City budget series: Hear city clerk, municipal court, HR budget needs

May 9—Editor's note: This story is the first in a series of budget-focused stories The Transcript will share over the next few weeks as the city gets closer to its budget deadline. Each story will delve into specific city departments' budget requests, functions and biggest needs.

In a series over the next few weeks, The Transcript will bring readers an inside look into the city's budgets, department by department.

Staff begin work on the proposed budget in September and, through meetings with fellow members of city hall and the Norman City Council, prioritizes each department's needs.

The following departments answered The Transcript's questions, from why their budgets have increased or decreased this year to what the most critical needs are for their area of local government operations.

A dividing line emerged between departments that find a wide array of grants to supplement their budgets, like public safety and parks and recreation, and departments like the city clerk and municipal court that do not have that luxury.

A list of federal grants at grants.gov shows no available programs for these departments.

Department costs for some are primarily staff-driven or program dominant, but all have in common the need for equipment, maintenance and supplies.

City clerk

Norman's current city clerk is Brenda Hall. The clerk and her office keep city records, attend and record council meetings, sign and attest council ordinances and actions, oversee the Facilities Maintenance Division, issue city licenses, staff the city's Action Center and more.

Q: How much is your budget request this year, and how much more or less do you seek from the previous fiscal year?

A: $1,864,044 — that's $137,998 more than last fiscal year.

Q: What is the reason for the budget amount you seek? What are the most critical needs and largest expenditures in your department this fiscal year? What about the next five years?

A: The increase in budget this year is tied to the Facilities Maintenance Division portion of the city clerk's budget. The funds include the addition of a plumber position and related costs, as well as an increase in supplies/materials and services/maintenance. The Facilities Maintenance Division currently has one plumber position to maintain over 80 city facilities.

Additional personnel has been needed for some time, especially with the increase in facilities under the Norman Forward program. The increase in supplies/materials is due to the increase in facilities to maintain.

The increase in services/maintenance is to provide for a maintenance agreement with an outside vendor for the Animal Welfare Center's HVAC system. The system is sophisticated due to the various zones where animals are kept and treated.

The biggest expenses in my department by far is personnel and the related facility maintenance activities. Other than that, the biggest line item in my budget is for municipal elections.

Questions about grants and sales tax funding are not applicable to the city clerk's office, the department said.

Q: What is something about your department and the city budget that you wish the public knew?

A: The city clerk's department is one of the smaller departments in the city but still plays a vital role in the overall city cog, just like all the other departments.

The City of Norman is ONE organization, and we strive to work together for the greater good. The budget process is truly an organic process where department managers work to prioritize the areas of greatest need for the organization. That results in departments making sacrifices for others, knowing there will be years when their needs become the higher-ranking ones.

Municipal court

The court is the city's judicial arm and hears about violations of city ordinances.

Q: How much is your budget request this year, and how much more or less do you seek from the previous fiscal year?

A: FY22 base budget is $1,179,069, and it is the same as FY 21, which was less than FY 20.

Current critical needs for the court are replacement of all computers, which was supposed to happen in FY 22 but was removed during our retreat (computers didn't make the cut). The next five years, our most critical need will be all things related to our new facility and staffing (technology, furnishings and security).

Questions about grants and sales tax funding are not applicable to the municipal court, the court said.

Q: What is something about your department and the city budget that you wish the public knew?

A: That court staff has the knowledge, training and professionalism to serve the public with compassion and respect while providing them the best information and options available so they are able to make an informed decision based on their particular situations.

Human resources

Human resources handles the city's personnel services, from employee recruitment to benefits and pay to employee orientation and training.

Q: How much is your budget request this year, and how much more or less do you seek from the previous fiscal year?

A: FYE 21: $1,000,033. Requested for FYE 22: $1,079,699. Approved for FYE 22: $1,025,183.

Q: What is the reason for the budget amount you seek? What are the most critical needs and biggest expenditures in your department this fiscal year? What about the next five years?

A: HR requested a new full-time position and a part-time position. My most critical need is additional personnel. The biggest expense in my department is personnel.

Questions about funding from grants and sales tax are not applicable to human resources, the department said.

Q: What is something about your department and the city budget that you wish the public knew?

The HR department oversees essential employment-related functions, such as recruitment, payroll, compensation management, benefit plan design and implementation and safety.

The HR department is a very small department. Over four decades ago, the city had less than 500 employees, with eight of those being in the HR department. Today, the city has over 890 employees, with seven of those being in the HR department.

While HR employees continue to do much more with less, they are still committed to providing excellent customer service both internally and externally. The HR department is responsible for managing the employee life cycle (i.e., recruiting, hiring, on-boarding, training and exits). The HR department also works actively to safeguard the interest of employees. We serve as a link between employer expectations and employee needs so that a fine balance is maintained.

Mindy Wood covers City Hall news and notable court cases for The Transcript. Reach her at mwood@normantranscript.com or -416-4420.