Around here, folks know what it’s like to feel ignored by leaders far away in Washington, D.C., or even Oklahoma City. But it’s a different story when the distance is just down the street at City Hall. Decisions that affect our daily lives shouldn’t be made in silence, and basic questions from the people paying the bills deserve answers.
Sayre recently received a $950,000 principal forgiveness loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Approved in 2023, the funds were used to replace roughly 1,700 water meters across town. Because it’s a principal forgiveness loan, the city doesn’t have to pay the money back. The project was promoted as a way to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and modernize the water system.
The new meters send readings remotely, eliminating the need for a worker to manually check each meter. Other towns with similar systems have reported benefits such as reduced labor costs, quicker leak detection, and more accurate billing.
But experiences elsewhere have not always been so straightforward. In Duncan, Oklahoma, residents saw water bills rise after a similar upgrade. City officials there said the increases were due to more accurate readings catching water usage that had previously gone unbilled.
Here in Sayre, some residents have reported higher bills since the new meters went live. Without clear information from City Hall, there’s no way to say exactly why. And that’s the problem — the information exists, but it hasn’t been shared.
Before filing an official Open Records request on July 15, this paper made two separate phone calls to the city seeking comment on the water meter replacement and resulting billing changes. No statement was provided, and no documentation was offered. The unanswered calls were followed by the formal records request.
That request asked for basic details about the loan: the application, repayment terms, projected savings, and the expected impact on the city’s budget. As of this writing, that request remains unanswered. Oklahoma law (Title 51, Section 24A) requires public bodies to provide records “promptly” unless a narrow exemption applies. Being busy or putting it off is not an exemption.
The questions are reasonable: How much did the loan actually cost the city, including any fees? Are there ongoing costs we’ll need to recoup? If the system is saving labor and improving accuracy, why are bills still going up? Were residents told in advance that bills might change?
City officials have the opportunity — and the obligation — to answer these questions. That’s not a favor to the public. It’s part of the job.
If someone handed you a million dollars, you could expect them to ask what you did with it. The same should be true for our local government. Transparency is how trust is built, and right now, the people of Sayre are still waiting for the full story.
