LAWTON – The City Council recently approved contracts and agreements pertaining to dilapidated structures, workers’ compensation claims, Native American workforce development, and professional engineering services.
The council renewed a contract with an Oklahoma City law firm to defend the city in contested workers’ compensation cases. Walker, Ferguson and Ferguson has “handled these claims for the city since 1994,” Deputy City Attorney Tim Wilson told the council.
City Hall logged 46 compensable workers’ comp claims in Fiscal Year 2021-22, and 68 compensable workers’ comp claims in FY 2022-23, city officials reported.
The council also renewed a retainer agreement with Traffic Engineering Consultants Inc., Oklahoma City, to provide “full engineering services, specifically traffic engineering services…” Lawton’s Engineering Department has had “multiple vacant engineering positions for the past several years,” City Engineer Joseph Painter said. Currently the Engineering Department has two engineering vacancies and the Sewer System Technical Division has one engineering vacancy, he said.
“The city will continue to attempt to fill these vacant positions,” Painter vowed. But until full-time engineers are hired “it is desired to renew the services of an engineering consultant” to provide engineering assistance, specifically traffic engineering service, “on an as-needed basis for various types of projects…” The City Council approved an agreement with Comanche Nation Workforce to participate in the Youth Employment Program. The program is intended to provide job opportunities and training skills for the unemployed, underemployed, and low-income members of federally recognized Native American tribes.
Applicants will be individuals 16 years of age and older, records indicate. The Comanche Nation Workforce will be responsible for all payments, including salary and workers’ compensation insurance, while the individual works for the City of Lawton.
“We are opening another avenue for our citizens to join our workforce,” said Craig Akard, human resources director. The partnership “also exemplifies our pursuit of excellence as we try to improve our workforce by finding new avenues” through which to hire.
In another matter, Sonrise Adult & Teen Challenge, of Cache, won a contract for boarding up and securing structures on private properties considered to be a public nuisance. The budget for that work is set at $455,000, records indicate.
A second bid, submitted by Hot Shot Services of Duncan, was considered “nonresponsive.”
The City of Lawton is accelerating its “D&D” (dilapidated and dangerous) condemnation program to eradicate scores of blighted structures throughout town.