New-and-former City Manager Jacob Foos continues to make changes at city hall.

Shortly after being re-hired for the position he left in September, 2021, Foos issued a statement that he was establishing a set of “core values” designed to “guide employee behavior, enhance public trust, and ensure exceptional services.”

At Monday’s monthly city council meeting he urged the council to make changes in the legal representation of the city and to adopt a comprehensive plan for the city’s future development.

Most of the council agreed to Foos’ recommendation that the city hire the Shawnee law firm of Stuart & Clover as adjunct attorneys with longtime city attorney Kay Wall.

Wall has been named Municipal Prosecutor.

Ward 2 Council Member Roger Barton questioned the need to hire other attorneys and when it came to a vote on the issue, he abstained. However, the three remaining council members voted in favor of the proposal. Councilman Todd Warren continues to be absent from the meetings.

Foos said more representation is needed as the “city grows and faces more complexities that requires expertise in a variety of areas.”

The Stuart & Clover law firm has 14 attorneys and many of them are experts in issues that face municipalities.

Attorneys Joseph Vorndran and Luke Laster spoke to the council on behalf of the law firm. Laster is expected to be the primary attorney who will attend council meetings.

Foos said the expenditure is expected to be about $35,000.

“(By hiring the firm) we have the added advantage of experts to work in these specific areas that we can tap into which will enable us to increase the volume of service that we’re providing to the community – both the residents and the developers and the businesses,” he said.

Comprehensive Plan The council wholeheartedly approved the concept of a comprehensive plan.

Before Foos left office in 2021, he and the council were beginning to develop a comprehensive plan for the future, a plan that would help guide the city’s growth.

Now that he has returned to the office, he is proposing to resume developing such a plan.

He said the plan will guide “land use, development, infrastructure, and community investments in a coordinated and forward-thinking manner. It serves as a roadmap for decisionmaking, helping elected officials, staff, and residents align short-term actions with long-term goals.

“By incorporating community input, a Comprehensive Plan reflects shared values and priorities, supports responsible growth, promotes economic development, and enhances quality of life. It also strengthens the City’s position when seeking grants and external funding by demonstrating clear planning objectives and public support.”

He described the comprehensive plan as a “living document that guides the growth and development of the community.”

He said the plan will be an outlook through 2050.

A search now begins for a qualified consulting firm to help create the plan.

Animal Shelter

The council agreed to a contract between the City and the Paws N’ Claws animal rescue organization that was created last year primarily to find homes for dogs that have been abandoned.

Prior to Paws N’ Claws dogs picked up by the city were kept at the city animal shelter for about 10 days and then euthanized.

The animal rescue, founded by LaDonna Rhodes and Lori Powell-Fells, has found homes for over 40 dogs and for the past year no animals have been euthanized by the city, essentially turning the facility on Bunny Creek Road into a nokill shelter.

The council had high praise for Paws N’ Claws and urged the public to follow the organization on Facebook and to help in the animal rescue program.

Rhodes and Powell-Fells spoke to the council and thanked them for their support and especially for the efforts of Vice Mayor Tisha Morgan and Council Member Evelyn Gulley and Foos for their assistance in creating the contract.

The Agreement establishes a six-month partnership to jointly operate the City’s animal shelter, with an option to extend by mutual consent.

Under the terms, the City is responsible for dog intake, morning care, building and utility maintenance, and managing a veterinary clinic account.

Paws N’ Claws is responsible for afternoon care, enrichment, behavioral observation, and managing adoption efforts.

Paws N’ Claws may approve veterinary care up to $250 per dog; any expenses beyond that amount require City approval unless urgent.

Either party may terminate the Agreement with 30 days’ notice, and the City retains the right to suspend or terminate immediately for cause.

All volunteers must sign a city-approved liability waiver.

City staff conduct intake and facility upkeep during morning hours, while volunteers manage post-intake engagement, exercise, kennel cleaning, and public adoption coordination in the afternoon and evening.

Other Business

– A representative of Arledge & Associate gave an overview of its audit for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025. She gave the city a clean bill of health.

– Mayor James Hickman and Vice Mayor Tisha Morgan, who were elected in April had to be re-elected at Monday’s council meeting due to a technicality in the timing of their appointments – Approval was given to the concessionaire agreement between the City and New Haven Holding “or any of its affiliates or designees, subject to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval. The agreement covers Jelly Stone Park, Eufaula Cove Marina and Captain John’s leasehold estates and properties formerly occupied by Xtreme RV Resort.”