Last Updated on September 8, 2023, 10:38 AM | Published: September 8, 2023
MOORE, Okla. — The Moore City Council met on Tuesday to discuss some standards for infrastructure development and to make some regular city purchases.
Along with the meeting, City manager Brooks Mitchell introduced residents to a new General Obligation Bond proposal that should be on ballots in November.
Here’s some key details you should know;
- Moore City staff will develop a 500-page document that will potentially define standards and specifications of future infrastructure development, hoping to encourage walkable and durable infrastructure
- City manager Books Mitchell announced a $49 million, 14-project, city-wide GO bond proposal to repair and renovate roadways crucial to keeping up with city traffic needs
Moore outlines potential standards and specifications
The city of Moore has not had a set of robust standards and specifications for infrastructure improvements around the city. Existing standards were set back in 2008, and public improvement specifications were never created.
Contractors have had to adhere to a loose set of specifications, and so Moore has found it hard to communicate exactly what the community wants out of particular projects.
Community Development Director Elizebeth Whiteman gave the council a presentation on the 500+ page document that outlines what specifications and standards city staff would like future infrastructure development in Moore to adhere to.
As proposed in the meeting, a few changes in the document could have big impacts on development.
One example: The city of Moore could require geotech services on all projects.
Moore has had some problems in the past with contractors that neglect to survey subsurface conditions, leading to expensive road failure. Design costs will increase, but the city sees the standard necessary to ensure that roads are built properly.
Also, part of the proposal bars recycled asphalt to be used on road surfaces in the city.
Recycled asphalt road surfaces are prone to cracks and damage, especially in Oklahoma weather. Moore will still allow other uses of the recycled material but could prohibit its use as the surface of roadways.
If passed, Moore will be the first city in the OKC metro to prohibit recycled asphalt road surfaces.
Another big change could be the increase of standard Right-of-Way (ROW) size from 120 feet to 130’.
A larger ROW allows for more amenities and utilities along roadways and provides pedestrians with safer travel.
After the presentation, the council decided to table the item and discuss changes in a future meeting. It is unclear whether or not the city will make substantial changes to these regulatory recommendations.
GO bond proposal
The citizens of Moore are no strangers to large general obligation (GO) bond proposals. The 2021 GO bonds to build a new animal shelter and improve some roadways hovered around $16 million and passed readily.
Voters will have the chance in November to vote on one of the largest GO bond proposals the city has ever had, at over $49 million.
The 2023 GO bond looks to make massive roadway improvements across every ward in the city, and City manager Brooks Mitchell says that these improvements are integral to keeping up with traffic demands.
For some examples, two of the largest improvements are the planned resurfacing of Telephone Road (SW 19th St. to SW 34th St.) and the Design and resurfacing of SW 34th St. (Little River to Eastern Ave.)
A complete list of the planned improvements can be found on the City of Moore website.
“It’s important to address the traffic needs while we can,” said Mitchell.
GO bonds and tax increases
As for any tax increases, the city council, city manager, and several paragraphs on the city website promise to keep the millage rate at or below 16.5 mills.
This is the same promise made when the 2021 GO bonds were approved.
As city manager Mitchell put it, “We will be able to do that because we only issue the bonds when we need the money for the project.”
The city plans to issue the bonds incrementally, only when the specific projects come online.
Going after other funds
Moore will continue to pursue funding from other sources such as the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) to keep costs down.
To qualify for ACOG funding, projects must be “ready to go,” meaning that engineering and design work is already complete. Many of the 23’ GO bond projects only look to cover design costs.
In the last few years, Moore has received more than $8 million in ACOG funding for various improvements.
“That’s money that we don’t have to pay… we need to structure our programs and our procedures to try and capitalize on that,” said Mitchell.
Voters will expect to see the proposition on the November 14th special election ballot.
The next Moore City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 18, 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.
