Dec. 10 -- Muskogee Assistant City Manager Roger Kolman was named interim city manager Monday at a special called City Council meeting.

Kolman will hold the position until the council finds a replacement for City Manager Mike Miller who was tapped on Tuesday to be Tulsa's next city administrator. Council members approved a joint separation agreement with Miller at its November meeting. Miller's departure takes effect Jan. 3.

Kolman said he is honored to serve as interim.

"Everyone here at the city is dedicated to making our neighbor's lives better," he said. "I'm thrilled to work alongside such a wonderful team."

Mayor Patrick Cale said the council will discuss the city manager search at a special called meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday at Muskogee City Hall.

"Part of the subjects we'll be talking about are starting the process for finding new applicants and reaching out," Cale said, adding that he'll wait until after Thursday's meeting before setting a search timeline.

"Roger's been a good assistant city manager, and I think he will do just fine as interim manager," Cale said.

Kolman was Coweta city manager for six years before becoming Muskogee assistant city manager last January. Kolman was city manager at Glenpool and Anadarko before working at Coweta, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Muskogee City Attorney Katrina Bodenhamer was named interim assistant city manager.

Kolman oversaw Monday's special Council, Municipal Authority and Redevelopment Authority meetings.

Former Mayor John Tyler Hammons was sworn in as Muskogee municipal judge before the meetings.

Hammons was appointed in November to fill an unexpired term created by the resignation of Judge Toni Bradley-Smith. The term ends Jan. 31, 2026. Hammons was mayor from 2008 to 2012 and is in private law practice.

Also sworn in were Chad Locke as Juvenile/First Alternate Municipal Judge and Justin Stout as Second Alternate Municipal and Juvenile Judge.

At the council meeting, councilors approved a $458,400 agreement with Olsson Engineering to reconstruct roads and sidewalks and add a storm sewer near Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee. The work is being funded by a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. The city is matching the grant with $760,400.

Public Works Director Mike Stewart said the work will redo the concrete on Denver and 36th streets.

"This will improve drainage on Denver. If you are aware where the emergency entrance to the hospital has always been on 36th Street, you know how bad that street is as well."

The grant also funds a sidewalk trail from the hospital to Centennial Trail to the south.