Published: April 23, 2008 07:20 am      

City pays $50,000 to settle discrimination lawsuit

The Woodward City Commission approved a $50,000 settlement with Janice Weder-Kline during their meeting Monday evening.

Weder-Kline, who has been an employee for the city’s parks department for the past five or six years, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the city in Oklahoma Western Federal District Court, City Attorney Aaron Sims said.

“She filed multiple discrimination claims against the city, (including) discrimination based upon her sex,” Sims said.

Weder-Kline also claimed that she was receiving unequal pay and was the victim of retaliatory actions by her supervisor, the attorney said.

As the case proceeded through the system, Sims said both parties participated in a “settlement conference with a Federal Magistrate, (whose) job is to encourage settlement so the case doesn’t have to go to trial.”

It was through this conference that counsel for both parties agreed to a proposed $50,000 settlement, he said.

This proposed settlement was then discussed amongst Sims, City Manager Alan Riffel and the city commissioners in an executive session during Monday’s meeting and approved once the commissioners returned to open session.

Now that the settlement is officially approved, Weder-Kline “will be dismissing her lawsuit,” Sims said.

This is not the first time that the city has faced discrimination lawsuits, Sims said, but noted that it has been “many years” since the last one.

The city’s attorney refused to comment upon Weder-Kline’s current employment status.

Besides the settlement with Weder-Kline, the city commissioners also dealt with other employment-related items as they approved labor agreements between the city and the local chapters of the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Fire Fighters.

In other business, the commission approved making a $5,000 matching grant to the Woodward Arts & Theatre Council, which according to Mac Benbrook, needs the money to be able to install a fire detection system as recommended by the theater’s insurance company.

“It would be extraordinarily helpful if the city is able to help us with the implementation of these recommendations,” Benbrook said.

Providing the match grant to the council is something the city has done for a number of years, Riffel said, noting that it is even a budgeted item.

T. Z. Wright, the new theater director, thanked the commission for their continuing support.

The commissioners also approved a change order request from Kline Mechanical and Construction, which requested an additional $4,054 to cover the cost of installing reinforced grade beams in the ticket booths and walls at Crystal Beach Arena. Riffel explained that the beams were budgeted as part of the second phase of construction at the arena, but the contractors determined it was more appropriate to install them as part of phase one.

The commissioners then rejected a bid for two vehicle exhaust removal systems for apparatus bays for the Woodward Fire Department. Riffel explained that the one bid received for the project was beyond the amount budgeted.

“We’ll do this again,” he said, noting that the city will have to go through the bidding process again.

Besides rejecting the bid, the commissioners also rejected a claim against the city for sewer backup damage.

During the report session, Commissioner Roscoe Hill commented about how a council member in another Oklahoma community was proposing generating a fund to allow the city to pay for sewer back-up damages. Hill said he thinks Woodward should consider taking similar action, perhaps adding a 50 cent fee to the water bill to cover claims, which would be capped at a certain amount.

“I’ll check into that,” Riffel said.

During his report, Riffel informed the commission that he had settled negotiations with the Woodward Elks Rodeo Committee, so that the city now owns all the equipment at the Crystal Beach Arena. He said the city will be purchasing the majority of the equipment since the arena will now be available for a variety of functions.

Despite the changes, he said Woodward can still “look forward to a good (Elks) rodeo.”

Then meeting as the Woodward Municipal Authority, the commissioners approved allowing Woodward residents free use of the landfill in honor of the statewide “Trash Off,” which is set for May 3. In order to utilize landfill privileges free of charge, residents will have to show their utility bill when dumping that Saturday.

Also during Monday’s meeting, Mayor Bill Fanning presented City Clerk Cathy Coleman with a special proclamation thanking her for all her service and establishing May 4 through May 10 as City Clerk Week in Woodward.