City of Ada, OK News Page
Latest News & Channel Six
The Office of Public Information destributes official press releases for the City of Ada and produces the award-winning television series "Explore Ada" which appears on Cable One Channel 6 and also statewide on OETA, Oklahoma's PBS affiliate. "Explore Ada" began airing in December 2002. To obtain a complete list of "Explore Ada" episodes, call (580) 436-6300.
The most recent press releases published by the Office of Public Information are available on this page. News will also be shared on the city's Facebook page. To become a fan, click the Facebook logo at the corner of any page on this website.
June 29, 2011
City converts to monthly utility billing cycle
ADA – Beginning July 1, the City of Ada will convert to a monthly utility billing cycle, effectively replacing the previous bi-monthly cycle.
This means each customer will receive a bill at the first of each month, as opposed to every other month. The due date for all bills now falls on the 12th day of the month.
Customers on Ada's east side have recently received their final bi-monthly bills, and will receive their first monthly bills on August 1.
Beginning August 1, ALL customers will receive monthly bills.
If special arrangements are needed for payment, please contact Ada City Utilities at (580) 436-8140.
November 15, 2011
City privatizing garbage collection, adding curbside recycling service
ADA – For the first time, the City of Ada will privatize its sanitation service and offer curbside recycling. The changes become effective December 1.
The Ada City Council voted to privatize the garbage collection system and implement curbside recycling in an effort to minimize costs and streamline operations. The decision to privatize came after months of study by council members and city staff.
The sanitation contract was awarded to WCA Waste Corporation, which operates in 14 states including Oklahoma.
“Simply put, this is the best option for the city and its residents, especially considering the added feature of curbside recycling,” said Ada City Manager David Hathcoat. “Like with any new change, there will be an adjustment period. But the city will work closely in conjunction with WCA to minimize issues created by the change-over.”
Hathcoat said the move to a privatized sanitation department has not caused any city employees to lose their jobs. Those employees have been placed in other departments.
WCA recently started rolling out its polycarts to Ada residences, which took many by surprise. The polycarts contain a curbside recycling bin and a set of printed instructions that specify the customers’ garbage collection days. Also included is a list of acceptable items for the curbside recycling service.
The company has been distributing the polycarts and recycling bins in advance of the December 1 start date.
Under the new system, garbage collection will be once a week. Residents should take care not to obstruct the polycarts on their designated collection days, and that includes parking vehicles on the street in front of the polycarts.
Curbside recycling collection will fall on the same day as garbage collection for each customer. Two different WCA vehicles will be utilized to make the collections.
Other things will not change. Citizens will continue to pay their utility bills as before. The city’s grapple truck service will also continue. Pre-arranged, specialized garbage collection – such as that for the elderly or disabled – will continue as a service.
“We realize that confusion sometimes accompanies any significant transition, and this is a big transition,” Hathcoat said. “Once citizens adjust to this new service, we believe they will appreciate its efficiency as well as the convenience of curbside recycling.”
December 20, 2011
Ada City Council agenda goes paperless
ADA – In an effort to reduce costs and waste, the biweekly Ada City Council agenda has gone paperless.
Members of the council will now utilize digital tablets to view their agendas, replacing a bulky paper agenda that took excessive amounts of paper and employee hours to create twice each month.
A cost analysis estimated the digital tablets will save the city approximately $10,000 over the next five years – and those savings will continue into the future.
“Switching to these digital tablets was really a no-brainer,” said City Manager David Hathcoat. “Especially when you consider the city was creating 17 copies of an agenda that averages 350 pages every other week.”
The council has made the digital transition this month. At its December 5 meeting, the tablets were available along with the final paper version. Only the tablets were used at the December 19 meeting.
“Anytime we can save money and become more environmentally friendly, we’ll make that move,” Hathcoat said.
The agenda is also available to the council members online several days before the meeting so they can review it as their individual schedules allow.
January 31, 2012
City offers online payment option for utility bill
ADA – Effective February 1, the City of Ada Utilities Department will offer online bill payment for customers as an added convenience.
A customer who would like to pay or simply view his or her bill online is required to set up an online account. Visa and Mastercard are the two credit/debit cards accepted for online bill payments. A small convenience fee will be charged for making an online bill payment – 2% of the total bill amount plus a $1.25 service charge.
To establish an online account, and to subsequently make bill payments using the account, follow the “Pay Utility Bill Online” link at www.adaok.com or click on the credit card logo located on the bottom left of any page of the city’s website.
To set up an online account, a customer will need his or her account number, last payment amount, and a valid email address.
In addition to online payment, customers also have the option of paying their bills by fee-less bank draft.
For more information, call Public Relations Specialist Lisa Bratcher at 436-8135.
February 28, 2012
WCA garbage collection limited to polycarts
ADA – Effectively immediately, WCA Waste Corporation will only collect garbage placed inside the polycart and will not collect any extra garbage cans.
The customer is allowed up to three additional trash bags that contain leaves only.
If the provided polycart isn’t enough to hold the customer’s garbage, the customer may call the Ada Public Works Authority at 436-8100 and request an additional polycart.
WCA would also like to encourage customers to utilize the provided recycling bin for plastic, cardboard, and aluminum items. As a reminder, the recycling bins should not contain glass, wood, metal, fabric, or food items.
For more information, contact Public Relations Specialist Lisa Bratcher at 436-8135.
April 16, 2012
Section of Mississippi to close for improvements
ADA – Effective Wednesday morning, the eastern-most (outside) northbound lane of Mississippi, between 10th and 12th streets, will close for approximately 10 days while crews make improvements in that area.
This is part of the East Main Street reconstruction project, which is funded in large part by Proposition One, a 3/4-cent sales tax dedicated to infrastructure improvements throughout the city.
Exact dates for all city projects are always subject to change and every effort will be made to notify the public in advance of any changes.
For more information, please call the Public Works department at (580) 436-8100.
April 20, 2012
City offers online payment option for tickets, citations
ADA – Effective immediately, the City of Ada is offering an online payment option for traffic tickets or other municipal citations.
To pay a citation online with a credit card, follow the “Municipal Court” link located at the left side of any page of the city’s website at www.adaok.com. Credit card payments may also be made over the phone by calling (800) 444-1187.
For more information, contact Court Clerk Carol Crews at (580) 436-8024.
May 3, 2012
Section of Morrison to close for improvements
ADA – A section of Morrison Street, between 11th and 14th streets, will be closed for two days on May 7-8 while crews make improvements in that area.
Exact dates for all city projects are always subject to change and every effort will be made to notify the public in advance of any changes.
For more information, please call the Public Works department at (580) 436-8100.
May 7, 2012
McCortney elected mayor; Sweeney vice mayor
ADA – Effective immediately, the Ada City Council has taken on a new look.
Guy Sewell has replaced Matt Layton as the city’s Ward 4 representative. This marks the beginning of Sewell’s first term on the council.
Municipal Judge Jim Kemp swore in Sewell and Shane Sweeney, who retained his Ward 2 seat, during the noon city council meeting Monday at Ada City Hall. All elected council members serve two-year terms.
The newly seated council then selected At-Large representative Greg McCortney as mayor and Sweeney as vice mayor. This is McCortney’s first term as mayor. This marks Sweeney’s second term as vice mayor.
Also on the 2012-2013 Ada City Council are Ward 1 representative Dick Scalf and Ward 3 representative Darrell Nemecek.
The Ada City Council meets on the first and third Mondays of each month, unless the Monday falls on a holiday. In those cases, the council meets the following Tuesday.
All council meetings begin at 5:45 p.m. at Ada City Hall and are open to the public. Meetings are also televised live on Channel 6.
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