By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
A longtime El Reno lawyer could become the new Yukon city attorney.
The Yukon City Council, at a special meeting Dec. 9, will consider a motion to authorize current city attorney Gary Miller to “negotiate an employment agreement” with Roger Rinehart “for the position of city attorney.”
Council members will convene at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers of the Centennial Building, 12 S 5th.
Miller, a retired Canadian Court district judge, has resigned effective Dec. 31 after four years as Yukon city attorney.
He cited family health issues in his Sept. 30th resignation letter.
Council members will consider hiring Rinehart as Miller’s successor after a recent interview.
Rinehart, 59, is a private practice attorney in El Reno who has been El Reno’s city attorney since 2001.
An El Reno native, Rinehart earned his juris doctor in 1987 from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
He is a member of the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners and past president of the Canadian County Bar Association.
Miller has been Yukon city attorney since January 2017, when he was hired to replace Mike Segler at an annual salary of $72,000.
The Yukon City Council this March raised Miller’s pay by 54% from $79,500 to $123,000 a year, to align with city attorneys in cities of similar size.
Miller is in his second stint as Yukon’s city attorney, having previously held the post in 1993 before being appointed as Canadian County’s associate district judge.
He was district judge from 2010-16.
CITY MANAGER SEARCH UPDATE
Meanwhile, the Yukon City Council will meet in executive session during the Dec. 9th special meeting to discuss the process of hiring a new city manager.
Longtime City Manager Jim Crosby is retiring effective Jan. 22 after nearly 22 years (over two stints) as Yukon’s top city administrator.
The city council received eight applications for the city manager position and is paring down the candidate list.
Council members at this week’s special meeting will consider the “recruitment and employment of a new city manager, and take any action deemed necessary” to employ Crosby’s successor.
Crosby, who turns 80 next month, first served as Yukon’s city manager from 1994 to 2011, then returned to the post in early 2016 after more than four years as Piedmont’s city manager.
He previously was Norman’s city manager and executive vice president of the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.
There have been three Yukon city managers in the last 30 years – Stan Greil, Grayson Bottom and Crosby.
The Yukon City Council hires three positions – city manager, city attorney and municipal judge.
