Last Updated on August 6, 2023, 3:06 AM | Published: April 5, 2023
MOORE, OKLA — The Moore City council met on Monday for a day of business, overlaid by critique from the citizenry. The City was able to present their police department with an accreditation and started the meeting on a strong note. Later, some citizens questioned the city’s dedication to transparency. Here are the details;
- Moore Police Department was awarded Accreditation Credentials after going through the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, putting them a cut above most departments in the state.
- An addition to Moore’s new animal shelter raised questions of transparency from Moore City hall, and council members pushed back.
- The Recycling ballot measure slated for the May 9 election is once again scrutinized by citizens as claims of conflict of interest with the Vice Mayor and Republic Services circulate online.
Police accreditation
Moore City Council started Monday’s meeting with an award for the police department, one that they’ve been working towards for the last half decade.
Oklahoma’s Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (OLEAP) is an organization that gives law enforcement agencies the chance to prove that they meet nationally accepted standards and best practices, and does so through a years-long verification process divided into three stages.
Out of around 500 law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma, only a select few have accomplished any form of OLEAP approval.
A law enforcement agency must first be verified that they are complying with basic state statute. This can be completed within a couple of months, entirely online.
Twenty-nine agencies in the state have been verified.
Stage two is certification. Agencies will have to comply with 39 unique standards of practice for almost a year, audited by a team of assessors. Reassessment must happen every 4 years to ensure agencies stay compliant.
Six agencies in Oklahoma are currently certified.
Lastly, agencies can move to be accredited after at least one re-evaluation of their certification. Accredited agencies comply with at least 170 standards, and are reviewed every 4 years by OLEAP.
Moore’s law enforcement agency has joined the now 17 agencies that maintain their accreditation, including Edmond, Norman, and Midwest City Police Departments.
Notably, Oklahoma City Police Department is only verified, and Tulsa Police Department is not listed as a participant.
Additions to Moore’s new animal shelter
In 2021, Moore residents voted in favor of two general obligation (or “G.O.”) bonds, and the city has continued to work to make those road improvements and the animal shelter reality.
The Council moved to certify $22,200 for the design of a short-term livestock storage barn on Monday, but faced opposition from at least one resident.
Patrice Williams spoke to the council directly about her concerns.
“We voted on a certain thing, there was a proposal about it, what it’s gonna look like, what it’s gonna do… It said nothing about this.”
Williams was concerned that Moore is not being transparent with what residents are having to pay for, going on to say that “Moore needs to be transparent to our citizens, and we are not being [transparent] if we are going to add to something we have already voted on.”
Moore City Council pushed back.
City Manager Brooks Mitchell brought up an accident on I-35 that left Moore with a few barnyard animals until they could be relocated.
Ward 2 Council Member Melissa Hunt asked if this addition would stay within the budget listed in the election proposition, and Brooks Mitchell said, “We’re still within budget.”
Danielle McKenzie of Ward 1 read a blurb from Moore’s City website that detailed the purpose of the Animal Shelter, which did include “Farm animals” in the list of animals the shelter was intended to take in.
The City’s Animal Control officer pitched in and supported the addition, mentioning that the city had two goats to care for just last week.
The Council passed the item unanimously.
Recycling ballot measure and vice mayor under scrutiny
Moore’s Recycling ballot measure has brought an uncommon amount of public comments to Moore’s city council meetings. On Monday, a new claim presented itself to the council.
As a concerned resident put it, “It really bothers me that Adam Webb is an account manager for Republic, and we did no bids on that before we put it to a vote of the people.”
Adam Webb was elected as Vice-mayor in June 2022, and often acts as mayor When Mayor Glenn Lewis is absent.
Adam Webb’s supposed conflict of interest has been making its rounds among Moore Community groups on Facebook, as residents opposed to the Curbside Recycling proposal show clear disapproval of the City’s approach.
One Facebook comment on The City of Moore, Ok group page stated that “Danielle McKenzie, Moore City Councilwoman and Melissa Hunt made it pretty clear that they couldn’t care less what the people of Moore thought about this.”
Another mentioned that “One of the city council members works for Republic Sevices and I am sure the city council will be happy to take more of everyone’s money!”
It is true that Adam Webb is an account manager for Republic Services; a quick google search results in his public Linkedin which states this directly.
The City disputed the worries of conflicting interests, and provided many examples of how the city has approached he and other council members’ careers.
Danielle McKenzie stood up for Vice Mayor Adam Webb, stating that “on any vote related to Republic Adam has abstained, and has been outside the conversation every single time.”
Adam Webb explained that he has “signed paperwork with the city attorney present that [he] will never have any conversations on either side,” and that the work he does for Republic has no relation to the type of agreements the company would make with municipalities.
Louie Williams of Ward 3 approached the issue directly, and after explaining the fairly rigorous agreement that the councilmembers all sign regarding conflict of interest, said that “While I understand what you’re saying, we’ve not done anything to hide it, and your concern is unwarranted.”
Adam Webb added that Republic has also had him sign agreements that he would not speak to their employees about matters related to the city, hoping to relieve residents of conflict of interest concerns.
The Moore City Council will meet again on Monday, April 17th at 6:30 PM.
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.
