The Norman City Council conducted its second public hearing for the city’s 2023 budget and officially declared June as Pride Month during Tuesday’s meeting.
Norman’s budget manager Kim Coffman previously said during her presentation the budget consists of over $245 million, with public safety being the highest expenditure at 23 percent. The general fund consists of over $90 million, with the police department, public works and the fire department being the three largest expenditures in the fund.
At the first budget hearing, the council heard comments on the funding of Animal Welfare, including repairs to the HVAC systems and the addition of two more staff positions.
Former Ward 3 Councilmember Robert Castleberry spoke during the hearing about the surplus within the budget, encouraging council to not spend all of the extra funds.
“This might be the most difficult budget council has considered in a long, long time,” Castleberry said. “I say that because you have a significant projected budget surplus for this year and going forward … so it’s not a problem of what to cut to make this. You have the opportunity of what to spend and how to spend it.”
Another Norman resident spoke toward the amount of police funding in the budget, expressing concerns about auditing the police department and its request for an addition of nine more officers.
Ward 1 Councilmember Brandi Studley asked if the $865,000 needed to support the nine added positions was the same money previously pulled from the police department during an 11-hour meeting in 2020.
City Manager Darrel Pyle said this money would come from additional funds from next year’s revenue stream, while the money taken from the previous budget would stay in reserves and remain unspent.
Mayor Breea Clark announced that the budget adoption meeting will take place at 1 p.m. on June 14 during a special council meeting, rather than a regular council meeting later in the day.
Norman voters will have a chance to accept or deny a series of charter changes on Aug. 23. These propositions include revisions to council term expirations, residency and stipends, as well as city attorney appointments, recall petitions, utility rates and the apportionment process.
One of the propositions would establish the office of the city auditor, who would be appointed by and report directly to the council.
City Attorney Kathryn Walker said each proposition would be a separate vote on the ballot and written as simply as possible.
If passed by voters, any changes to the council would begin in 2025 or 2026 in order to avoid council members voting on their current terms or salaries.
The council passed a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month in the city of Norman in a vote of 8-1, with Ward 3 Councilmember Kelly Lynn voting against the measure. Michael Robertson, a NPD officer, LGBTQ+ liaison to the city executive and PFLAG Norman president, and Tate Hughes, Norman Pride board member, accepted the proclamation.
“It’s my hope to see many faces and celebrate the opening of national Pride Month, and to also build trust and relationships between our department and the community. That being said, I know we can do better,” Robertson said. “I can’t stand up here in uniform and tell you how to vote. However, I can encourage you to be kind, support one another and be an ally.”
Norman Pride hosted its Pride events earlier this month, marking its first return since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
During Pride Month in 2021, The Norman City Council banned conversion therapy for minors in a unanimous vote. In 2019, the council amended employment laws to specifically include 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, protecting them from discrimination and making it easier to find work.
