April 11, 2014 City Commission Meeting

Announcements

• Tornado Response Appreciation: The City presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Canadian Valley Rural Electric Co-op for their significant support during the May 19th tornado response and recovery efforts.
• Employee Recognition:
  • A resolution was presented to Rhonda Masquat for over 38 years of loyal service to the City of Shawnee, recognizing her dedication across various roles, including Finance Director and Cash Management Administrator, as she prepares for retirement.
  • Julie Daniels from the Police Department Dispatch was honored as Employee of the Month for her exceptional customer service, training skills, and commitment to first responders.
• Budget Process: Commissioners are encouraged to contact Cindy and the City Manager with ideas for the capital budget, and a list of capital budget items will be re-sent for review.
• Downtown Merchant Engagement: City staff, including the City Manager and planners, continue to attend downtown merchant meetings, noting increased organization and direct feedback from the group.
• Sales Tax PR Campaign: England PR is assisting with a public relations campaign to educate citizens on sales tax revenue, emphasizing that the city primarily relies on sales tax, not property tax.
• Legislative Updates:
  • HB 1875: Supported bill to reduce the Oklahoma Tax Commission's sales tax collection fee from 1% to 0.5%, potentially saving the city $60-80,000 annually.
  • SB 1639: Bill to incentivize in-house employee training for industries.
  • SB 1445: Bill that would allow cities to ask voters to approve increased cell phone fees for 911 services, crucial for sustaining emergency services as landline revenue declines.
  • HB 1363 & 2630: Bills addressing sales tax collection on online purchases from retailers without a physical presence in Oklahoma. The city supports these efforts to ensure fair sales tax collection.
• Kickapoo Easement: A small easement was purchased for $4,200, and $23,000 was allocated from the pipe bursting budget to reroute a sewer line behind Brown Derby on Kickapoo Street, resolving an issue with the existing line and accommodating future development.
• City Beautification Efforts: Staff is exploring partnerships with organizations like the Center for Employment Opportunities or TEAM to hire supervised teams for summer grass cutting and weed control to augment city staff.
• Automatic Meter Reading (AMR): The city is in early discussions with OG&E to potentially utilize their existing wireless mesh network for an AMR system, which could significantly reduce the estimated $6 million cost of implementing such a system.
• Main Street Streetscape Project: Preliminary plans (65-70% complete) for the 5-block project from Beard Street to Oklahoma Street were presented. The project will include water line replacement, new sidewalks with brick inlay borders (with an alternate for stamped concrete), decorative traffic signals at Broadway and Beard, and potential four-way stop signage at other intersections based on traffic counts. A public hearing for citizen input is planned for 📅 mid-May.
• Kickapoo Paving Project: Preliminary plans (75% complete) for the south Kickapoo paving project were received. The project will include six-foot-wide sidewalks with decorative concrete borders and decorative stamped intersections at Benedict and Highland. A traffic circle is proposed at Highland and Kickapoo to improve traffic flow. The city will handle right-of-way acquisition in-house. Cost estimates are expected by 📅 mid-May.
• Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Update: A transition plan report from Bill Gust for the new 501c6 organization was received. A meeting is scheduled for 📅 March 28th to discuss further steps.

Key Decisions & Votes

• Refusal of Quitclaim Deeds: The Council refused ✅ quitclaim deeds for properties at 1207 East 9th Street and 702 West Main Street. The properties, purchased at a tax sale, had existing nuisance abatement liens for demolition, and the individual who deeded them to the city apparently regretted the purchase. Staff recommended rejection as the city has no need for the properties.
• Rezone 3720 N Bryan (R1 to RE): The Council approved ✅ an ordinance to rezone property at 3720 North Bryan from R1 (Single Family Residential) to RE (Residential Estates District). This down-zoning was requested after initial confusion about lot configurations, and the RE designation is more suitable given the lack of public utilities and large proposed lot sizes.
• Rezone 8 & 12 E MacArthur (C1 to C3): The Council approved ✅ an ordinance to rezone property at 8 and 12 East MacArthur from C1 (Neighborhood Commercial) to C3 (Automotive Commercial and Recreational District) for a proposed urgent care clinic.
• Conditional Use Permit for 6 West Main: The Council approved ✅ a conditional use permit for an art gallery at 6 West Main Street to serve alcoholic beverages as a secondary use. The approval included conditions that alcohol sales shall not be the main purpose of the business and that the permit is non-transferable in the case of sale or lease.
• Final Plat for North Harrison Street Business Park: The Council approved ✅ the final plat for the North Harrison Street Business Park, dividing 18.19 acres into five industrially zoned lots, subject to nine conditions.
• Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Shawnee Marketplace: The Council approved ✅ the planned unit development for the Shawnee Marketplace project, a substantial commercial development on 42 acres at the southwest corner of I-40 and Kickapoo Street, subject to conditions.
• Preliminary Plat for Shawnee Marketplace: The Council approved ✅ the preliminary plat for the Shawnee Marketplace Planned Unit Development.
• Ordinance Amending Chapter 2 (Administration): The Council approved ✅ several proposed changes to Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code, including:
  • Amending the city seal ordinance to make it an offense to imply city support.
  • Adding an option for selling real property through market listing with an appraisal, requiring a 45-day minimum listing period and a sale price of no less than 80% of the appraisal value.
  • Changing the vote requirement for entering executive session from three-fourths to a simple majority.
  • Adding "services" to the City Manager's purchasing authority limits.
  • Consensus to keep the rule that one commissioner can place an item on the agenda.
  • Other housekeeping amendments related to meeting conduct, city attorney office supervision, repealing the deputy treasurer position, modernizing city clerk duties, clarifying judgment payment options, updating petty cash limits, repealing the human rights commission, and updating records management to allow electronic media. This ordinance will be formally voted on at the next meeting.
• Police Range Tower Bids: The Council rejected ❌ all three bids for the Police Range Tower project. The Chief of Police will pursue an alternate approach, potentially acting as the general contractor and piece-mealing the project to save costs.
• Airport Authority Commercial Lease: The Airport Authority approved ✅ a commercial lease between the Shawnee Airport Authority and Scissortail Skydiving LLC for the Hangar 13 offices. The lease offers a discounted rate for the first five years in exchange for the company making significant cosmetic improvements to the space.

Public Comments

• Citizen Participation: No citizens came forward to speak on general topics.
• Conditional Use Permit (6 West Main):
  • Dell Curbs (Downtown Merchants) and Theresa Cody (Uncommon Threads) expressed concerns about the conditional use permit for the art gallery, specifically regarding the sale of full-fledged alcohol (beyond wine) and the potential for the establishment to become a "bar." They questioned how the "non-transferable" condition would apply to a lease and how the city would monitor that alcohol sales remain a secondary use.
  • Amy Friend (Shawnee Resident) spoke in defense of the applicant, emphasizing that the primary use is an art gallery for painting classes, not a bar. She highlighted the potential positive impact on downtown and noted that children's classes would be alcohol-free.

Agenda Summary Table