By Carol Cole
The Norman Transcript

Then Norman City Council approved a $131 million budget at its Tuesday council meeting.

"This is a pretty austere budget," said Ward 7 councilmember Doug Cubberly, who serves on the city finance budget." But the community has to understand this budget eliminates six positions...And the end is not in sight."

Cubberly noted in 2000, the city had 737 employees. The new budget for fiscal year 2007 provides for 735 employees.

"Yet our population has increased 10 to 15 percent in that time period," he said. "We're effectively running it on 2.3 percent of sales tax...Staff is doing the best they can with a bad situation."

He pointed out that Norman only spends $1,186 per citizen as compared to Edmond spending $2,513; Midwest City, $1,331; Oklahoma City, $1,348; and Stillwater, $1,978.

Council approved several amendments including moving the compost operation back into the sanitation budget. The council had looked at the possibility of privatizing the city's compost operation.

Councilmember’s also voted to approve Alternative 4 of the controversial north side wastewater solution options by a split vote of 5-4. The vote would authorize building a new north side lift station with a 5 million gallon daily pumping capacity and a 665-foot buffer zone to its south.

Ward 2 councilmember Richard Stawicki moved the council choose Alternative 4 as presented by HDR Engineering and recommended by city staff. The alternative would cost $8.9 million, keep the equalization basin out of the floodplain, but require crossing the Little River with an interceptor line.

"We need to do what we told the voters we would so," said Ward 7 councilmember Doug Cubberly.

Councilmember’s Stawicki, David Hopper, Doug Cubberley and Mayor Harold Haralson voted in favor, with councilmember’s Cindy Rosenthal, Bob Thompson, Jim Stanley and Rachel Butler voting against.

Rosenthal had said she believed Alternative 1, the recommendation of the city's consultant HDR Engineering and cheapest alternative offered, was the best choice.

Alternative 1 was to rehabilitate Lift Station D at a cost of $6.9 million, which required building the equalization basin in the floodplain but didn't require crossing the little River with an interceptor line.

Local engineering Stan Grossman said the council's vote would be the beginning of an effort to waste over $20 million of the tax payers' money (building a north side wastewater treatment plant) and at the same time endangering their water supply and giving a free lift station to the north side developers.

"And all of this on the very same night that you are asking them to trust you to wisely spend a half-cent sales tax increase. The time has come to stop the charade," Grossman said.

The council was expected to cote to send the half-cent sales tax to a vote of the people Aug. 22, revising the proposal to a five year temporary tax that would add 38 employees, mostly in police, code and public works in the first year and additional staff in subsequent years. The city would annually put $1 million of the revenues in an emergency fund and devote $1 million for economic stimulus.

In other business, the council:

* Adopted the fiscal year 2007 Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau budget with annual plan of work;

* Approved resolution amending the Norman 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan from commercial designation to high density residential designation for a .31-acre tract one block south of Alameda Street on the east side of Triad Village Drive. Applicant is Farnam Group Resources Inc. for the 54-unit Wyndam Place;

* Approved rezoning from C-1 to RM-6 for a 1.2 acre tract about one block south of Alameda Street on the east side of Triad Village Drive, for Wyndam Place;

* Approved a preliminary plat for Wyndam Place at Anatole addition;

* Approved a resolution amending the Norman 2025 plan from multi-family office industrial and commercial designation to office, commercial and institutional/hospital designations for a 94.76-acre tract on the southeast corner of Tecumseh Road and 36th Avenue NW. Applicant is Norman Regional Hospital. The council also amended a Planned Unit Development to delete multi-family residential and industrial uses from the PUD and add institutional and commercial uses;

* Approved a revised preliminary plat for Norman Regional Hospital Medical Park West addition;

* Approved an amendment of the Norman 2025 plan from industrial designation to office designation for a 1-acre tract one-half mile north of Cedar Lane Road on the east side of 12th Avenue SE, for an EMT station. A preliminary plat and rezoning were approved from I-1 or light industrial district to C-0 or suburban office commercial district with special use for an EMT station;

* Postponed until the next meeting consideration of special use for a mixed use building for property zoned C-2, general commercial district, for a .402-acre tract at 291 N. Crawford Ave. Applicant is JIREH Foundation;

* Approved an amendment of the city of Norman engineering design criteria and standard specifications and construction drawings for streets, storm drainage, water lines and sanitary sewers.