Councilmembers set a date on a new sales tax vote, amended policies and approved more spending, among other actions at Oklahoma City Council’s final meeting of the year. Park tax Three weeks ago, former councilman Ed Shadid submitted a petition with enough signatures to allow residents to decide whether or not they want to implement […]
David Greenwell
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Preservation changes
Oklahoma City Council adopted an ordinance last week amending a previous controversial proposal that would have stripped some of Historic Preservation Commission’s powers. Months ago, Oklahoma City councilmembers David Greenwell (Ward 5) and Mark Stonecipher (Ward 8) presented a broad proposal that would have only allowed the city council to initiate any historic designation proposal […]
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City investments
Sixteen projects are in the MAPS 4 package that was unanimously approved by Oklahoma City Council last week. Allocations are based on an estimated $978 million revenue from a one-cent sales tax set to last eight years. During the Aug. 27 meeting in which the package was voted on, many councilmembers said they did not […]
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Building’s fate
The old city jail was saved from demolition for now, but there are no concrete plans to move forward with redevelopment. The resolution to apply for demolition was deferred four times before a decision was made. It was first discussed June 4 and then every two weeks until Aug. 13, with councilmembers disagreeing on the […]
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Church to church
Oklahoma City Council voted to pass a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city, First Christian Church and Crossings Community Church. Part of the agreement states the city will immediately withdraw the application to designate First Christian a historic landmark overlay district. “This MOU provides terms that are agreed to by all three parties,” said […]
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Action item
On Friday, a resolution was added to the Oklahoma City Council agenda for May 7’s meeting but was then deferred to May 21. If passed, it would withdraw the application to designate First Christian Church a historic landmark overlay district. Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) voted to initiate the process April 3, which also started a […]
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Building history
City council members brought forth resolutions to acknowledge the historic and cultural significance of two properties. One resolution was approved, bringing two organizations together in compromise, while the other was deferred for a month. Merging support After being deferred three times, Ward 7 councilwoman Nikki Nice’s resolution on Brockway Center and Child Abuse Response and […]
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Suite perks
Oklahoma City adopted a complimentary ticket policy in 2002 that allows the mayor and members of Oklahoma City Council two free tickets per event at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Civic Center Music Hall and other venues. The ticket policy states the official must use one ticket and a guest could use the other; tickets cannot be […]
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Election penalty
The Nov. 6 election night results were cause for many across Oklahoma, including 38-year-old winner Nikki Nice, who won the open Ward 7 seat on Oklahoma City Council, to celebrate. However, no more than 24 hours later, Nice found herself the recipient of bad news as her former employer, Perry Publishing & Broadcasting Company, fired […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Lucky No. 7
Oklahoma City Council is rich in diversity and proudly mirrors the community it represents, more or less. James Greiner, representing Ward 1, is a conservative voice on the council whose appreciation for the arts is evident by his time spent as a graphic designer for Hobby Lobby. Arab-American doctor Ed Shadid represents Ward 2, while Larry […]