Map created of pedestrian, cyclist deaths in OKC

Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon has compiled police department data to produce a map detailing the deaths of 66 pedestrians and six bicyclists in traffic accidents since 2018. The list includes 32-year-old Brittany Thompson, who was killed two months ago. Police said she stepped into a traffic lane and was struck on Northwest Expressway between Penn and May avenues at 2 a.m. on a Monday. Hamon said on Twitter she hoped the map could “be the beginning of better communicating the impact of traffic deaths and the importance of creating streets for people.”

Of note: Hamon also called out the five council members who voted to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court's finding that a panhandling ordinance — branded as a traffic safety measure — violates the First Amendment. “Any city councilor who voted to send an appeal of the `median safety' ordinance to the Supreme Court but isn't shouting from the rooftops about these deaths is either disingenuous about their concerns for safety or is choosing to be poorly informed,” Hamon wrote.

Return of virtual meetings

City officials are prepared to return to virtual public meetings when an Open Meetings bill moving through the Oklahoma Legislature becomes law — which could happen this week. Senate Bill 1031 passed the Senate 45-0 last week. It would extend precautionary measures adopted last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oklahoma City Council and other public bodies returned to in-person meetings in November, when last year's legislation expired.

Worth noting: After profane and confrontational meetings elsewhere, the city manager added warnings to guidelines for those wishing to address the council that anyone who “delays, disrupts or interferes” with a meeting is subject to removal, and can be arrested.

Facts and figures

• Attorneys who challenged, under the Open Meetings Act, wording of the agenda for a Norman City Council meeting at which the annual budget was adopted last June are seeking almost $30,000 in legal fees and more than $3,000 for expenses.

• The city council authorized negotiations on a final agreement for $300,000 in taxpayer-funded jobcreation incentives for a manufacturing company with oil-and-gas interests, Corken Inc. The company is moving its headquarters, adding 120 jobs.

• Employees with the city of Oklahoma City pledged to donate $520,069 through the 2020 Heart of the City charitable giving campaign, supporting Allied Arts, Community Health Charities, the Regional Food Bank and United Way.

Calendar

The city council meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, 500 S Robinson Ave. for its annual budget workshop. Find the agenda under the “Government” tab at okc.gov.

• Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday for city council primaries in Wards 1, 3 and 4.

Present/absent

The eight city council members attended last week' s meeting. The mayor was absent.