Meeting Recap: August 15, 2011

Stillwater City Council discusses off-street parking

(Stillwater, Okla. / Aug. 15, 2011) — The Stillwater City Council met Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, for a regular meeting. Council approved the minutes of Aug. 1 regular meeting and the executive meeting.

All three items on the consent docket passed without discussion.

Public Comment

• Resident Vera Long commented on Ordinance No. 3147 concerning the adoption of the new code for the City of Stillwater. She cautioned councilors to review it in more detail before passing it.
• Westwood Neighborhood’s Mark Lambert and Ron Beer addressed Ordinance 3148. They were concerned about allowing up to 40 percent of the front lawn to be paved. Both thought 40 percent was excessive.

Public Hearing
Receive public input regarding a request from Candace Gfeller for closing a portion of alley at 211 W. 11th Ave. Gfeller can’t close the sale on the property because part of the house spills over onto the alley where various utilities run. Planner Patty Evans explained that approving the closure of the alley would create difficulties when making utility repairs. Staff did not recommend closing the easement. City Council asked City Attorney John Dorman to look for possible solutions and the topic was tabled, subject to call. This was approved by all.

General Orders

• City of Stillwater quarterly financial report. Chief Financial Officer Marcy Alexander was out, so City Manager Dan Galloway made remarks. He stated that FY2010-2011 ended in the black—just barely. The City was 1.87 percent below budget; however, he wanted to point out that in the past two months sales tax receipts were 6 percent below this time last year. Galloway felt this would be evened out in the next few months.
• Adoption of the Design Criteria and Construction Standards. Brandon Neal made a short presentation about the process and the standards themselves. He first explained that the standards being discussed were in regards to general earthwork, easement work, stormwater collection and clean and waste water design criteria and construction standards. He thanked local builders, the ad hoc committee and others who shared their insight and, ultimately,  improved the code being considered. Neal said that the Design Criteria and Construction Standards would come back before Council in about six months with other recommendations. Provisions could be modified at that time. Following a question by Councilor Cody Scott, Director Paula Dennison explained that Building and Trade Codes were not part of the document being considered at Monday’s meeting. Councilor Joe Weaver appreciated the work of staff and local builders who worked together to develop the document.

Resolutions (Click here to read ordinances in full.)

• Resolution CC-2011-9: A resolution to adopt the Design Criteria and Construction Standards. This was passed by all.
• Resolution CC-2011-14: A resolution to establish a parking district within the Westwood Neighborhood. This was passed by all.

Ordinances (Click here to read ordinances in full.)

• Ordinance No. 3138: An ordinance amending city code to address off-street parking.  Paula Dennison first answered a question from the last City Council meeting concerning parking on University Ave. She said that staff recommended allowing on-street parking on University from Ridge to Orchard Street. Also discussed was staff recommendation to have a sliding scale for the amount of paving that would be allowed in front yards by city code. Councilor Joe Weaver said that a percentage chart was a good solution to the problem. Councilor John Bartley asked about circle drives, and Dennison said that circle drives were allowed under current city code.
  
  She reminded everyone that the city manager could establish and enforce parking on one side of the street without further action. However, Ordinance No. 3138 was the first step in creating a parking overlay district. Details would come later and residents would have 30 days to make comments.  This was approved by all.
• Ordinance No. 3146: An ordinance regarding rezoning a tract of land located at 601 and 602 S. West St. This was passed by all.
• Ordinance 3147: An ordinance calling for the adopting and enacting of a new city code. City Attorney John Dorman explained that there were “empty codes,' which are reserved for future growth. He also reminded everyone that copies of the new code have been available for the public to view at city hall and the library. He stated that all the codes in the new code have been voted on by City Council; nothing was being added that hadn’t been voted on. Councilor Scott expressed concern about the level of fines. Dorman said that the last time City Council adjusted fines was 2002. All but Councilor Scott approved the ordinance.

Miscellaneous items from City Manager.
The NewsPress conducted a Reader’s Choice Award and the City of Stillwater was recognized in several categories; in fact, the City of Stillwater was the only multi-award winner:

• Lakeside Golf Course: Favorite Golf Course
• Multi Arts Center: First Place Art Gallery
• Stillwater Arts Festival: First Place Local Event/Festival
• Boomer Lake Park: First Place Park
• Strickland Park : Honorable Mention Park

 
Miscellaneous items from City Council

• Councilor Scott welcomed students back to town.
• Councilor Bartley reminded all that public school starts Friday and to pay attention to school speed zones
• Mayor Bates encouraged council to speak their minds, even if they have different opinions than the rest of council
• Kaw Water Line discussion is a topic for an upcoming meeting.

Questions & Inquiries

• Mayor Bates asked about progress made concerning a possible meeting with Stillwater Utilities Authority and Grand River Dam Authority and Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority. Galloway said they have been asked to submit a list of concerns, which have not been received yet.

City Council recessed for the SUA Meeting.

Stillwater Utilities Authority Aug. 15, 2011 Meeting

Minutes for the Aug. 1, 2011, meeting were approved by all trustees.

General Orders

• Rural Water Advisory Board provided its quarterly report. There was no comments or questions.
• Stillwater Utilities Authority quarterly financial report was made by City Manager Dan Galloway.  He stated that SUA finished the year in the black with expenditures  at 96.16 of the total budget.

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Next City Council Meeting: Monday, August 22, 2011, at 5:30 p.m. Council Hearing Room. Broadcast on City of Stillwater TV on Suddenlink channel 23. Click here for agendas. 

Watch the City Council Meetings:  Videos of Stillwater City Council meetings are made available on the City of Stillwater's YouTube.com channel within five days of the meeting.