Council OKs transparency measures

The Oklahoma City Council voted Tuesday in favor of transparency policies aimed at giving the public additional time to comment on taxpayer funded job-creation incentives and sales of city property.

Both measures passed 7-1. Public notice of pending council action on significant deals often is limited to just a few days under current practices, said Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid, who proposed the reforms.

“The public would hear about it on Friday afternoon and then we’d vote on it on Tuesday morning,” he said. “There’s one business day for the public to call us and learn about it and process it before we vote.”

Shadid said the state Open Meetings Act “is very clear ... the spirit and

purpose of it is for the entire decision-making process to be visible to the public, not just the final vote.”

The revised policies provide for a review period of at least 18 days from the first public notice to a council vote to allocate funds and authorize negotiations on jobcreation incentives.

Another four days’ notice, at least, would precede final action.

The public would have a chance to comment in a public hearing and get at least 32 days’ notice before final action on the sale of city property.

Ward 8 Councilman Mark Stonecipher, who worked with Shadid on the reforms, said the policies could be waived when “there is something that needs to be decided quickly.”

Shadid raised concerns after the council was asked on short notice to approve $1.7 million in incentives for online retailer Amazon’s new warehouse and distribution center.

Shadid also questioned the rush to approve the $22.5 million sale of the Santa Fe municipal parking garage to Continental Resources and BancFirst.

Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer pointed out pending economic development deals are considered in public meetings already, twice by the Economic Development Trust and twice by the council.

The reforms add a fifth public meeting and 14 days to the process.

Salyer voted in favor of the measures.

Ward 3 Councilman Larry McAtee voted against them.

McAtee is chairman of the Economic Development Trust.

“I think the system is working,” he said. “We have been sending a very pro and positive message to potential companies, that this is a town that is business-oriented.

“We will not violate our principles,” McAtee said. “We will not violate the protocol that’s been set down for evaluating the different deals when they come to us.

“I think we ought to just leave it the way it is.”

As part of the package, the council agreed to have a representative of the city clerk’s office or the city attorney’s office present when the city manager or staff conduct private briefings for four or fewer council members.

Five would be a quorum and, by definition, constitute a public meeting.

The new rules specify that no vote can be taken when small groups meet for briefings.

Neither the city manager nor city staff can seek a consensus from council members who are present.

In other business

Also Tuesday, the council:

• Acting on a recommendation from police Chief Bill Citty, voted to reduce the maximum fine for marijuana possession to $400.

The move is part of efforts to reduce incarceration rates; under the current ordinance, possession is punishable by a fine of up to $1,200 and six months in jail.

Instead of going to jail, offenders will receive a citation payable at the Municipal Court pay window, like a traffic ticket.

Changes take effect in 30 days.

• Deferred for a month action on “home-sharing” regulations for short-term residential rentals arranged through online services such as Airbnb.

• Reached a consensus to have the city’s personnel department organize the search for City Manager Jim Couch’s successor and agreed to a timeline that could enable the council to review applications at its Nov. 6 meeting.

Couch’s last meeting likely will be Nov. 20; his retirement becomes official Jan. 2.