Last Updated on December 20, 2023, 11:01 PM | Published: December 20, 2023
MOORE, Okla. — The Moore City Council quickly met to make good on previous GO bond promises and approved some changes to municipal building codes.
The Council focused on the following:
- The new Moore Animal Shelter is nearing completion.
- Other General Obligation (GO) bond items show steady progress.
- Moore City building codes were updated and include a formal board of appeals.
- City Holiday service schedules were announced.
- The Moore Police Department is conducting a satisfaction survey with the public.
Animal shelter
The City is putting the finishing touches on the Animal Adoption Center voters approved in the 2021 GO bond.
Monday’s item approved some office furniture, and the dog and cat kennels approved earlier this year should arrive in the first week of January, according to Assistant City Manager Jerry Ihler.
Ihler also said that it should take “three weeks to install them all,” so the adoption center should be open early next year.
GO bond progress
The Moore council approved three design items included in the recent GO bond issue voters passed in November.
TIEM Design, Garver LLC, and Ollson Inc will start the design process for the N.W. 27th street, Eastern Avenue, and N.E. 27th Street reconstruction projects, respectively.
The total for these design projects is $1.5 million. The projects all fell solidly within or well under the budget estimates the city had set before the bond passed.
Ihler also said that it should take “three weeks to install them all,” so the adoption center should be open early next year.
Building Code Updates
The Council approved some building code updates this week to be in line with more modernized standards.
The City will adopt the updated 2018 international codes to replace the 2014–2015 guidelines Moore uses now.
These new rules include a few changes, like establishing a formal board of appeals.
Right now, Moore’s appeals process is not well established and leaves out a lot of the codes the City enforces.
So, the new board will allow builders to argue their interpretation of the rules and come to a compromise with the City’s municipal codes.
Some of the new codes for new construction include;
- Exterior electrical service disconnect on houses for emergencies
- Requires builders to submit a “Manual J” that calculates how much HVAC is required for a building, improving energy efficiency
- Sanitary sewer backflow check system to prevent backups
Introduced in 2014, Moore’s unique wind resistance code that requires homes to withstand at least 135 mph winds is still in effect.
Moore’s holiday services
As we near the holiday season, Moore City hall is offering some special services for residents.
The City will offer live Christmas tree pickup from December 26th through January 12.
Trees will only be taken if they are cut into 3-foot lengths and are placed by trash cans on trash day, before 7 A.M.
Trash services will take place on Wednesday, December 27th and Wednesday, January 3rd.
City offices will be closed the 25th, 26th, and the 1st. That includes the Station Recreation Center, Animal Shelter, and the Senior Center.
Moore police survey
Moore’s police department is looking for community feedback on this year’s performance and set up a Community Satisfaction Survey for residents.
The survey asks respondents about the department’s visibility, engagement, and overall performance satisfaction.
The Next Moore city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 2, 2024, 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.
