Three members of the Oklahoma City Council will hold a Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday to discuss mental health, access to care and more during the COVID-19 crisis. The virtual meeting is 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 5. The hosts are Ward 2 Councilperson James Cooper, Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon and Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki […]
JoBeth Hamon
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News briefs
CITY Resolutions approved Oklahoma City Council approved several resolutions during last week’s meeting. The council unanimously approved an ordinance to be introduced and set for two additional hearings. Jason Ferbrache, director of Central Oklahoma Transportation & Parking Authority (COTPA), presented the ordinance that essentially proposed an increase in fines for cars that obstruct the Streetcar’s […]
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Twofold Pride
Oklahoma City will be home to two Pride celebrations this year. Board members from Oklahoma City Pride Alliance and 39th Street District Association decided to host their own events after they could not agree on a unified vision for Pride 2020. “There is a little confusion, and hopefully as we move through the next couple […]
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MAPS board
Ward 2 councilwoman JoBeth Hamon sought to amend the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board’s name in an attempt to be more inclusive. Hamon’s amendment would have changed the word “citizen” to “resident” wherever it would be legal to do so. But before any discussion even took place, a motion was made to pass the item […]
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Final actions
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 […]
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Street tunes
An Oklahoma City councilwoman wants to deregulate the city’s busking process. JoBeth Hamon (Ward 6) said the change could add vitality and more culture to Oklahoma City streets. The ordinance was introduced at the Nov. 5 council meeting where mayor David Holt joked the measure might be the first “Twitter-instigated ordinance change in city history.” […]
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Dream state
The future of thousands of Oklahomans is at stake. Nov. 12, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which gives roughly 700,000 immigrants work permits, social security numbers and relief from the threat of deportation. Plaintiffs are suing president Donald Trump’s administration over its decision […]
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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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MAPS package
Oklahoma City council and mayor vote on a MAPS 4 slate tomorrow that includes all 16 proposals with formal presentations at the special meetings. Allocations are based on an estimate that the temporary 1-cent sales tax will generate $978 million in revenue. If passed by council, the package goes to a Dec. 10 vote for […]