Multiple residents and local officials used the meeting’s public‑comment period to press the Tahlequah advisory committee to include local infrastructure and service projects in the city’s capital planning.

Sherry Clark, a first‑time Tahlequah resident who said she formed a local committee called Dream Catcher Ranch to expand services for people with developmental disabilities, asked the committee to consider “a multigenerational facility that would be inclusive for elderly as well as foster kids and our individuals with developmental disabilities.” Clark also described concentrated runoff through her Wheeler addition property and asked the city to address drainage where new paving has redirected water into private yards.

Ray Adams, representing city animal‑welfare volunteers, urged the committee to consider “expanding and making [a] animal shelter” and provided a preliminary cost estimate; Adams said the current shelter is undersized for growing demand and that partner organizations perform frequent out‑of‑state transfers to find placements.

Chief Casey Baker of the Tahlequah Fire Department said the department is transitioning from a volunteer to a combination model and will need additional facilities and staffing over the next 10–20 years. Baker provided staffing counts during public comment: about 23 full‑time personnel and 11 volunteers, and he said a centralized or additional station would better position the department for sustained growth.

Jeremy Jones, branch manager at the city library, said library space is at capacity and cited service metrics: roughly 95,000 visits last year, about 295 programs attended by nearly 18,000 people and approximately 16,000 library cardholders. He urged the committee to consider parking and space constraints when evaluating a library project.

Tahlequah staff responses: committee members and staff said department heads are being asked to assemble project lists and cost estimates. City administration indicated it will provide a consistent project‑submission form and coordinate with outside consultants so projects can be validated for inclusion on any ballot measure.

No binding commitments or ballot decisions were made during the public‑comment portion; the advisory committee will continue collecting project lists and seek engineering and cost validation before presenting a recommended package to the city council.