June 4, 2025 City Council Meeting

Announcements

• The City Council held a special meeting on 📅 Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
• The City was awarded a grant for the Summit Lakes Dam project, with work expected to begin as quickly as possible.
• An Request for Proposal (RFP) for consultants to update the city's zoning and subdivision regulations is on track to be released in the first week of July.

Key Decisions & Votes

• Resolution R 2425 132 Adopted: The Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application for the 2025 political subdivisions Opioid Abatement Grant from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board. This grant will fund a three-year partnership to address opioid issues in the city.

Financial Matters

• Opioid Abatement Grant: The approved grant application seeks 💰 $166,000 per year for three years to fund opioid abatement efforts.
• Summit Lakes Dam Project: The City was awarded a grant for the Summit Lakes Dam project. The total project budget is 💰 $2.15 million, with the grant covering 💰 $1.15 million. The City will assume maintenance of the dam once it meets current standards.
• Storm Water Infrastructure Funding: A significant portion of the discussion highlighted the critical lack of dedicated funding for storm water infrastructure maintenance and repairs. Norman remains the only major community in Oklahoma without a storm water utility fee, which impedes the city's ability to prepare for and recover from major storm events.
• Unfunded Repairs: The recent April flooding revealed approximately 1,600 linear feet of damaged pipe (ranging from 18 to 56 inches) across the city, for which there is currently no dedicated funding for repairs.

Storm Water Infrastructure Update

The Council received a detailed update on the April 2025 flooding events and a discussion of the city's storm water infrastructure.

• Historic Rainfall: Norman experienced unprecedented rainfall in April 2025, with 14.06 inches recorded, nearly five times the 30-year average of 3.64 inches. The main storm event occurred from April 19th to April 30th.
• Widespread Impacts and Damages:
  • Road Closures: Numerous roads were closed due to overtopping and damage, including Franklin Road at 24th Avenue NE, Robinson Street between 48th and 60th Northwest, and Porter Avenue north of Tecumseh.
  • Property Flooding: 29 reports of personal property damage were received, including washed-out driveways and flooded garages/sheds. None of these were in designated flood plains but were in known problem areas.
  • Infrastructure Failure: Significant failures of aging infrastructure were observed, including the collapse of six 48-inch corrugated metal pipes under Robinson Street, pipe erosion under Rambling Oaks Drive, and a pedestrian bridge collapse over Brookhaven Creek.
  • Sewer Line Break: A tree fall caused a sewer line break at 730 Stenson, leading to raw sewage flowing into a creek before emergency repairs were made.
• Contributing Factors to Flooding:
  • Aging/Undersized Infrastructure: Particularly in core Norman, existing storm water systems are insufficient for current rainfall intensities.
  • Lack of Maintenance: Both private (HOA detention ponds, private channels) and public infrastructure suffer from deferred maintenance due to lack of funding and resources (e.g., only one storm water maintenance crew, insufficient street sweepers).
• Past and Upcoming Mitigation Efforts:
  • Successful Projects: Past bond programs have funded projects like the Vineyard detention pond expansion, Main Street Bridge over Brookhaven Creek, Franklin Road at 12th Avenue bridge, and the Lindsey Street drainage project (including McGee Lake improvements and a large box culvert). These have significantly reduced flooding in their respective areas.
  • Property Buyouts: The City has successfully purchased and removed repetitive loss properties (e.g., 218 and 214 South Lahoma) to create natural water storage areas.
  • Future Projects: Upcoming projects include the Porter Avenue Bridge (raising roadway, funded by a grant), and Lindsey Street improvements from Elm to Jenkins and Picker to Elm (larger storm water structures, ACOG funded).
  • Dam Safety: The City is taking over maintenance of the Summit Lakes Dam, one of four high-hazard dams in Norman. The city is now more cognizant of preventing new high-hazard dams in future developments.

Agenda Summary Table