August 19, 2025 City Council Meeting

Stillwater City Council Meeting Summary – August 18, 2025

1. Announcements 📅

• Stillwater Animal Welfare Achieves "No-Kill" Status: The Stillwater Animal Welfare staff and volunteers achieved a "no-kill" status in 2024, exceeding a 90% save rate. Updates on the new animal welfare bond project are available at stillwater.govs.
• Utility Box Art Contest Deadline: Submit entries for the Utility Box Art Contest by 📅 Tuesday, September 2nd. This year's theme is "Stillwater Strong." Entries can be submitted online at stillwater.org or dropped off at the Stillwater Community Center.
• Wildfire Federal Funds Update:
  • FEMA: Over 169 families applied, with $733,000 dispersed.
  • Small Business Administration (SBA): 29 families in Payne County applied, with almost $4.2 million deployed.
  • Catholic Charities: Case management is available for residents with unmet needs throughout Payne County. Contact M. Lufkin at [email protected].
  • Stillwater Strong Relief Task Force: Over $563,000 was donated by the community, with 80 Payne County households applying for and beginning to receive funds.
• Cowboy Football Park & Ride Shuttle: Free park and ride shuttle service for game days runs every 30 minutes, starting 3 hours before kickoff. Pickup and drop-off is at 7th and Lewis. Full details are at visitstillwater.org.
• Payne County Free Fair: The 2025 Payne County Free Fair will be held the 📅 week of August 25th. City staff from various departments will be present in the community building throughout the week.
• Block 34 Community Events: Block 34 continues to host community events, including concerts, yoga, and "round net" tryouts. Market 34, a Saturday morning destination, features local vendors, handmade goods, food trucks, and live music. Follow on Facebook or visit block34.org for details.
• Google Data Center Investment: Councilors visited the Google data center in Pryor, noting the absence of noise. Google is investing $9 billion in Oklahoma, including the Stillwater facility, and supporting training programs for electricians through technical schools.
• Finance Department Award: The City of Stillwater's Finance Department received the nation's highest honor in governmental accounting and financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the 43rd consecutive year, recognizing exceptional professionalism and transparency.
• Stillwater Economic Development Authority (SEDA) Report:
  • Economic Development Strategic Plan: The Stillwater Chamber of Commerce has finalized its strategic plan for economic development, including an updated mission statement and core values.
  • Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program (OIE): In partnership with Meridian Technology and the Department of Commerce, 17 Stillwater businesses were awarded $859,000 in 2025 (total project cost of $3.5 million). Overall, $938,000 was awarded to Stillwater, creating 57 new jobs.
  • Select Oklahoma Host & Mock Site Visit: Stillwater hosted Select Oklahoma and a mock site visit, receiving positive feedback from site selectors regarding the airport and the city's responsiveness to businesses. Learnings from this event have already been implemented in subsequent site visits.
  • Recruitment Video Launch: A new recruitment video for Stillwater will be launched at the Mayoral State of the City in September.
  • The Hub Opening: The new "Hub" facility is expected to open this fall.

2. Detailed Sections

Key Decisions & Votes

• Rezoning Request for 624 West 22nd Avenue: The Council considered a request to rezone property from small lot single-family residential and agriculture to solely agriculture to permit the construction of a barn as the primary structure. The Planning Commission had recommended approval. The Council voted to accept the Planning Commission's recommendation. ✅ Approved (5-0 vote).
• Closing of Utility Easement at 707 East Airport Road: A request was made to close a portion of a 30-foot general utility easement to accommodate an awning for "The Hub" development. A new 20-foot waterline-only easement with an encroachment agreement will be dedicated. The Council voted to approve the staff recommendation. ✅ Approved (5-0 vote).
• FY26 Pavement Management Plan Approval: The Engineering Director presented an update on transportation projects and the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Pavement Management Plan. The plan, totaling $10 million, includes:
  • $1 million for sidewalk construction.
  • Design for a new pedestrian corridor.
  • Full depth repair projects across various neighborhoods.
  • Various pavement maintenance techniques (seal coating, microsurfacing, overlays).
  • Design-only for major full reconstruction projects on 26th Avenue, and 10th Street from Lewis to Lowry, and Lowry to Husband.
  • Maintenance capital for signal equipment upgrades/replacements and enhancements to Public Works resources. The Transportation Project Advisory Council (TAC) had recommended approval. The Council voted to approve the FY26 Pavement Management Plan as presented. ✅ Approved (5-0 vote).
• Stillwater Utilities Authority (SUA) Loan Authorization: The Council approved a resolution authorizing the SUA to secure a loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) for up to $112,095,000. This 30-year loan is for critical water and sanitary sewer infrastructure improvements, specifically the raw water line from Lake McMurtry, and is part of a larger long-term capital improvement plan. The Council voted to adopt Resolution CC-2025-21. ✅ Adopted (5-0 vote).
• FAA Airport Improvement Grant Ratification: The Council ratified a previously submitted grant application for Fiscal Year 2025 Airport Improvement Program discretionary funds from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The grant is for airport infrastructure improvements, specifically a passenger boarding bridge. Although the total project cost increased slightly, the city's required match decreased to $3,457. The Council voted to adopt Resolution CC-2025-22. ✅ Adopted (5-0 vote).
• Ordinance 3578 (Rezoning 624 West 22nd Avenue): This ordinance, related to the earlier rezoning decision, was presented for its first reading. The Council voted to advance Ordinance 3578 to its second reading. ✅ Advanced (5-0 vote).
• Ordinance 3579 (Closing Utility Easement 707 East Airport Road): This ordinance, related to the earlier utility easement decision, was presented for its first reading. The Council voted to advance Ordinance 3579 to its second reading. ✅ Advanced (5-0 vote).
• Audit Committee Appointment: Skyler Rodenberg was nominated and appointed to a first term on the Audit Committee, expiring in January 2027. The Council voted to approve the appointment. ✅ Approved (5-0 vote).

Financial Matters 💰

• ERP Project Funding: City management indicated that capital funds and utility funds have been identified and reserved for the Enterprise Research Planning (ERP) project. Initial estimates from Barry Dunn for the new systems were better than expected.
• Transportation Sales Tax Fund: Discussion clarified that the increase in transportation project expenditures (as shown in a bar chart) reflects increased activity and the deployment of funds from the 1-cent transportation sales tax passed in 2022. Funds not spent in prior years are carried forward and earmarked for existing projects.
• OWRB Loan for Utilities: The Stillwater Utilities Authority (SUA) authorized a loan of up to $112,095,000 from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) for water and wastewater system improvements. This 30-year loan is a significant step in addressing the city's identified 10-year capital project list for water and sewer, which totals over $600 million. Annual debt payments are estimated around $7.2 million, which was factored into the 2023 rate study.
• Downtown Waste Management Plan Costs: The proposed downtown waste management plan for low-volume customers includes a single monthly fee of approximately $30.00. This fee is designed to be revenue-neutral, breaking even with the costs of enhanced service.

Public Comments

• Map Amendment (624 West 22nd Avenue): No public comments were received during the public hearing.
• Utility Easement Closing (707 East Airport Road): No public comments were received during the public hearing, though a representative of the applicant was present.

3. Agenda Summary Table