May 11, 2021
A commissionâs review of the Norman City Charter explores the recent councilor recall process and demonstrates the crisis it would have created had the effort to unseat five been successful.
The Charter Review Commission (CRC) was scheduled to meet Monday to discuss changes to the recall petition process, but canceled its meeting due to a lack of quorum. The commission rescheduled for the following May 17.
The agenda contained several possible solutions to concerns that the 2020 recall petition drive created. Unite Norman attempted to recall then-Ward 1 Kate Bierman, Ward 3 Alison Petrone, Ward 5 Sereta Wilson, Ward 7 Stephen Holman and Mayor Breea Clark, five voting members of the eight-member dais.
The Norman City Council held its first public hearing of the FYE 2022 budget and declared May 2021 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month during its April 27 meeting.Â
8:45 p.m.: The council moved to open the first public hearing on the city s FYE 2022 proposed operating and capital budgets. A second public budget hearing is slated for May 25, Norman s director of finance Anthony Francisco said.Â
According to a presentation from Francisco, the city expects $284,979,608 in total revenues and $249,358,192 in total expenditures. Francisco said the main expenditures are for services that go directly to Norman residents.Â
Norman resident Stephen Ellis questioned the need for a 35 percent increase in the internal services portion of the police department s budget, comparing it to a 20 percent increase in the internal services portion of the general budget.
12 hrs ago
From left, deputy city clerk Ellen Usry and chief city clerk Brenda Hall listen to councilmembers at Tuesdayâs Norman City Council meeting. Jeff Elkins / The Transcript
More than a dozen residents signed up to make requests of the Norman City Council Tuesday as councilors consider the next fiscal year budget.
Staff and councilors recalled the difficulty they have experienced in the past with drawing the public to hearings on the budget, but Tuesday night was a different story.
âWe have hearings and practically beg people to come, and no one shows,â Mayor Breea Clark said. âItâs up to us to listen.â
1 hr ago
Norman citizens may see fewer parking spaces but more businesses if a committee pursues a plan to implement a parking maximum for new commercial development.
The Community Planning and Transportation Committee Thursday discussed possible changes to the cityâs code requirements as part of a two-year goal to incentivize âgreen building codes,â an office memo from Planning and Community Development reads.
City Council Ward 4 Lee Hall, Ward 7 Stephen Holman and Ward 8 Matt Peacock were in favor of rethinking parking space requirements in light of new shopping and dining trends that may become more commonplace.
A recent study by Arity, a transportation and technology data company, found a growing number of Americans â especially millennials â are choosing not to own a car as ride-share companies and public transportation increase in popularity.
8:27 p.m.
The council began its discussion on the final motion to ratify or reject the decrease of $330,000 in police department general fund salaries and benefits to be held in the General Fund Reserve Balance for community outreach and programs.
Ward 4 resident Jake Allen said there are too many issues that can t be solved with a gun and handcuffs. He said community members shared their experiences and stated why they want to shift funding in the community because police officers are expected to do too much.  I think we need to change, and shifting funding is a start, but I would also like to support implementing participatory budgeting in the coming years, Allen said.Â