Charter Review Committee

MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE JULY 19, 2010 - 2:00 P.M. WAYNE GILLEY CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. in the Wayne Gilley City Hall Council Chambers. Meeting notice and agenda were posted on the City Hall bulletin board as required by State Law. 1. Roll Call: PRESENT: Ken Easton, John Purcell, Jr., Minnette Page, John Cameron, Albert Johnson Sr., Emil Vyhlidal, Ernest Godlove. ABSENT: Gary Chambers, Lance Janda. ALSO PRESENT: Frank V. Jensen - City Attorney, Traci Hushbeck - City Clerk ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Approve minutes of July 12, 2010. MOVED by Page, SECOND by Cameron, to approve the minutes of July 12, 2010. AYE: Easton, Purcell, Page, Cameron, Johnson, Vyhlidal, Godlove. NAY: None. MOTION CARRIED. 3. Receive input from citizens regarding any issues/concerns they have with the City Charter. The following comments were made by those in attendance: Mayor Fred Fitch: -Like to see abstentions defined in charter. -Look at strategic planning conference with City Council with citizen input to discuss five year plan. Joe Bailey, 2723 NE Euclid: -Opposed to at large voting for wards -Supports election on same date as state and federal. -Supports either two or four year terms. -Need to address abstentions in charter. Should clarify conflict of interest. James Stewart, 627 SW Sedalia Place: -Support the creation of two more wards. Residents past SW 45th don’t feel involved. -Opposes at large members. Minutes of Charter Review Committee Meeting of July 19, 2010 Page 2 Deral Paulk, 4012 SW Hickory Lane: -Feels Ward 7 is much bigger than other wards. A new ward should be created for area west of 38th and Lee Boulevard. Dan Tucker, 6916 SW Beta Avenue: -A five year planning direction should be in charter. -Charter is too detailed and is not flexible enough. Needs to be general and non- directive. -Opposed to at large representation. -Does not support additional wards. -Council members should state up front why they are abstaining. -Planning committee should be formed to set goals and goals should be reviewed every five years. Rex Givens, Museum of the Great Plains: -Strategic planning should be required in charter. City Council must participate. Janice Drewry, Ward 3 City Council member: -Supports strategic planning. Timothy Loftis: -Favors a community calendar to help with funding events. Deck McKeen, 2415 NW 34th Street: -Favors a SOP for disaster plan. Should be proactive, not reactive. -City should operate on zero based budgeting. -Force city to outline certain number of officers per population. Jeremy Russell, 706 SW Roosevelt: -Wards 1 and 3 should be updated/combined. -Add one at large position and delete one ward. -Remove the words “ethnic background” in C-6-2 c(1) -Clarify “good of the service” in C-8-1 -Look at how the charter recognizes labor unions. Norma Roberts, 4815 NW Cheryl Blvd: -Supports adding an at large seat. 4. Discuss input from citizens and continue committee discussion regarding issues/concerns with the City Charter. The committee agreed to meet every Monday, starting on July 26th, at 10:00 a.m. in the Mayor’s Conference Room at the New City Hall (Old Lawton High). Jensen suggested the committee hear from the Planning Director at a future meeting as to what kind of long term planning is already going on in Lawton. Minutes of Charter Review Committee Meeting of July 19, 2010 Page 3 Purcell requested the committee members put in writing the specific areas they feel need to be discussed by the committee. These can be emailed to him with a copy to Ms. Hushbeck. 5. Adjournment There was no further business to consider and upon motion, second and roll call vote the committee adjourned at 3:36 p.m.