Council to revote on NPD budget, public comment allowed
Apr. 18—The Norman City Council will be forced to reconsider its Fiscal Year 2021 budget next week after the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld a district court ruling that found the city violated the state's Open Meeting Act.
The higher court agreed Tuesday with Associate District Judge Thomas Baldwin's December 4, 2020 ruling that because amendments made to the budget did not appear on the council's June 16 agenda, the council's action to approve the budget violated state law, The Transcript previously reported. The Fraternal Order of Police sued the city in July following the council's decision to cut $865,000 from the Norman Police Department's proposed budget increase.
Both court decisions have rendered the budget invalid, court records show.
"The City will continue to operate as normal for the week until council has an opportunity to ratify the budget next week," city spokeswoman Annahlyse Meyer said Friday.
City officials confirmed that the council will vote again on the budget Tuesday. The agenda was posted late Friday and shows the council will be asked to approve the same amendments it did regarding police funding, in addition to other budget amendments.
Meyer told The Transcript there will be a time for public comment on the budget and those amendments.
Unlike the June 16 meeting, where dozens of protestors filled the council chambers, the meeting will be virtual with new changes to public speaking rules.
Participants must sign up in advance of the meeting on the city's website with name, address and the amendment the resident wishes to address, the guidelines read. Because it is a change to the rules, a signup sheet at the back of the council chambers is also available prior to the meeting.
The city clerk will recognize the speaker by name, with no more than three minutes per person allowed for comments. Total comment time allowed will be 30 minutes on each item — 15 minutes for the item and 15 minutes for those against the item, the guidelines read.
The June 16 council meeting lasted 11 hours, with an unlimited number of speakers who addressed the council, The Transcript reported previously.
The change in guidelines, Meyer said, was meant to ensure everyone had an opportunity to speak.
"Council has made these changes in an effort to ensure that both sides are heard equally on any given item while allowing the meeting to progress," Meyer said.
Prior to the discussion and vote on the budget, the council will convene in executive session.
The Transcript learned during the city's finance committee meeting Thursday night that the session will allow the city attorney to discuss the ramifications of the court's ruling on the lawsuit, City Manager Darrel Pyle told the committee.
"We will go into special session and walk council through these steps to readopt the current fiscal year budget, and then we will jump into the previously scheduled topic, an introduction into what next fiscal year's budget looks like," Pyle said Thursday.
Mindy Wood covers City Hall news and notable court cases for The Transcript. Reach her at mwood@normantranscript.com or 405-416-4420.
