The Norman City Council discussed meeting decorum and heard a presentation about an on-demand transit system during a study session Tuesday evening.
Kathryn Walker, the city attorney, gave a review to council members about decorum the council should adhere to and the process that meetings follow. The review comes after arguments arose during an oversight committee meeting last Thursday.
Ward 3 Councilmember Kelly Lynn serves as chair of the oversight committee and attempted to move to the next agenda item during a discussion about smoking on the city’s golf course. Four council members took issue with the motion and wanted the item to be moved to a general meeting instead.
Lynn was against moving the item forward, but city decorum uses the rule of three, meaning if three council members ask for an agenda item to be placed on the agenda, it will be added to the next one. At the Tuesday session, Walker reminded the council members to use the rule of three during committee meetings.
Ward 1 Councilmember Brandi Studley, who is a member of the oversight committee, opposed Lynn’s behavior and asked who to turn to if members disagree with actions of the committee chair. Brenda Hall, the city clerk, said that council members should turn to the mayor.
Mayor Larry Heikkila said he had a discussion with city staff about adding the item to the next agenda and a discussion with Lynn about the duties of the committee chair.
Lynn asked Walker if he violated Robert’s Rules of Order, a manual of parliamentary procedure that is used in most local governments and professional settings, to which Walker said that if committee chairs wished to limit discussion on any items, they should limit discussion on every item, and cannot “pick and choose” which items are limited.
Ward 6 Councilmember Elizabeth Foreman said she was not at the Thursday meeting, but she asked what to do if a similar situation occurs.
Hall said that it goes back to decorum and how council members “treat each other,” saying the way council speaks to each other is “not OK” and encouraged the ending of pointed remarks to each other.
“The work of city council at a local level is really not about politics,” Hall said. “It’s about building roads and flushing toilets and picking up trash. That’s what we’re here to do. We can’t do that if we’re constantly bickering and fighting and trying to draw lines in the sand.”
Walker further clarified that committee meetings are to follow Robert’s Rules of Order, even though they are more casual than general meetings.
Smoking on the city’s golf course will appear on next week’s agenda for its first reading.
Ward 2 Councilmember Lauren Schueler asked if Heikkila’s decision to not read the consent docket was the first in Norman history. Hall noted it was the first instance in her time working as city clerk that the consent docket wasn’t read, but clarified it is not a requirement to read the consent docket aloud.
Prior to the discussion regarding decorum, council members heard a presentation about microtransit, which, according to Shawn O’Leary, the director of public works, could be the first of its kind in the state.
Microtransit is a publicly regulated transit service that utilizes multi-passenger vehicles like cars and vans to provide on-demand or semi-fixed routes, according to a handout featured in the agenda packet.
Norman already has fixed-route and paratransit systems with over 20 vehicles. Nearly 245,000 passengers used the fixed-route bus system during the 2020 fiscal year, while just over 20,000 passengers used the paratransit system, which is meant for people with disabilities.
A microtransit system would aim to fill the gaps in Norman’s transit system, resembling ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft. Presenters from HNTB, an engineering firm in Oklahoma City, encouraged council members to submit another survey with feedback on the system, as the project is still in its discovery stages.
HNTB will present before council again in early December after the firm analyzes council’s comments and recommendations.
