Last Updated on February 9, 2023, 12:25 PM | Published: February 8, 2023
MOORE, Oklahoma — The Moore City Council met Monday and had their most argumentative meeting in recent memory.
- Council members argued on the specifics of the proposed Curbside recycling ballot measure, eventually coming to an agreement.
- Mayor of Moore Glenn Lewis designated February 17th, 2023 as “United Acts of Kindness Day,” and the City has several upcoming events for citizens to enjoy.
Background on the Moore recycling proposal
The City had recently heard a proposal from Republic services to offer curbside recycling to Moore residents for a mandatory $4.30 per household, per month.
That price was able to be reduced for residents to $3.90 once the City decided that they could reduce their current recycling center’s services and subsidize the proposed recycling program.
Councilmembers opened 2023 with a public hearing on the subject, and most in attendance looked forward to the program. Many stated that the cost was reasonable, and the service would be welcomed for those who usually take cardboard boxes to the city’s recycling center.
Both Danielle Mckenzie of Ward 1 and Melissa Hunt of Ward 2 vocally supported the City simply passing the measure in a future meeting. Ward 2’s councilmember Mark Hamm disagreed, however, arguing that the City should have an election so that citizens can have direct input on the new mandatory fee.
Recycling proposal discussion continues
Moore’s Recycling proposal saga continued on Monday, when city officials discussed how they should go about the issue in light of new information.
If the proposal is accepted, Moore will enter a 5 year contract with Republic services. Republic would raise the fee by a guaranteed 4% per year, and states that they will increase the charge if the costs of fuel or potential audits exceed their allowance.
Before Monday’s meeting, The council had decided that the proposal should be a ballot measure up to Moore citizens, in line with Mark Hamm’s suggestion and past proposals for curbside recycling in the City.
As council members discussed the discrepancies in the ballot measure’s language, progress on its passage quickly stalled.
To start, the ballot measure describes the cost as “$4.30” when Moore residents will only be charged $3.90 initially.
Melissa Hunt argued that “If $3.90 is what we’re gonna charge and we’re sending it out to a vote of the people… I would say that we change it to $3.90,” with Danielle McKenzie in agreement.
Many council members thought that the 4% annual increase in the cost of the contract, which could be higher, needed to be made clearer on the ballot.
A 4% increase would make the 2nd year of the contract $0.17 more expensive, and continue to compound over the 5 year contract.
City Manager Brooks Mitchell made it clear that the city could cover that increase and not pass it into residents for the first year, but Ward 3’s councilmember Jason Bair was not so sure.
When Brooks Mitchell stated that “The cost to the City on the $0.17 would be $50,000 dollars on an annual basis,” Jason Blair responded with a sigh, “On the first year… and compounding 5 years down the road, I…”
The council decided that they will table the item, but continued to deliberate on how to disclose how much the city and residents will be charged.
A citizen who was vocally against the proposal in the public hearing chose to speak again, this time pointing out that the city did not conduct a competitive bidding process that may find cheaper service providers.
“We need to do more diligence looking and seeing what the best option is for the people of Moore.”
More city staff agreed that they will have the measure define the charge as “not to excede $3.90,” for constituents, maybe including an “until x date” to accommodate the guaranteed annual price increases.
The proposal will be revisited in a later meeting with the clearer ballot language, and the City hopes that residents will see it in the May 9th special election.
February in Moore
Mayor Glenn Lewis started Monday’s meeting with a proclamation; “I, Glenn Lewis, Mayor of the City of Moore, do hereby proclaim February 17th, 2023 as United Acts of Kindness day.”
The day hopes to encourage residents to perform random acts of kindness, and Moore has several other plans for February 2023.
The City is hosting a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt from Saturday, February 11th, to Tuesday, February 14th. Between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., residents can search for a Valentine picture card in Central, Kiwanis, and Parmele parks and take them to the station’s front desk for a prize.
On February 17th, the City plans to host a Senior Sweetheart Dance from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Brand Senior Center. Admission is $5 a person, with live music, snacks, and door prizes.
The February 10th Flashback to the 80s Adult Prom has been canceled, and the City has no plans to reschedule as of now.
The next Moore city council meeting is planned for Tuesday, February 21st, at 6:30 p.m.
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.
