City of Perry, OK

The alley in the 800 block between Jackson and Kaw is currently closed due to an open pit from an unpermitted project. The pit is currently blocked, but please use caution if you use that section of alley regularly.

** OUTAGE ALERT ** The electric crew is currently tracking down an issue that's causing sporadic electrical problems on the far west end of the city, from 25th street west. This will primarily affect the businesses located near I-35. Electric service in that area may be spotty for the next couple of hours as they work to locate and fix the cause of the issue.

The Average Billing program helps the customer budget for utility expenses by allowing the customer to pay a revolving monthly utility payment based on the customer's 9-12 month utility billing history. We can now accept average billing forms from September through January. If you would like to sign up for average billing, City Hall has forms available until January 31st, 2025. We will resume sign-ups September 1st, 2025. To qualify, customers must... 1) have a history of at least 9 months at the same address prior to the date of signing up for the program, 2) zero-utility balance at the time of signing up, 3) have no late fees or return checks/drafts for at least 9 months. The full ordinance on average billing will eventually be published on the City’s website but until then, forms and copies of the ordinance are available at City Hall.

Wishing all a joyful Christmas and a happy New Year from the City of Perry.

The City of Perry wishes everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Planning on putting up Christmas decorations for the holiday season? Visit City Hall to pick up a lighting rebate form.

4:13 pm UPDATE: All power should be restored. Thank you all for your patience. UPDATE: Due to an issue the Electric Crews will have to turn off power that was just restored. Should have it restored again within 30-45 minutes. Our Electric Crews are out currently looking to identify the cause of the outage. At this time we do not have an estimated time of restoration. Thank you all for your patience and understanding.

Closed for Veterans Day

**UPDATE - 9:55pm** The electric crew has identified nine damaged poles near 25th St. They are working diligently to repair them and anticipate having the majority of those affected restored by 2am. They will transition to a more targeted approach at that point. Thank you to everyone for your patience as we work through this storm-related outage, and please reach out to us at City Hall if you are still without power tomorrow morning.

**OUTAGE ALERT** We are aware of the electric outage from around the area of the new Dollar General to west of I-35. The electric crew will begin assessing the cause and affecting repairs as soon as it is safe to do so. More updates as they become available.

Did you know the City of Perry partners with OMPA to provide free energy audits to City of Perry electric customers? Energy Audits are a great way to see the areas that would be most cost effective for homeowners to make improvements and save energy, in turn, also saving money on the monthly utility bill. The City of Perry also provides an online virtual energy assessment tool, located on the City of Perry website at www.cityofperryok.com.

**IMPORTANT** It has come to our attention that some appliance venting may have been compromised during roofing repairs or replacements done as a result of the hail damage from the storms this spring and summer. If you had a roof repaired or replaced, please take the time to check that the appliance venting from your gas appliances was not damaged or compromised during these repairs. If you are unsure of what this may look like, please contact a licensed plumbing or mechanical contractor. This issue was noticed during the routine maintenance of a resident's central heat system prior to potentially incoming cold weather. Please be advised this may also apply to compromised hot water tank venting. Improper venting of gas appliances may result in carbon monoxide (CO) build-up in the home leading to carbon monoxide poisoning and potentially death. This is a very serious matter. Please do not ignore this. This is also a good time to remind you to check the batteries on both CO detectors and smoke detectors. CO poisoning can often present as flu-like symptoms without fever. If you begin to experience these symptoms, please do not ignore them as seasonal illness and consult a medical professional. We don't want to sound alarmist, but the safety and well-being of our citizens is very important.

City of Perry utility customers can sign up the for Average Billing Program are October, November, and December. The City of Perry offers this program to help customers budget for utility expenses by allowing customers to pay a monthly payment based on average annual billings. If interested in signing up for this program or to see if you qualify, visit us in person at City Hall, 622 Cedar Street or email us at city.hall@cityofperryok.com.

We're trying something new! The cost of refurbishing streets is astronomical, and it's only getting worse. The most recent round of major street overhauls cost upwards of $400,000 per block and, while they're very nice, it's an approach that just isn't sustainable for our community in the long term. So instead, we plan to do the work in house. We've consulted with "the other Maroons" in Blackwell that have been running a similar program with great results, and we believe we can implement the same process with the same results. We'll be testing the waters with 5th street between Noble and Otoe. This particular street is looking pretty worn and in need of some attention, but it's also off the beaten path enough for us to learn the ropes at a more comfortable pace. With some hard work and determination, and cooperation from Blackwell to help us refine the process, we believe this will usher in a new era of street projects in Perry. This is only the beginning! Stay tuned for more updates!

Perry PD is hiring certified officers! Starting pay: $18.96/hour (certified) | $17.96/hour (uncertified) Outstanding health insurance: Includes free mental health visits* City-issued: AR, Glock 17, iPhone 14, Uniforms, Vehicle and more! Uniform allowance: $183/month Take the next step in your career and serve with a community-focused team. Apply today at https://www.cityofperryok.com/page/employment-opportunities. *Mental health visits are part of the full-time benefits package. Inquire for details

Did you know? The City’s utility services help fuel our community’s growth and well-being! While our rates may be slightly higher than those of providers like CREC or Central Rural Water District, there’s a big advantage: every dollar we generate is reinvested right back into Perry. Your utility payments help fund essential services that make our city a great place to live, including: -Our Fire Department -Police Department -Library -Street improvements -Parks and recreation -And so much more! By supporting public power, you’re helping to build a stronger, safer, and more vibrant Perry for everyone!

Are you ready for a parade? We are! The 131st Annual Cherokee Strip Parade will kick off at 10am tomorrow, September 14th and we'll be broadcasting it again this year! The show will start between 9:30am and 9:45am (depending on hosts Phil Salvati and Danny Shade) and will be available on channels 14 and 16 on Optimum, as well as our YouTube channel and right here on Facebook. Even if you can't be here in person, you can still feel that connection to Perry!

The Cherokee Strip Celebration is just around the corner! It's our biggest event of the year bringing in thousands of people from around the state and even out-of-state. It's also our biggest opportunity to show people what an amazing place Perry is, but to do that effectively we need to put our best foot forward as a community. To that end, we're asking everyone in town, but especially homes and businesses in high-visibility and high-traffic areas, to spruce up their properties. We're not talking about a full makeover, just simple things like a neat and tidy yard, orderly porch, and some well-groomed bushes. Thank you for helping us make sure that Perry shines like a diamond on the prairie!

Tonight's city council meeting has been cancelled because there are not enough members available to form a quorum. The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, August 5th at 6:15pm.

Contractors working on the line replacement on the south side of the railroad on 7th Street will be connecting to the new water line on Monday, July 15th. To complete this repair, the water will need to be turned off on South Boundary, between 8th and 12th Streets. This shutdown will affect only a few residents and is scheduled to begin around 8:00 AM on Monday, July 15th. The exact duration of the water outage is unknown.