BETHANY, Okla — On Tuesday, the Bethany City Council held its long-awaited workshop, mediated by Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG) representatives.
The point of the workshop, as stated, was to “allow the council to determine and discuss annual training, ethics, finances, operations, expectations, and goals,” with input from the public.
Here is a brief rundown of what was discussed in the special meeting:
- The Council took a stability test administered by OMAG to express what they think are the strengths and weaknesses of the municipality.
- Citizens and Council members raised concerns about the City’s adherence to ethical guidelines and questioned the intent and effectiveness of the workshop.
- Council members proposed several items to be featured on future agendas that aim to address ethics, operations, and goal-setting criticism.
“We have a good story to tell”
The workshop began with a short introduction from OMAG representative Bill Tackett, where he explained the stability test and congratulated the City for its exceptional progress.
The stability test is a self-evaluation for municipal government officials to rate the quality and health of the city with several metrics, from financing and administrative staff retention to crisis planning and council meeting quality.
On a 1-100 scale, the council’s average score was 71.6 across all 10 metrics. On the same scale, the council rated the City’s administration the highest at 84.0.
The Council rated meeting quality and productivity the lowest, cumulatively landing at 60.0.
Tackett also went over several pages of things Bethany had done well in the last half-decade.
For example, Bethany received the 2nd best rating ever on the financial “performeter” last year (up from one of the worst scores in 2019), and recently raised utility rates to fund the water treatment plant and other capital investments in line with the capital improvement plan.
“That’s a great story right there. Y’all have done a lot of work over the last 3,4, 5 years to get to where we are today,” Tackett commented.
Public hearing on annual training
However optimistic OMAG’s portion of the meeting was, the public hearing highlighted the concerns citizens of Bethany still have with the Council.
In what has become a routine exercise for the Bethany City Council, Ward 2 Council member Steve Palmer moved for a vote to remove time limitations for discussion.
It was voted down by the majority of the Council.
When Bethany resident Florence Fly spoke before the Council, she contended that the workshop wasn’t really a workshop at all.
“I’m concerned that this is just another meeting of the City Council where there are members who do not really want to hear from the citizens and who want controlled outcomes.”
Council member Palmer, as the member who originally made the motion for the workshop, was similarly critical of the City’s workshop.
“What are we gonna do here?… I got this passed and I wanted to have a workshop, I wanted to have a cohesive opportunity for everybody to sit down and [do] what we need to do in the handbook, and we aren’t gonna do that tonight, because this is such a controlled environment, and I think we know who’s controlling it… I think this is a great example of what not to do,” Palmer said.
Palmer told residents to “take note, and the next time you vote, remember this meeting, because this is not right.”
Public hearing on Council ethics
Resident Michele Stivers spoke on the ethical issues she perceived on the Bethany City Council, noting that the handbook maintains a no-tolerance policy for shouting and other rules of decorum.
“Apparently, someone’s not reading the book…. It’s getting old. I want it resolved. I want to come to a meeting where we can do things, where we can hear what’s going on, where we don’t have to see the yelling and the fussing…. It’s childish and it’s immature,” said Stivers.
Florence Fly spoke again on the Council’s ethics and criticized the body for its “often open hostility toward councilmembers who ask questions,” and asked that the Council “keep the dirty laundry and petty grievances out of the council chamber.”
She suggested the Council introduce a neutral parliamentarian to ensure procedural decisions, like timekeeping and points of order, are honored based on objective readings of the rules.
Council member Palmer again commented in support of the citizen’s complaints, recommending that the Council set up a protocol to handle issues between council members.
“I totally agree with all of those comments that were just provided…,” said Palmer. “There have been several situations where I have been embarrassed to be on this council based upon what was said in the Council meetings, and those things could’ve been handled differently if we had a set protocol.”
Results of the workshop
Council members suggested solutions to problems they heard residents addressing, and others they had noted to bring attention to in the workshop.
Here are the ideas Council members will consider in future City Council meetings:
- Combine all relevant council meeting rules into a single document for easier reference.
- Designate the City Attorney as the city parliamentarian for facilitating meeting procedures.
- Adopt Robert’s Rules of Order as the official meeting procedure rulebook.
- Declare a City commitment to a balanced budget.
- Adopt a resident’s bill of rights for utility complaints, with consequences to the City for failing to follow procedure.
- Equipment use/maintenance/repair report sent to council members for budgetary considerations.
- Research the potential for public transportation services.
- Create a road repair crew.
- Establish a neighborhood watch program
- Designate a State and Federal liaison to follow grant and policy opportunities for Bethany.
- Conduct a yearly survey for residents to express their needs.
- Conduct an ordinance review to resolve any hindrances to City operations.
- Take action on sidewalk improvements.
- Establish official City expectations and goals.
The next meeting has not been set as of publication.
Damian Powell is our government reporter for the smaller municipalities in the OKC metro such as Moore, Norman, Bethany, and Warr Acres. Damian is studying Political Science at the University of Oklahoma.
