Kirk Henderson has resigned as City Manager for the City of Tonkawa.He had been city manager since November of 2014 and may be the longest tenured city manager in awhile.Members of the city council were expected to meet Tuesday night to decide how to move forward in their search for a replacement.Meanwhile, Police Chief Nick Payne has been named interim city manager.In an exclusive interview with The News, Henderson said Tuesday morning he was looking forward to starting his life over with a clean slate. The DA dismissed charges a week ago brought against him nearly three years ago for something he was instructed to do by the city council and city attorney.“So that provided me with a clean slate and I felt it was time to move on,” he said.What does his future hold? “My wife and I plan to take a trip, enjoy our lake home on Grand and take care of some elderly relatives,” he said.Henderson is proud of the city he’s leaving behind. “I believe the City of Tonkawa is heading in the right direction as a city. Our funding levels are okay and sitting good right now.”As of the latest financial report, the city has $15,203,598 in total cash -- $5,207,288 in unrestricted cash and $9,996,310 in restricted.In a letter to the mayor and council Monday, Henderson wrote the following: “I am writing to inform you of my decision to resign my position as City Manager. After nearly thirty-five years of public service, I feel it is time to step aside.“I feel like we have made great strides in developing and adding to our business community over the past several years. By doing this, we have been able to make major improvements to our infrastructure. I know that work underground is not something that most of the public sees, but they do enjoy the benefit of having it accomplished. There is still a long way to go, but realize, our pipes and streets didn’t deteriorate overnight, and will not be fixed overnight.“I want to give a big thanks to everyone that supported and encouraged me throughout the years. And, to the employees, our city services would not be what they are without their dedication and hard work.“Starting today, I will be putting in for paid time off. I am appointing Police Chief Nick Payne as acting City Manager as I will be out-of-state. My final ...
