Norman City Council discussed homeless encampments and a TIF ordinance and awarded the sale of bonds during a conference meeting and regular meeting Tuesday.
Council discussed the current state of the unhoused encampment at Frances Cate Park.
City Manager Darrel Pyle said Norman Police Department is having a difficult time in enforcing city codes because there is not a provision for overnight stays in a park.
A provision in the lease for Frances Cate Park between the city and the state of Oklahoma states the land must be used as a public municipal park. Otherwise, the lease will lapse and the land will go back to the state.
Pyle said the park may no longer be in compliance, and if the state gets the land back, they will trespass the encampment.
Ward 6 Councilmember Joshua Hinkle asked if council could potentially make an emergency ordinance to allow for front-yard camping.
“Could you potentially allow for one camper for a temporary amount of time and then our new department can monitor where those people are and check up on them?” Hinkle said. “This is a temporary ordinance that allows for the encampment to not be in a public park and also be on somebody’s property that has insurance.”
City Attorney Rick Knighton said he would see if a temporary ordinance like that could be implemented.
Council will continue to discuss the encampment at the city council oversight committee meeting Thursday.
During the public comment, Brooklyn Bills, who said she lives at the Frances Cate Park encampment, told council members about her living situation.
“We work together to keep the trash cleaned up and provide a healthier, safer and cleaner environment for everyone,” Bills said. “Our rules, they take not only our concerns into consideration, but also the city and the surrounding neighborhood’s concerns into consideration.”
Council awarded three bonds, one as part of the bridge bond maintenance program, another as part of 2026 Street Maintenance Bond Renewal and the homeless shelter bond approved by Norman voters on April 7.
TD Financial Products LLC won the bid for the bridge maintenance and street maintenance bonds while Robert W. Baird & Co. won the bid for the homeless shelter bond.
9:17 p.m.
Council has adjourned the meeting.
8:42 p.m.
Council approved the issue of the bonds in an 8-1 vote. Ward 3 Councilmember Robert Bruce voted against.
8:38 p.m.
Council is now considering adopting an ordinance that would issue the homeless shelter bond.
Bruce asked if the city is declaring the ordinance an emergency because it has to award the bid.
Pyle told Bruce the practice isn't unique to Oklahoma and it's how the municipal bond market works.
8:37 p.m.
Council unanimously approved the sale of the bonds to Robert W. Baird & Co.
8:32 p.m.
Council is considering awarding a bid for an $8 million purchase of a general obligation bond that will fund a permanent homeless shelter.
Voters approved the bond as part of the April 7 ballot election.
The shelter is expected to hold 120 people and will include men's and women's dorms, family units, a laundry room, storage units and dog kennels.
The shelter is expected to be completed within the next two years.
8:31 p.m.
Council approved the issue of the bonds in an 8-1 vote. Bruce voted against.
8:30 p.m
Cynthia Rogers, Ward 4, asked why the city has to use an emergency clause to issue this ordinance. An emergency clause allows the legislation to go into effect as it is passed.
“Why couldn’t you have approved this and then issued bids or then approved issuing bids a month ago?” Rogers said. “This sets it up like ‘Oh it’s an emergency now,’ and I think that process of doing that is convoluted.”
8:29 p.m.
Council is considering adopting an ordinance that would issue the street maintenance bonds.
8:28 p.m.
Council unanimously approved the sale of the bonds to TD Financial Products LLC.
8:24 p.m.
Council is considering awarding a bid for a $17 million purchase of general obligation bonds for restoration and improvements to existing roads, intersections, sidewalks, bike paths, drainage improvements and other street-related improvements.
On April 7, voters renewed a $35 million street maintenance bond.
8:21 p.m.
Council has unanimously adopted the ordinance.
8:20 p.m.
Council is considering adopting an ordinance that would issue the bonds.
8:19 p.m.
Council unanimously approved the sale of the bonds to TD Financial Products LLC.
8:14 p.m.
Council is considering awarding a bid for a $10 million purchase of general obligation bonds for constructing, repairing, improving and rehabilitating bridges across the city, according to a staff report.
Voters approved up to $50 million in general obligation bonds in October 2023. The bonds were designed to be issued in phases. The first issuance occurred in February 2024 for $16 million.
7:36 p.m.
Council unanimously approved items 8-23 on the consent docket.
The consent docket included a first reading of the TIF ordinance and amendments to the city code regarding the guest room tax, as discussed in council’s conference meeting.
The consent docket also included a first reading of an ordinance rezoning land to allow the Islamic Society of Norman to expand its mosque.
7:35 p.m.
Council is now reviewing the consent docket.
6:45 p.m.
Council has called its regular meeting to order.
6:35 p.m.
Council has adjourned the conference meeting.
5:50 p.m.
Ward 7 Councilmember Kimberly Blodgett asked about the status of the OU Motel and if it could be used as an encampment.
Pyle said the motel is under private ownership.
5:34 p.m.
Council is discussing homeless encampments in public parks.
Norman Police Department and Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office planned to clear a homeless encampment site near Food and Shelter in late April, but were postponed due to a misfiling, according to Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant.
On April 7, voters approved a proposition to create an $8 million general obligation bond to fund a permanent homeless shelter, which is set to be constructed within the next two years.
5:33 p.m.
Assistant City Attorney Kathryn Walker said Norman residents will show proof of residence to be exempt from the tax while at a hotel.
Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman asked what a resident can do to prove they live in Norman if a hotel won't accept their exemption.
Walker said residents should contact the city’s attorney’s office.
5:29 p.m.
Council is discussing amending the guest room tax to clarify definitions and the process of documenting tax exemptions.
Voters approved a 2% increase to the city’s guest room tax during the April 7 ballot election.
The tax will only be paid by visitors staying in short-term rental properties like hotels, Airbnbs, and recreational vehicle rental spaces. Norman residents will be exempt from the tax within the city. Revenue from the tax will help maintain parks and cultural infrastructure, according to the city's website.
5:01 p.m.
Council is discussing a proposed ordinance that would establish policies to guide the development and evaluation of future tax increment finance, or TIF, districts. Council previously discussed the ordinance at its May 5 meeting.
The proposed ordinance would require city staff to analyze proposed TIF districts and complete an economic and risk analysis of the proposed districts. A stakeholder committee, the city’s Economic Development Advisory Board and a statutory review committee would review analysis findings and determine potential impacts of the proposed project.
The city’s planning commission would then review the findings, followed by two public hearings, before a final determination from council.
5:00 p.m.
Council has called its conference meeting to order.
This story was edited by Macey Thaxton, Audrey McClour and Keaton Shaffer.
