May 6, 2014 City Commission Meeting

Announcements

• 📅 Fair Housing Month: April 2014 was proclaimed Fair Housing Month, encouraging citizens to uphold fair housing laws. The City Clerk is designated as the fair housing activities coordinator.
• 📅 Arbor Week: The week of April 13-19, 2014, was proclaimed Arbor Week. A tree planting event is scheduled for 4 PM at the airport on one of these days. Shawnee was recognized as a 2013 Tree City USA Community for the 11th consecutive year.
• 📅 Annual City Cleanup: Citizens are invited to participate in the annual Statewide City Cleanup this Saturday morning (implied April 12, 2014) at Kids Space. Coffee and donuts will be provided.

Key Decisions & Votes

• Agreement with Oklahoma Tax Commission for Sales and Use Tax Administration: The City Council ✅ Approved renewing the agreement with the Oklahoma Tax Commission for the administration of sales and use tax ordinances. This agreement, previously approved in 2011, is part of an effort to schedule all automatically renewing contracts for review.
• Agreement with Oklahoma Tax Commission for Compliance Activities: The City Council ✅ Approved an agreement allowing the city to engage in compliance activities with the Oklahoma Tax Commission. This includes identifying and reporting unregistered sellers. Discussion included the role of Albuquerque attorneys (chosen for expertise with the Tax Commission) and the intent to track costs versus recouped funds.
• Preliminary and Final Plats for 8 and 12 East Macarthur: Both the preliminary and final plats for the property at 8 and 12 East Macarthur were ✅ Approved. This paves the way for a 4,300 square foot Urgent Care Medical Clinic on the 1.3-acre site, which was recently rezoned to C3 commercial.
• Ordinance Repealing and Amending Portions of Chapter 2 (Administration): The City Council ✅ Approved an ordinance that revises Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code. Key changes include:
  • Removing the inactive Human Rights Commission, while strengthening the prohibition of discriminatory practices as a defense in Municipal Court.
  • Updates to rules regarding the city seal, sales property, agendas, meetings, executive sessions, purchases, employee pensions/benefits, and record storage.
  • The emergency clause for this ordinance was also ✅ Approved, making it effective immediately.
• Ordinance Repealing and Amending Portions of Chapter 8 (Businesses, Permits, Licenses): The City Council ✅ Approved an ordinance revising Chapter 8 of the Municipal Code. Notable changes include:
  • Allowing fees for licenses and permits to be set by resolution, rather than requiring code amendments.
  • Establishing an appeals process for denied or revoked licenses directly to the City Council.
  • Deregulation: Eliminating permit and license requirements for businesses deemed no longer a "harm to the morals of the community," such as bowling alleys, skating rinks, family recreation centers, and snow cone merchants.
  • The emergency clause for this ordinance was also ✅ Approved, making it effective immediately.
• Acceptance of Easements and Dedications for Shawnee Mission Plaza Section 8: The City Council ✅ Approved the acceptance of public easements and dedications for Shawnee Mission Plaza Section 8. This property, previously in a floodplain, has undergone significant improvements to remove it from the regulated flood zone, facilitating the construction of a new restaurant.
• Airport Consultant Contract: The Shawnee Airport Authority ✅ Approved entering into a contract with Lochner Aviation Services as the airport consultant. This is a requirement by the FAA and Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, with no direct budget implication for the city as it is funded by state and federal funds.
• Sales Tax Enforcement Mediation: Following an executive session, the City Council ✅ Authorized the City Manager and City Attorney to request formal mediation with other parties regarding sales tax enforcement issues.

Financial Matters

• Shawnee Municipal Pool Project Bids: Bids were opened for the Shawnee Municipal Pool Project, including base bids and several add/deduct alternates (e.g., ornamental fencing, water slides, roof type, ceiling height). The bids ranged from $2.6 million to $4.6 million for the base project. The item was deferred to the next meeting to allow the engineer time to review the bids and make a recommendation.
• Sales Tax Compliance Activities: Discussion around the new compliance agreement with the Oklahoma Tax Commission included the need to track the costs associated with these activities against the amount of money recouped to assess their effectiveness.

Public Comments

• Plastic Bags: One commissioner suggested exploring a ban on plastic bags, similar to Dallas, where a 25-cent charge for recycled bags funds cleanup efforts. Another commissioner expressed concern about the current lack of paper bags at local grocery stores.
• Outdoor Camp: The Mayor and a citizen praised the recent outdoor camp for 7th graders at North Lake, highlighting activities like skeet shooting, fishing, and nature trails, organized by state game wardens and Kiwanis clubs.
• City Cleanup: A citizen, Mr. Terry, invited everyone to the upcoming annual city cleanup, drawing a historical parallel to a 12-day city cleanup in 1939.
• Attorney Fees: Mr. Packwood, a citizen, expressed strong concern about the city's expenditure on attorney fees, urging the council to prioritize what is best for Shawnee.

Administrative Reports

• Citizen Potawatomi Nation Water Line Break: The City Manager reported on a significant water line break at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation's Cultural Heritage Center. An old, abandoned city water line, unknown to current city staff, broke beneath the facility, causing substantial floor buckling. City staff assisted the Nation in isolating and capping the line, emphasizing inter-governmental cooperation.

Agenda Summary Table