Website, splash pad animal control updates

By ADAM CATLIN
NHJ Editor

Newkirk City Manager Jane Thomas said this week the city’s new website was still in progress. She still needs to complete training and there is no launch date until that is done.
The current city website has no city manager’s report published more recently than Oct. 24 of last year. That was the final report written by City Manager Ryan Smykil before he left the position. The city manager’s reports in recent months have been made available to the Newkirk Herald Journal.
City commission agenda’s are being posted online. The most recent date for the publishing of commission minutes on the website, though, is Oct. 7, 2025.
By state law, the city does not have to post the minutes of their city commission meetings online. It does post the most recent approved minutes in the lobby of city hall.
The city’s website has not had minutes posted for a municipal authority meeting since August of last year.
According to Thomas, the city still has municipal authority meetings, held on the fourth Monday of the month directly after the City Commission meeting.
There have not been any minutes posted for the planning commission since April 9 of last year. Thomas said Monday morning she will get the minutes scanned for the Authority and send them to the website host.
Thomas explained that the planning commission only meets when there is a request. She said it will meet June 9.
She also gave a quick update on the splash pad, saying progress is being made. Utilities are in place and concrete work should be done in the next couple of weeks.
Thomas spoke about the current animal control situation in Newkirk since the firing of the animal control officer last month.
“If the city needs to pick up a dog for observation, arrangements have been made with Ponca City Animal Control,” she said. “Tickets should be issued to owners that have loose dogs. Eventually the city will make a plan and find a contractor who could possibly remodel the current location into an animal shelter.”