Last week it was revealed during a Meeker Town Board meeting that the Town’s Growth and Development Committee, supposedly created more than 15 years ago, actually has been non-existent since its inception.
That’s because whoever was responsible for ensuring that it was filed with the proper entities didn’t do that. After the Town’s Board of Trustees voted to create the indenture in August of 2008, it was never filed with the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office or the Secretary of State as required.
The result is that’s actually been null and void, even though the committee has carried on and operated as though it was in existence.
It’s unimaginable how 15 years could go by without anyone noticing the indenture hadn’t been filed with either the Court Clerk’s Office in Chandler or the Secretary of State in Oklahoma City.
This was way beyond dropping the ball. Many of the events the committee has sponsored could be coordinated and handled by the Meeker Chamber of Commerce rather than the Meeker Growth and Development Committee.
During its October meeting, the town’s Board of Trustees voted to approve a proposed business plan and change the name of the Meeker Growth and Development Authority to just Meeker Growth and Development.
In doing so, they agreed to create the Meeker Trust Authority.
But with the latest revelation, the Trustees now are faced with starting over.
As Jim Hodgens, the Trustees’ current legal counsel, advised them last week, “What needs to be done is a new Trust Authority indenture created.”
He also went on to mention that such indentures are normally created by a bond counsel that is knowledgable and adept at putting those together.
Trustees have scheduled a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13, to see if they might start coming up with a solution to all of this.
A good starting point might be for the Trustees to decide if they still want to create a Meeker Trust Authority and a Growth and Development Committee.
We expect this special meeting to draw a number of people as did last week’s Trustees meeting. Most likely, several people will want to speak offering their suggestions on the issues at hand.
We’d think no firm decisions have to be made at the Dec. 13 meeting, since the Trustees’ regular December meeting is scheduled for the following Monday, Dec. 18.
It might be good that some from the Chamber of Commerce attend as well, offering their input.
Possibly by the Trustees’ regular meeting they will want to start making decisions on this important matter, after listening to constituents and discussions among themselves at the special meeting.
Important, though, is that Trustees and those attending these meetings keep personalities and small town politics out of the discussions and focus on what is best for the Town of Meeker.