Join Now!”

So I did.

But what about the rest of you blog readers and anonymous posters will you?

Recently a person made an interesting analogy at a C of C meeting that I think may be applicable here. It was about a team of huskies for a dogsled. When the dogs are un-hitched from the sled and they are tied out they sometimes snip at each other a little bit. But when they are hitched up to the sled they all pull together as a team. Nothing else, they just pull together. Their instincts kick in and they work as hard as they can to pull that sled in the right direction.

Here is a chance for all of us to hitch ourselves up to the sled and start pulling the sled in the right direction as a team. The gangline consist of lead dogs, point dogs, swing dogs, wheel dogs, and team dogs. There should be an opportunity for everyone that joins to find a good fit for this mushing effort.

Even though we get tied out to our stakes and sometimes snip at one another now and then, we can still be like a team of huskies and get ourselves hitched up and pull this sled together. It is time to let “our” instincts kick in.

Here is the link to the article that has the opportunity to sign up as a team. Let’s go mushing!

Click Here to Join the Effort

TODDLER’S DEATH CASE REOPENED $10,000 REWARD OFFERED

2009-03-11T16:47:00.007-05:00

Here is a link about the story that aired on channel 4 KFOR 10 o'clock news on March 10th.

Click on the link below to read

KFOR STORY LINK

This link will jump you to the recorded newscast.
This story begins around the 4 minute mark.
VIDEO OF NEWSCAST

KFOR TV REPORT

2009-03-10T16:58:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to the KFOR TV report on the feces laden neighborhood. Does it have to be next to your own back yard before it really matters? This is shamefully embarrassing. It is time to call your representatives to demand help for these people.

LORD HELP US............................(click here for text version of the story)

Here is the link for the newscast. The story begins at the 3 minute mark. VILE VIDEO--CLICK HERE TO GET THE SCOOP ON THE POOP NewsChannel 4 @ 10:00 p.m.

HEY PEOPLE LOOK AT THE CIP

2009-03-08T23:31:00.009-05:00

This is a snapshot of Buffalo's CIP created back in 2004. The items checked off by green were already in the works and therefore were completed. The board voted recently to do the golf course irrigation system at Doby Springs Golf Course next.

click on document for larger view

Click on the link below to see for yourself

CIP PROJECT ARCHIVED BY INSIDE BUFFALO

Let's keep shooting at the messenger its more fun than reality.

Town "BORED" meeting held.

2009-03-05T00:25:00.002-06:00

Audits aren’t interesting!

Here is link to new articles.

HOT NEWS ARTICLES

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT

2009-02-28T23:08:00.002-06:00

CLICK HERE

DOBY SPRINGS "HAZARDS"

2009-02-21T01:22:00.001-06:00

Unified Decision

2009-02-18T21:54:00.003-06:00

The Town Board, by a vote of 3 to 0, approved a budget for the Police Department for the remainder of the fiscal year. Forty Thousand was allotted for the period of February 1st through June 30, 2009.

Immediately after the budget was approved, the Board, again unanimously, set a pay scale for a full time police officer. The amount was set at $1800.00 plus benefits.

Lastly, Trent Maggard was subsequently hired as a full time police officer for the Town of Buffalo Police Department. This was also with a resounding collective vote of yes.

Tommy Painter was then commended by Chief Murrell and the members of the Board for his continuous service as volunteer reserve police officer.

Chance Brown’s service on the board will be shortly coming to an end as he has chosen to divest his time in other interests and thus elected not to run for the seat again. However he can rest assured that he had a positive impact on the implementation of the renewed Buffalo Police Department and can be proud of that legacy which he leaves behind.

Doby Springs Nature Trail

2009-02-16T21:58:00.001-06:00

MAYOR....I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT "PROFESSIONAL"

2009-02-05T16:49:00.006-06:00

The Mayor says the new Police Chief is not "professional". Those lucky enough to be present at the meeting got to witness a verbal reprimand of the Chief of Police that was presented by the Mayor of Buffalo. This happened in open session.

Oh by the way, there was not an agenda item for the disciplining of employees anywhere on the listed agenda. If it would have been on the agenda for the meeting it would have been done in executive session not in the public forum which it occurred. Apparently the Mayor has deemed the Police Chief demoted to only be the city's ordinance enforcement officer. The Mayor has issues with his authority to investigate crimes and uphold the laws of the state. Obviously the Mayor has a vendetta for the new Police Chief.

All he was trying to do is get more help in way of budget approval. All he wanted was to hire one police officer to assist in the protection of the citizens of this town. He was originally led to believe he was hired to be the Chief of Police for the renewed police department. He says he can’t provide the police protection that the town needs without the additional assistance of hiring one additional police officer. He has presented budget proposals that are thousands of dollars less than the previous Sheriff’s contract. Furthermore, the budget is even more thousands of dollars less than the former city police department’s budget prior to when it was relinquished to the county.

The Police Chief tried on several occasions to bring the discussion back on topic of the agenda, only to find himself defending his employed position as the Chief while standing in front of the public body.

“Discussion and possible action to establish the amount for salary and benefits for a police officer” was the agenda item.

How does this agenda rationalize the public ridicule he went through is beyond reason.

Mayor was your conduct “professional”?

Is the silence by the rest of the board members acceptance of the Mayor's stance?

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARTICLES
http://insidebuffalo.net/fiasco.htm
http://insidebuffalo.net/daMoney.htm

THE GOSSIP GAME

2009-01-26T12:30:00.004-06:00

CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE ON INSIDEBUFFALO
CONTRIBUTED BY ONSIDEBUFFALO.

http://insidebuffalo.net/index-17.php

Who’s Gonna fill their shoes?

2009-01-24T13:37:00.003-06:00

My family owned and operated a café for more than fifty years in Buffalo. It was started by my late grandma and grandpa Harper. It was then handed down to their children and so my dad and uncle ran it until they retired from it. It was put up for sale and never survived after that. But how did it last the first fifty years? It was family. It literally was a family restaurant. Roots that ran deep. So the help often consisted of cousins, sisters, brothers, moms, dads, aunts, and uncles. The elders of those retired and the younger choose different careers. Most moved away, some lived out their lives here, and a few continue to do so. So the significant aspect of this is, the younger ones that choose a different career and leave Buffalo behind are having an impact on the survivorship of our businesses.

Many of the existing businesses of Buffalo have roots that, in a sense, make them a family business. Whether they took over from their parents or they bought a business and have children themselves. Take a moment right now and think about how many businesses that this applies to in this town. Now then, this situation is even more aptly applied to the farming/ranching community around Buffalo.

So here we have these family businesses all around us that reveal that their survivorship is reliant upon the younger ones....the children, to take over the reins. But remember, like most, the young adults choose different careers and end up moving away. The business runs its course and eventually closes its doors leaving empty shoes to fill. So take a few moments and imagine 10, 15, 20 years from now who will be operating the stores and businesses that you take for granted will always be there????

If no one is here to take over a business, what do we do? We recruit the other people of the world that are “moving away”, to come to Buffalo. That we can do. But getting them here is not the journey. It is just the first step. It is the planting of the seed. Supporting them so that they establish their roots is the blueprint for survivorship of Buffalo. If we don’t the venture was wasted. When lack of support of these business enterprises causes them to give in, then I wonder…..“Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”

APPEARANCES FROM THE AUDIENCE, MAN DID THEY EVER!!

2009-01-23T22:43:00.000-06:00

My there were a lot of people at the board meeting. And everyone who stayed got to witness but maybe not hear a public tongue lashing let loose by several audience members concerning blog posts and online magazines. Do they hope for the town board to pass a city ordinance to ban these computer websites? It is hard to figure out how the appearances from the audience portion of the meeting are to be used for public outrage for what is written online. Nevertheless, people where able to speak their mind and that is a good thing. If what is written on these pages upsets people to the point of trembling and shaking because they are so upset then please refrain from reading here. I again apologize for upsetting those of you. The town board meeting is still not the venue to be used for such activity but there is no surprise to say the least. Appreciation goes out to the very few people that took the time to raise their concerns in a civil manner after the meeting.

Addressing the issue raised tonight from a concerned individual demanding a retraction for previous posts there will be none at this time until the necessary studies are made. I did my homework and we are not out of the woods yet. If you felt misled by the posts I didn't mean to do that. I still firmly believe that there is a capacity issue and until the board takes the steps to fully address that situation it will always be up in the air. The core of the expense will be for earthwork related items which have not been fully addressed. The "total" costs for upgrades for the facility have yet to be determined. The sum of these is what I have predicted to be expensive. The fines did not reach six figures in itself and that may be what the retraction demand was for. As stated in the original post I would prefer to eat crow but now it is too early to set the table for that meal.

Furthermore, we all live in the same 73834 zip code. I don’t see it being divided. Obviously there is frustration with a lot of things going on and that only shows that people care. Ganging up on people seems to be a routine approach here lately. I am an individual writing what I believe and I don’t expect everyone to agree. This is the venue I choose to use. This week alone 208 different individuals have looked in on this blog. I believe it is useful.

The cat is out of the bag, and since this the first time anyone has eluded to the blog author it is now fully disclosed in the blog profile. I find it amazing that it took this long for a request of it to be revealed. My apologizies to Inside Buffalo for bearing the brunt from all of my posts.

I will share my thoughts on the extra police officer and others thoughts at a later time.

IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR!

2009-01-20T17:42:00.004-06:00

At the last January 7th board meeting in which Mr. Bishop was absent from, the Mayor recused herself from the agenda item regarding the modification of a city ordinance that causes the City Treasurer and City Clerk to, in general, get a raise every time raises are given to the town’s laborers. The Mayor removed herself because of the conflict of interest regarding this issue and the fact that it affects her mother-in-law the City Treasurer. Because of this, the board no longer had a quorum and thus couldn’t address the issue at that time. That is exactly how that situation should have transpired.

The goal is to remove the stupid language of the ordinance prior to the filing period of the City Treasurer’s office this election period. Apparently this move is meeting resistance from the Clerk and Treasurer’s office. It was requested at the last meeting for this to be on the next (January 21st) meeting’s agenda for another attempt to bring this to a vote of the board. The City Clerk left it off this week’s agenda. After all, the more delays there are, the less likely to get any language changed before the filing period in February. An addendum to the agenda had to be posted. This is after persistence from a Town’s Trustee who is elected to address these types of issues, of which the clerk and treasurer cannot vote on. Since they can’t vote, they leave things off and continue to have selective memories. That is the typical underhanded political maneuvering that we have all come to love and expect from the city staff.

Speaking of being selective, that brings me back to the Mayor and her relationship with her elected mother-in-law, the City Treasurer. As mentioned earlier, the Mayor removed herself from the issue and caused a momentary lack of quorum for the meeting. A possible change of the ordinance could have had a negative impact on her mother-in-law’s salary and was unable to proceed. But think back a few weeks earlier when the Mayor chose to continue to participate in the pay raise that affected her mother-in-law the City Treasurer. Since this was a positive impact she continued to participate and influenced the success of the pay raise in which she had a conflict of interest. So the City Mayor remains seated in positive actions for her mother-in-law the City Treasurer and yet the Mayor decides not to participate in the things that have a negative impact on her mother-in-law the City Treasurer.

But is there any surprise here? This is the same “Trustee” that is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the hospital of which is getting a new clinic in City Hall, at the taxpayers expense, due to her participation, guidance, and leadership.

If there is an “appearance” of conflict of interest, is it better to recuse oneself and remove any doubt that may linger? Recusing oneself should be done in its entirety which includes the discussion part of it. Participating and then abstaining on the vote is not the same.

These are the types of things that remind me of what happens to Buffalo when the wind blows from the East …. It stinks!!

Board Voted to Move the Buffalo Police Headquarters Clear Out to the Municipal Airport

2009-01-10T18:10:00.005-06:00

In what may prove to have been a hasty move Wednesday night the board voted to move the Buffalo Police Headquarters clear out to the Municipal Airport. In order to provide a secure work environment at city hall the board passed a motion to move the Buffalo Police Department to the Municipal Airport north of Buffalo. Evidently this action was taken without any involvement or knowledge by its very own Airport Board. So after all of the hard work to get the Town of Buffalo’s police department restarted they immediately cast it out of the city limits. Granted, it is city property and it is a city owned building. So,they do have that right bestowed within themselves to do this if they so choose to, BY GOSH! With no opportunity for input from the Airport Board and little opportunity from citizens concerned about their safety with the police department residing out of the city limits we have been NIKE’d. They “just did it”.

With the new clinic being put in city hall there evidently is no other alternative to provide a separate police wing. The separate area is needed so that the staff at city hall can work comfortable without potential concerns of criminals being brought through their halls for interrogation. There are times when suspects need to be separated during interrogations and placing them in an occupied office poses a risk.

Shortsightedness and selfishness still exists with our City government. When they were making the decision to remodel for the clinic they were also bringing back the Police Department. Why didn’t the staff and board raise these concerns then? Would that have jeopardized the clinic implementation? Is there so much focus on the clinic that they failed to realize their very own needs. So a knee jerk, selfish move is to grab another location that they happen to own and use it without any consultation with those involved. (Airport Board and citizens that may be concerned about a police department that doesn’t reside in the community)

They further distanced themselves from any consideration that citizens may have, (about the police chief and/or officers being stationed out at the airport), by reacting without considering other alternatives. Their predicament is a result of bending over backwards to accommodate the new doctor and the new clinic. Is there a better solution to this problem than to permanently place the Town of Buffalo’s Police Headquarters out at the Municipal Airport? Isn’t there some place within Buffalo that can be used for the police headquarters?

In other news the City Manager brought about an official complaint which was levied against one of the town’s reserve officers. Evidently Joe has visual radar and deemed the reserve officer drives to fast. He formally reported the fast driving allegations to the new police chief causing an official permanent document to be filed against the officer. Coincidentally, this is the same reserve officer that backed into the new city police vehicle with his own personal vehicle thus causing minor damage to the new cop vehicle. It should be noted that the reserve officer made the necessary arrangements to have his personal insurance cover all of the expenses of the needed repairs. Well, at least he is paying for his mistakes.

Harper County Highly Ranked for Overall Rate of Cancer

2009-01-08T23:18:00.013-06:00

Is the Onside Buffalo five state map recognized by some of you out there? Why is Harper County represented by red? Does Buffalonian hit the nail on the head? Other people seem to have similar concerns. By the way, the map was put up on the Blog well before Buffalonian responded about their concerns. The above map is a close up of Oklahoma and gives more details on the data of the mainpage five state map.

To read Buffalonian's comments and others. Click on the link below.

http://onsidebuffalo.blogspot.com/2008/12/picture-says-thousand-words.html

FILING PERIOD IS OPEN

2009-01-01T23:03:00.000-06:00

There are two full term board slots and then one to fill the remaining term of the recently vacated board position. The dynamics of the board could really change for the better or the people’s vote will be banal and status quo will prevail.

It is time for you to challenge yourself to step up to the plate and make a positive impact for Buffalo. Or encourage someone else to run for office.

This should not be a popularity contest. These are demanding positions and they deserve to be occupied by persons willing to commit lots of time and put forth honest efforts toward the issues that will be encountered.

Also the Town Treasurer's position is coming up.

Who is willing to stick their neck out? Is anyone out there up for the challenge?

Superintendent’s Contract Renewal Passes

2009-01-01T22:57:00.000-06:00

The Buffalo High School Board voted to renew the Superintendent’s contract by a vote of 3 to 2. Hudson, Pearson, and Bowles voted in favor of the renewal. Weder and Olson voted against the Superintendent's contract renewal.

Who will file for office? How will you vote?

2008-12-31T22:53:00.004-06:00

The filing period is in February for three positions of Town Board of Trustees. There are two full terms and then one to fill the remaining term of the recently vacated position. The dynamics of the board could really change for the better or the people’s vote will be banal and status quo will prevail. It is time for you to challenge yourself to step up to the plate and make a positive impact for Buffalo. Encourage someone to run for office. Vote for the best candidates for that office. This should not be a popularity contest. These are demanding positions and they deserve to be occupied by persons willing to commit lots of time and put forth honest efforts toward the issues that will be encountered.

Also the Town Treasure's position is coming up. That would be an excellent one to see challenged. It pays very well too.

Buss and Harper are the two Trustees that do not have to run for office. Linda does not run for office this time either.

Is anyone out there up for the challenge? Who is willing to stick their neck out?

WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH

2008-12-21T14:01:00.007-06:00

Where there is no vision.
At a recent town board meeting it was interesting to note that the town’s economic developer seemed to firmly believe that the capacity of the wastewater treatment facility is sufficient. There seems to be a lot of opposition regarding the accuracy of the presentation at the 2010 meetings that where held in the past. This information was presented by the state’s Department of Commerce. The slide show clearly proclaims that the wastewater treatment facility is at full capacity. There must therefore be in existence some evidence to the contrary of that presentation. Evidence that would dispute the situation that exists right now will not continue to exist. As previously pointed out by the article “Anyway you look at it” from the Inside Buffalo website, there are indications that the facility needs to be upgraded to handle its inflow.

Where there is no vision.
One would think that the economic developer of the Town of Buffalo would be the champion crusader for growth of the community. The desirable goals of the economy for the town would be progress. With progress, there would be developmental growth of the town, new houses, new businesses, and more residents. That will put more strain on the sewage system. However, the sensitivity with the associated costs of the expansion of the system is clouding the ability to come to terms with the situation. The capacity issue is not sensitive in itself. The town is reaching the limit of, and may have already outgrown its ability to handle, what is going to the plant. Being unprepared is what has created the inability to stop hiding from the truth.

The people perish.
If you have a system that is maxed out it will not allow for any growth to it. If there is no desire to expand the system then the alternatives would be to reduce the load to it. In order to reduce the load to this treatment plant the number of residents using it would need to go down. Also the number of business would need to be reduced to lower the strain on the wastewater treatment plant. The number of visitors and shoppers will need to be reduced or maybe they will be asked to “go” somewhere else besides Buffalo. Evidently, the evidence the economic developer is relying upon, is for people to move from Buffalo, businesses to close down in Buffalo, and visitors to go somewhere else besides Buffalo.

The people perish.
Is the economic developer’s plan for Buffalo to tell a potential business or developer to come back in about 10 years? By then we hope to have lost enough people that we will be able to handle the strain that you are going to put on our system. But if you come today we will be forced to bite the bullet and upgrade our wastewater treatment facility.

Where there is no vision the people perish.
Upgrades could be expensive and the town may have to borrow money to do them. It has never borrowed money for a big infrastructure project. And that is what has created the dire situations that exist with all of the infrastructures of Buffalo. The stronghold that has existed for years inside City Hall can be blamed for the shortsightedness of its operations. The only way they know how to invest in this community is through a certificate of deposit of its extra money into a bank. City Hall’s inability or flat out refusal to admit that there is a problem will do nothing but lengthen the time it takes to deal with them. Maybe they hope to divert the issues long enough that they won’t have to spend time and effort working on them during their tenure.

Fortunately, the town board does have the ability to change the direction of the town’s policy, or lack there of. But do they have the vision to temporarily cast their friendships aside to do what is best for the betterment of the community? Only time will tell.
Linda,Leah,James and Joe.....What is your vision?
Buss,Brown,Bishop, and Harper it's your legacy.....Will the people perish?

TOWN BOARD MEETING - DEQ & MYERS ENGINEERING

2008-12-16T12:52:00.004-06:00

Meeting to be held on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 6:00 pm at the Library. As the agenda has not been posted as of this date/time, here is an overview of what is expected.

Both DEQ and Myers Engineering will have officials present to discuss the issues of our wastewater system. This is a question and answer subject. Please come prepared.

Discussion on the Library roof potential roof repairs.

SEE COMMENTS FOR COMPLETE AGENDA THAT HAS FINALLY BEEN LET OUT TO THE PUBLIC.

A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS

2008-12-10T17:49:00.004-06:00

Besides the captions what do these pics posted on Inside Buffalo say?

http://insidebuffalo.net/index-22.php

Is megafines a word?

CITY MANAGER....BLOWING SMOKE?

2008-12-06T11:16:00.006-06:00

At the last meeting, the city manager mentioned doing a smoke test on the sewer lines of Buffalo. What is this? This test is primarily used to detect areas of unwarranted inflow into the sewer system. Such would be roof gutter and/or down spouts that are hooked into the home sewer lines. Storm water drainage pipes that are cross connected with the sewer lines. Old abandoned houses and building sewer lines that may be allowing surface water to enter the system. There may be old lateral lines, from septic systems which have been hooked into the sewer system. Leakage around manhole cover rings may also be a problem. The smoke test may also detect damaged and leaking joints in sewer pipes and other overflow problems with the sewer system. And of course illegal connections such as dog kennels equipped to rinse down their mess.
Basically it is finding areas that when it rains, that rain enters the sewer system and unnecessarily gets dumped into the sewer lagoons.

When the smoke test is performed the areas are marked and then they can be evaluated for possible corrections. This smoke is toxic and will make you very sick if you inhale it, that is, if it doesn’t kill you first. The number of people killed will reduce the numbers that use the sewer system and bring the system back to capacity, thus saving the town thousand upon thousand of dollars! (Just kidding!!)
“It is actually non-toxic, harmless and has no odor.”

This approach would be used for a situation where the capacity of the treatment system based on population or actual usage was not an issue and yet the system was still exceeding capacity. So for finding troubles with the lines themselves and addressing extra water that may enter the sewer system illegally the smoke test would be used. This smoke and mirrors approach will not address the capacity issue at hand. It will only generate more disbelief about the capacity issue. Blowing smoke is not the answer, even though it is the norm. Hasn’t there been a big enough can of worms opened already? Let the sleeping dogs lie.

NEW ARTICLES UNDER HOT NEWS @ INSIDEBUFFALO

2008-12-05T18:42:00.006-06:00

After not much activity from InsideBuffalo in a while there are some new articles that have hit the online magazine. These articles may answer some questions that have been raised concerning some of the Town of Buffalo's latest events.

I have posted links to two of the articles below. Come back to this BLOG and leave comments and raise unanswered questions. Anonymous posting is available to use but please don't abuse it.

Thanks

Click on the article links below to read them.

ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT
http://insidebuffalo.net/index-20.php

Buffalo Oklahoma Town Board
Hikes Pay by 5%
http://insidebuffalo.net/index-44.php

DECEMBER TOWN BOARD MEETING AGENDA AND LOCATION

2008-11-30T08:48:00.003-06:00

AGENDA

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF BUFFALO WILL MEET AT 6:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2008, AT THE BUFFALO THEATRE & COMMUNITY CENTRE, 104 E. WILLIAMS STREET, FOR A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING

Call to order, roll call, declaration of a quorum being present

Discussion & possible action approving the Consent Agenda

Discussion & possible action on any items removed from the Consent Agenda

Discussion & possible action on engineering and DEQ’s inspection of wastewater system with status and changes to be made if appropriate

Discussion & possible action to approve and submit Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grant proposals and adopt REAP grant resolutions

Discussion & possible action to pass & approve a resolution establishing the various rates to be charged at the Doby Springs Golf Course

Discussion & possible action passing & approving a resolution accepting the beneficial interest in the Buffalo Public Works Authority, a public trust, for and on behalf of the Town of Buffalo, Oklahoma

Discussion & possible action to approve and adopt an ordinance amending Chapter 18, Section 18-7(1)(a&b) and (2)(a&b) adopted by reference in Section 17-102 of the Buffalo Town Code, amending water rates; establishing an effective date; and providing for repealer and severability

Discussion & possible action to approve and adopt an ordinance amending Chapter 18, Section 18-3 adopted by reference in Section 17-102 of the Buffalo Town Code, amending sewer rates; establishing an effective date; and providing for repealer and severability.

Discussion & possible action to approve and adopt an ordinance amending Part 8, Health and Nuisances, Chapter 1, Nuisances and Health Generally, of the Buffalo Town Code, by adding a new section which shall be numbered 8-206; which shall be entitled “Penalty”; and which shall read as established in this ordinance; and providing for repealer and severability.

Discussion & possible action to approve and adopt an ordinance amending Part 2, Administration and Government, Chapter 1, Government Organization, of the Buffalo Town Code, by adding a new section which shall be numbered 2-112; which shall be entitled “Vice-Mayor”; and which shall read as established in this ordinance; and providing for repealer and severability.

Discussion & possible action to pass & approve a resolution for the sale of oil and gas lease

Discussion & possible action to approve the purchase of radar for the police department

Discussion & possible action to approve a cost of living increase for all salaried employees

Discussion & possible action to approve the paid holidays for the year 2009

Discussion & possible action on professional office space remodeling project

Appearances from the audience & remarks and inquiries by governing body members

Adjournment

New Polls Added to Blog

2008-11-28T00:05:00.002-06:00

Scores and scores of people check this blog site routinely. So please take the time to vote on the latest polls added to this blog. The results are by no means scientific but it is a way to gauge your thoughts on these issues. The anonymous posting has been opened back up so you don't have to register to leave a comment. This is done as a courtesy to you so please keep it productive. I'll bet if you are reading this then others out there, that get to make the decisions, are too.

JR HIGH BOYS AND GIRLS WIN TOURNAMENT !

2008-11-23T08:06:00.007-06:00

The Jr. High Boys and Girls both won their championship games of the Ellis County Jr. High Tournament that were held Saturday at Fargo. Be sure and congratulate them for their fine accomplishments.

These are the DEQ rules violations for the Wastewater Treatment Facility of the Town of Buffalo

2008-11-22T09:46:00.006-06:00

252:619-1-4. General requirements for total
retention lagoon systems
(d) Discharges prohibited. The permittee shall operate
and maintain the total retention lagoon system so that no
part of the system bypasses or discharges wastes or
wastewater. All such bypasses and/or discharges shall be
considered a violation of this Chapter and be subject to
enforcement as an unpermitted discharge to waters of the
State in violation of the Oklahoma Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System Act.
(2) Required response. Whenever a bypass or
discharge occurs, the permittee shall ensure that
immediate action is taken to stop, contain, clean up
and prevent recurrence of the bypass or discharge.

252:619-1-3. Permit requirements
Pursuant to OAC 252:656, permits are required for the
construction or modification of any non-industrial
wastewater total retention lagoon system.(2 violations)

252:619-3-1. Collection systems serving total
retention lagoons
(d) Pump stations. The permittee shall ensure that pump
stations are properly maintained and operated by doing the
following:
(1) Securing pump stations to prevent unauthorized
access.
(2) Maintaining the pumps in working condition.
(3) Keeping the screens free of debris to prevent
clogging.
(4) Maintaining the required alarms in working order.
(5) Maintaining the required back-up generators
and/or portable engine driven pumps in working order.
(6) Maintaining a complete set of operational
instructions, emergency procedures and maintenance
schedules.

252:619-3-2. Total retention lagoons
(a) Erosion control. The permittee shall prevent erosion
of the lagoon by:
(1) Maintaining a 1:3 slope on the inner and outer
dikes of the lagoon, unless permitted otherwise;

252:619-3-2. Total retention lagoons
(a) Erosion control. The permittee shall prevent erosion
of the lagoon by:
(3) Removing trees and deep-root vegetation from the
dikes and bottom of the lagoon in a timely manner to
maintain the integrity and stability of the lagoon;

First step to recovery is to admit that you have a problem.

2008-11-19T22:01:00.004-06:00

The decisions regarding the sewer pond have been laid to rest on a fictitious table until the next board meeting in December. And possibly could continue to be ignored on into January of 2009. But the board did decide to go ahead and go for the golf course sprinkler system grant. The members of the golf association should be happy about that.

Have you ever seen the ESPN commercial that has a panel of four football experts sitting in on a Congressional hearing about global warming? They are a panel of experts in the wrong setting. This is the same scene with the town personnel and board regarding the lift station and its broken pumps, along with the sewer lagoons and their unlawful bypass. No one would ever expect this organization to be the experts and to have the solutions to this big of an ordeal. Yet the group continues to drag out all aspects of this situation further and further.

The pumps have to be replaced. The panel of experts is Meyers Engineering. Hire them to do a scope, design, and bid package for the modifications that need to be made to the lift station. Quit getting bogged down on these things that nobody expects this entity to have the solutions to. Hand the ball off to the professionals and let them do the work that needs to be done. Request their presence at the next meeting for discussions.

This is a very serious situation that needs to be addressed as efficiently as possible.(By Experts) To continue to allow raw sewage be piped to an area that it wasn't design to be piped to is beyond reason. These pumps have been broken since April of 2008. Millions of gallons of raw sewage have disappeared from storage in the lagoons. Along with the untold amounts of sewage that continued to leak away via the makeshift alterations. The capacity is an issue, the leakage is an issue, and the pumps are an issue. The fix for the pumps and redesign of the lift station is going to be expensive. The new capacity requirements for the sewage treatment facility is going to be expensive. And the fines from DEQ are going to be expensive. The new mayor is going to be in for a rude awakening come January when the DEQ issues their final verdict. Brace yourselves it is going to be expensive. It will be at least six figures. Not sure what that leading number will be. 1, 2, 3, 4......?

This is a very strong position that is being taken. Much rather eat crow than its alternative.

TOP TEN REASONS WHY THE PUMPS ON THE LIFT STATION HAVEN’T BEEN FIXED YET?

2008-11-18T22:05:00.003-06:00

Number 10. Scared of the poo eating alligators!

Number 9. Waiting for the one year anniversary so we can have a party at Celebration Park.

Number 8. Waiting for Harpo, Chico, Groucho, & Zeppo to finish their Monkey Business.

Number 7. Not so fast there buckwheat…. are we sure they’re even broken?

Number 6. We can’t find the maintenance to-do list.

Number 5. Called “phone a friend” for the answers and got put on hold.

Number 4. We’re Conservative.......we don’t fix things.

Number 3. They’re not broke, it was an April Fools Joke!

Number 2. “You want me to touch that!”

And the number one reason why the pumps on the lift station haven’t been fixed yet?
Happy Holidays! We’re buying everyone septic tanks for Christmas!

DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE ACTION ON ENGINEER AND DEQ’S INSPECTION OF WASTEWATER SYSTEM WITH STATUS AND CHANGES TO BE MADE

2008-11-17T22:06:00.002-06:00

AGENDA

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF BUFFALO WILL MEET AT 6:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008, AT THE BUFFALO PUBLIC LIBRARY, 11 E. TURNER STREET, FOR A SPECIAL MEETING

CALL TO ORDER/ DECLARATION OF A QUORUM BEING PRESENT

DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE ACTION ON REAP GRANT PROPOSALS
AND ADOPTION OF GRANT RESOLUTIONS

DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE DEPT. OF
TOURISM GRANT FOR THE GOLF COURSE IRRIGATION SYSTEM

DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE ACTION ON SANTA CLAUS DAY

DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE ACTION ON ENGINEER AND DEQ’S
INSPECTION OF WASTEWATER SYSTEM WITH STATUS AND
CHANGES TO BE MADE

REVIEW & APPROVAL OF A BUILDING PERMITS
1. LEWIS CARPENTER 2. COLLEENA MORGAN 3. LENNES JONES

DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE ACTION ON PROFESSIONAL OFFICE
SPACE REMODELING PROJECT

APPEARANCES FROM THE AUDIENCE & GOVERNING
BODY REMARKS

ADJOURNMENT

Positive Things Taking Shape

2008-11-06T18:46:00.004-06:00

Except for one loud-mouthed remark from the husband of a non-voting town official the board meeting went smoothly and it appears that positive things could be taking shape. To find out what happened check the comments.

I agree, "We need to stick together"

2008-10-28T19:30:00.003-05:00

This is a very public place to share information. The fact is that several hundred different individuals are looking in on this blog every week. Never have there ever been that many people at a Town Board meeting. This can prove to be a useful arena to share information about the activities that are going on. If this blog is reaching out to this many people then its purpose can be served.

MLK Jr. Said “The comfortable, the entrenched, the privileged cannot continue to tremble at the prospect of change in the status quo.”

Currently this town seems to be divided between status quo and forward thinking progress. What legacy will the current board members leave behind with their time on the board? Do they want to face the issues head on or ignore them and hope they go away? There has not been a significant amount of investment put into the infrastructure of this town in several decades. The town’s infrastructure continues to fall apart right before our eyes and yet no one wants to address any of it. There is no 1 year plan; no 5 year plan; there is absolutely no plan at all. There is growth going on around us but the lack of the necessary foresight and planning will not allow any spurt of development to occur within our city limits. We need new development in town which will in turn generate new revenue for the city’s coffers. It will take an investment in the city works itself to promote growth. The city cannot rely solely on the sales tax base. The public utilities that they provide need to be considered as a source of revenue also. A lot of people would be surprised to know that the water tower at the city park has not been in use since the 1970’s. Can you judge the character of a town by the condition of its water tower?

Off the soap box!! What are the solutions? Participation is the solution. There are bigger challenges than any 5 board members and city office staff should have to undertake alone. We need committees and subcommittees and sub-subcommittees working together on what can be done and how. Check our hats at the door, forget about any skeletons in the closet, and put our minds together for the common good of this community. Talk to your favorite board members and encourage the rest of them. Give them confidence to undertake the things that few before them have had to address. Ask yourself what your legacy will be regarding your participation in the future of your home town.

This is my Home Town and I am proud of it. I want the children that are growing up here today to have the same chance to be proud of their Home Town, as am I. Maybe as they grow older they will want to spend their whole life in Buffalo, Oklahoma, as have I.

LEWIS CARPENTER TOWN OFFICIAL OR NOT?

2008-10-23T23:26:00.006-05:00

§11-8-114. Institute - Statewide organization to conduct.
A. Each person elected for the first time to a position of a municipality on or after January 1, 2005, or appointed for the first time on or after July 1, 2006, shall be required within one (1) year after taking the oath of office to attend an institute for municipal officials. The Institute shall be conducted at all times, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, by or under the supervision of a statewide organization that is exempt from taxation under federal law and designated pursuant to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C., Section 170(a). The statewide organization shall demonstrate to the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education that it has represented municipalities, had statutory functions and conducted training programs for municipalities for at least fifteen (15) years prior to November 1, 2005. It shall further demonstrate that its continuous official purpose is to promote the general welfare of cities and towns, to foster or conduct schools, short courses and other training sessions, to provide technical assistance and consultive services and other aids for the improvement and increased efficiency of city and town government, and to serve as the representative of cities and towns in carrying out the duties and prerogatives conferred on it by state law.
B. The Institute shall consist of eight (8) hours of instruction. A certificate of completion shall be awarded to those persons who attend and successfully complete the Institute and a list of those persons shall be filed with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.
C. The curriculum for the Institute shall include, but not be limited to: municipal budget requirements, the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, the Oklahoma Open Records Act, ethics, procedures for conducting meetings, conflict of interest, and purchasing procedures.
D. The Institute shall be held at a minimum of six regional locations in the state. Every effort shall be made by the Institute to accommodate training through long-distance learning.
E. A person elected or appointed to a municipal position who fails to satisfy the education requirements of this section shall cease to hold the position commencing at the next scheduled meeting of the governing body following the first-year anniversary of the person’s taking the oath of office.
F. At the time of filing, the designated statewide organization shall provide the necessary information to the candidate of the option for attendance at the Institute as provided for in this section. In the case of officials nominated and elected for municipal offices at town meetings, the presiding officer of the town meeting shall notify the candidate of the option.

Was Mr. Carpenter elected for the first time after January 1, 2005? Has Mr. Carpenter attended the institute? Has it been a year since he took the oath of office which he was elected? Has he been re-appointed to the board if his position actually ceased?

DEQ REQUESTED

2008-10-23T19:38:00.004-05:00

Town Board approves motion to have DEQ inspect and evaluate waste water treatment facility.

What to do? What to do?

2008-10-09T23:41:00.004-05:00

The Sheriff’s annual budget of dispatch for Fire Department, EMS, and all of the Sheriff’s Deputies approximately $94,771. Marty thinks the Town of Buffalo should pay for one third.That’s $31,590 annually which is equal to $2,633.53 per month.

What do you think?

Cell phone with call forwarding?

Do it themselves and hire a dispatcher to be active when the officer is patrolling.

Pay the requested amount.Pay ______(enter your own amount)

Pay $0

Get the county commissioners to implement the E911 revenue source through landline and cell phone bill. (Estimated to be around $3800.00 a month of potential revenue). And since I kind of like this one let me share with you something interesting. If someone from elsewhere in the state is working in Harper County and they use their cell phone in Harper County more than fifty percent of the time in Harper County then that E911 money off of that person’s cell phone would go to Harper County E911. That’s right no matter if they live somewhere else. It is where the phone is used the most. The cell phone E911 revenue would bring about $1200 of the $3800 mentioned earlier. Cost for per cell phone, 50 cents per month

Are some of the Town Board members in cahoots with INSIDEBUFFALO magazine?

2008-10-07T21:43:00.009-05:00

What is the hot topic that is about to come out in Buffalo? Why are there just a few of the Town board members that are in the know? Is it a coincidence that INSIDEBUFFALO has something juicy? If info is being with held from within its members won’t that cause “it” to hit the fan like INSIDEBUFFALO is predicting? Call the board members. Ask them what is going on. Who knows and who doesn’t? Do we have a right to know?

Town has deep pockets?

2008-10-06T19:04:00.009-05:00

Well, here we go again, the political arena at its finest. This Wednesday, the Town Of Buffalo will be approached about the following two agenda items.

Discussion & possible action approving a Jail Service Agreement with the Harper County Sheriff and the Board of County Commissioners of Harper County to establish the terms and conditions under which municipal prisoners will be housed in the Harper County jail during fiscal year 2008-09

Discussion & possible action regarding an agreement with the Harper County Sheriff to establish the terms and conditions for dispatching services during fiscal year 2008-09

Keep in mind that just recently the Town was approached by another entity of the Board of County Commissioners of Harper County the Harper County Community Hospital. They needed help with funding a building on there behalf at the tune of $30,000 of the Town taxpayer's dollars. The Town gleefully accepted the burden of this expenditure knowing it will have an effect on its budget. It was for the good of the community.

Now here comes the County Commissioners themselves in disguise as the Harper County Sheriffs Department wanting an “agreement” that has “terms and conditions” for dispatch and jail service. It will be fascinating to see how much the terms and conditions will cost the taxpayers of Buffalo this go round.

Was the Town of Buffalo premature to, as it has been termed lately, “Bail Out” the Hospital which I remind you is a child of the Board of County Commissioners as is the Sheriff’s Dept. If I scratch your back will you scratch my back? Do the County Commissioners (sheriff’s dept) have the Town of Buffalo over a barrel?

Oh, by the way, there already is an agreement that has been in effect between the Town of Buffalo and Harper County Sheriff and the Board of County Commissioners of Harper County since our county put into service the 911 system almost 10 years ago. (Nov. 1998)
That cost for dispatch and jail…….. ZERO DOLLARS.

This will be interesting.

Whose Responibility is it?

2008-10-05T00:44:00.007-05:00

Late Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson said,
"It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."

Notice how the word "citizen" is used in the singular tense.
By using it this way it is stressing the importance of each individual to participate.
Everyone's function is to be involved in their government.
Is your government falling into error?
Are YOU functioning?