OILTON — Several measures related to a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application was discussed and approved during the regular meeting of the Oilton council members on March 10.
Prior to addressing action items a public hearing was held in regard to the grant application. Public hearings are a required step and are meant to allow public input on potential community development projects before the city submits its application to the grant entity — Oklahoma Department of Commerce.
During the hearing JT Darling of the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) explained the federal program, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and designed to help communities improve living conditions for low to moderate income residents, address blight, and respond to urgent infrastructure needs.
Darling told council members the city could apply for up to $600,000 for water or wastewater related projects. He also reviewed last year’s application for construction of Well No. 4 which was rejected after federal officials determined preliminary work on the site meant the project had already begun.
“I did get some feedback about the incoming year, and it’s that now that the city is kind of at a complete standstill with the potential Well Four they viewed it as an eligible project to apply for,” Darling said, noting that the program remains competitive.
During the discussion, city engineer Jay McLaughlin outlined possible wastewater improvements and estimated the projects could cost around $600,000. He also noted the city has pursued approximately $80,000 in funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help address wastewater treatment needs.
Council member Brian Barton raised concerns related to the wastewater lagoon and asked about potential solutions. McLaughlin said multiple improvements may be required, including equipment replacement and system upgrades.
Council members also discussed the status of the Well No. 4 project. McLaughlin said additional testing in a deeper zone of the well produced acceptable results and that the well was capped after the initial phase of testing so the city could preserve the work completed so far while considering future phases.
After discussion, the council unanimously voted to pursue the water and wastewater engineering option through the CDBG program.
Project documents provided by an Oilton official revealed that this project would not require an income survey, there was no permits needed, and additional monies had not been taken into consideration for grading. Additionally noting a Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grant would cover engineering and “leaves more funding available for construction”.
Barton made the motion, explaining the city could use the funding to help move infrastructure improvements forward while leveraging other available funding sources.
“I move to move forward with option number one, water wastewater engineering, with understanding that it’s for engineering but because we already have funds for engineering it can go toward getting that fixed, done, off our radar,” he said.
Council members also unanimously approved adopting the Citizen Participation Plan for the 2026 CDBG process, selecting the project for the application, and adopting Resolution No. 2026-3-1 which authorizes the mayor to execute the application documents, and authorizing the city clerk to submit the application through the state’s OGX grant system.
Bagwell said the approvals allow the city to proceed with preparing the application ahead of the May 1 submission deadline.