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Drought plan on tap for City Council

Rates increases, watering restrictions to be proposed

The Bartlesville City Council is expected to consider modifications to the Water Storage Ordinance and a resolution to enact the emergency water rate provisions of the Water Shortage Ordinance during its April 3 meeting.

Boiled down, that means your water bill could be higher next month, splash pads could be closed this summer, and restrictions could be placed on outdoor watering.

"The council will consider proposed ordinance modifications that will better define and update measures outlined in the Drought Contingency Plan, which was written following the drought we experienced in 2002," said Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen. "Staff is still working on those updates, but we anticipate having them ready for council consideration later this week."

Proposed measures include:

• Increased water rates
• Restrictions on outdoor watering
• Splash pad closures

"Unfortunately, increased water rates have been shown to have the most significant impact on reduction of water consumption," Lauritsen said. "We will propose increased rates for higher use, which is intended to discourage excessive consumption."

Lauritsen said any money collected as a result of the increased rates will be allocated for improvements to the water system and/or conservation efforts in the future.

Bartlesville is currently in Phase 2 of the Drought Contingency Plan, based on water supply falling between 70 and 60 percent. The City launched a public awareness campaign in December 2022, when levels had reached 71 percent. Since then, overall water supply levels have fallen each week, reaching 61.8 percent last week.

Some measures already implemented to reduce consumption include the City discontinuing water use for its fleet (with the exception of sanitation vehicles) and non-essential operational uses, altering watering of parks and golf courses, notification to wholesale customers, and public education.

If these and other measures to be considered by the City Council on Monday fail and supply continues to decline to "critical" levels, or below 50 percent, rates could go even higher, outdoor watering could eventually be eliminated altogether, and City-owned swimming pools could be closed this summer.

For more information, see www.cityofbartlesville.org and City Beat, March 21, 2023.

The City Council meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. April 3 on the first floor of City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave.

Code Enforcement ready for busy season

Officers respond to complaint-driven calls 6 days per week

Spring is officially here, and that means the City's Neighborhood Services Division is busier than usual responding to citizen complaints, Community Development Director Larry Curtis said this week.

The division, which is part of the City's Community Development Department, is responsible for investigating violations and enforcing the City's Municipal Codes pertaining to private property maintenance issues. Consisting of just three field officers and a supervisor, plus an additional staff member who handles abatements, the division is typically overwhelmed with calls, especially during the spring and summer.

"We receive a significant uptick in complaints during the spring and summer months, largely due to vegetation — grass growing in excess of the legal limit and heavy vines pulling down fences, that sort of thing — as well as other factors such as inoperable vehicles that people intend to work on and junk or trash that gets put in the yard but not disposed of properly," Curtis said.

"Staff response to these types of calls is predominately complaint-driven simply because we simply don't have time to drive around and look for violations. This is where citizens can make a real difference in helping to keep their neighborhoods cleaner and safer, as we are counting on them to tell us where the problems are."

Neighborhood Services handles more than 3,000 nuisance complaints each year, averaging 50-60 calls per week during the spring and summer seasons. Neighborhood Services Officers are able to investigate an average of five to seven calls per day, Curtis said.

Violations most often reported involve high weeds, trash, inoperable vehicles and dilapidated structures or structures in disrepair, he said.

"Most of it is common sense: Clean up any trash or junk in the yard, keep your yard mowed, and don't park inoperable vehicles where they can be seen by the public," he said.

Curtis said vehicles that are not in working order should be kept in the garage, and fifth wheels, RVs and boats must be parked on the side of the home when possible rather than in the driveway or in front of the house.

"We get a lot of complaints from neighbors who have trouble seeing around recreational vehicles to pull out of their driveways," he said.

While citations are issued and other actions may be taken if a property owner refuses to comply with City ordinances, officers make every effort to work with owners to bring the property into compliance.

"We try to be as understanding as we can be, and we strive for voluntary compliance," Curtis said. "But there are cases where we have to take action to ensure problems are resolved."

Curtis said this is especially the case anytime safety is an issue, but also when unmaintained property brings down property values for other residents in the neighborhood.

To report a property nuisance, complete a complaint form found on the City's website, www.cityofbartlesville.org, or call 918.338.4230 and leave a message.

Files photos

Council to consider ward boundary changes

The City is taking steps to ensure more equitable populations in the city’s five wards, each of which is represented by a member of the Bartlesville City Council.

In February, the City Council heard a report on proposed ward boundary changes and directed City staff to notify the public of plans to update the ward maps. The council is expected to consider final adoption of an ordinance outlining the new boundaries during its meeting on April 3.

State law requires that governing bodies review their ward boundaries following every federal census and change the boundaries or number of wards to ensure that:

• All wards are formed of compact and contiguous territory
• All wards are substantially equal in population
• To the extent practicable, precincts established by a county election board shall not be subdivided

Changes are needed due to recent and continued predicted growth in the city’s Ward 2, located in southeast Bartlesville, and declining populations in Ward 4, located in the northern and northwestern areas of the city.

Ward 2 currently has the highest population and is 10.6 percent above the optimal population, according to the City’s Community Development Department. Additionally, the ward is expected to be a high growth area in the future with recent infill residential development and no natural features restricting growth on the vacant land to the south and east.

On the flip side, Ward 4 currently has the smallest population and is 4 percent below the optimal population. This ward is the least likely to grow, City staff say, due to being already developed and floodplain areas that further restrict room for expansion.

In addition to righting population imbalances, Community Development Department staff say they attempted to ensure that wards are compact and contiguous, as required by state law, and that they reflect communities of interest, giving consideration to groups of people in a geographical area who have common social, physical, or economic interests. An effort was also made to achieve alignment with the Washington County voting precincts.

View the existing and proposed ward boundary maps here:

Existing Bartlesville Council Boundary Map

Proposed Bartlesville Council Boundary Map

For more information, contact Community Development Director Larry Curtis at [email protected] or 918.338.4237.

Volunteers wanted: Operation Clean House

Operation Clean House needs your help! Volunteers are needed to help staff the 2023 OCH event, set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 22.

The event will be held at two locations, the Phillips 66 downtown parking lot and the District 2 Washington County barn in Dewey.

OCH is a free, countywide event for Washington County residents to dispose of hazardous household and automotive goods without harming the environment or endangering human health.

More than a hundred volunteers are needed to help offload and organize the waste that is dropped off. Organizers of the event, for which the City is a sponsor, say volunteers are still needed just to reach the minimum staffing level.

Contact [email protected] to volunteer. Not only will you get the satisfaction of helping area citizens and the environment, volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and breakfast and/or lunch.

Water conservation challenge starts April 1

Residents asked to pledge long-term conservation effort

Bartlesville is joining communities across the country in a national water challenge asking residents to make a long-term commitment to reduce pollution and manage water resources more wisely. In return, residents can win more than $50,000 in eco-friendly prizes, including $3,000 toward their home utility payments, water saving fixtures, and hundreds of other prizes. Plus, this year students from thousands of schools across the country can make water conservation commitments that directly support their city’s standings.

The challenge begins April 1 and ends April 30. To participate, sign up at https://mywaterpledge.com/

Cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category a chance to win $3,000 toward their Home Utility Bills, and hundreds more eco-friendly prizes including Toro Irrigation Smart Controllers, Gift cards for Hobie Surf Shops, and more. In addition, one school from each winning city will receive 100 pairs of Zenni Remakes™ eyeglasses that help reduce damage to eyes from prolonged exposure to blue light. Each pair is made from the recycled plastics equal to three discarded single use plastic water bottles.

Participating residents are also encouraged to use a custom created digital tool called MyVolunteer Water Project, in support of the program, that gives residents a unique way to do hands-on home, community, and workplace projects year-round in support of their city’s sustainability efforts. The more projects residents do throughout the year, the better chance a city wins the mayor’s challenge in April.

Plant sales help plight of monarch butterfly

Local plant sales are planned to help to restore monarch butterfly populations as they pass through Bartlesville during migration. The City of Bartlesville has for several years partnered with the Bartlesville Council of Garden Clubs to promote efforts to replenish monarch populations through an initiative sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation’s Monarch Conservation Program.

The program is a nationwide effort to provide habitat for the monarch butterfly, whose population has decreased by an estimated 90 percent in the U.S. and Mexico over the past 20-plus years due to forest fragmentation, chemicals and global warming.

"The monarch butterfly population east of The Rockies is still low, and since Bartlesville is in the migrating pathway with drought conditions throughout, extra effort is needed  to provide milkweed and nectar plants," said BCGC member Kloma Laws.

In an effort to replenish monarch numbers, the Bartlesville Mayors for Monarch committee encourages more plantings of milkweed and nectar plants, which are preferred foods for the monarch. Two events are planned to help provide these plants:

• Green Thumb Garden Club will sponsor a plant sale 8:30-11:30 a.m. April 22 in Eastland Shopping Center.

• The Master Gardener’s will have a sale from 8 a.m. to noon on April 29 at the Dewey Fairgrounds.

Both groups will have boxes of Pollinator Plants for Monarchs, pass along plants, perennials, annuals, houseplants, tomato and pepper plants for sale.

The Green Thumb Club maintains the Monarch Waystation at Highway 75 and Frank Phillips Boulevard, while Master Gardeners maintains the waystations at the Bartlesville Public Library and the Oklahoma State University Extension Office in Dewey. Both groups also work tirelessly in assisting with community projects and educating the public.

For more information about the groups or events, call 918.213.5519. For more information about the Mayors for Monarchs project, see NWF.org/MayorsMonarchPledge.

Public library offers gardening classes

Want to up your gardening game? Check out these upcoming classes sponsored by the Bartlesville Public Library. All classes start at 6 p.m. at the library, located at 600 S. Johnstone Ave.

April 11

Meeting Room C Annual VS Perennial

Betty Turner will share her favorite annuals and perennials that perform well and require little attention after being planted. Native plants and drought-tolerant choices will also be discussed. Attendees will receive a list of the plants presented.

April 18

Meeting Room C Backyard Landscaping

Don Martin will discuss the OSU Oklahoma proven program and his favorite backyard landscape plants. He will also share photos and experiences from a recent trip to Keukenhof, one of the world's largest flower gardens located in the Netherlands.

April 25

Meeting Room C Growing Vegetables

Laura Riley will share some of the soil and pest challenges she has experienced over the years and discuss what has and hasn't worked in her vegetable garden.

May 2

Meeting Room C Soil Importance

Neil Loftis will discuss soil properties, the importance of soil testing, and how to obtain and submit a soil test to the OSU Extension office. Identifying the right fertilizers and determining the correct application rates will be presented.

May 9

Meeting Room C Integrated Pest Management

Susan Henning will discuss IPM, an environmentally sensitive approach to prevent pests before they occur. IPM can help maintain healthy plants and resist pests by using physical, cultural, and biological methods in lieu of some traditional, and potentially harmful, chemical pesticides. Not all pesticides are "bad." Some chemical pesticides are IPM compatible, pest specific, safe for non-target beneficial insects, and safe for the environment.

Jobs/open positions

Are you looking for a career that offers competitive pay, excellent benefits and an opportunity to serve your community? Look no further! The City of Bartlesville is currently accepting applications for the following positions:

Maintenance Worker I-II-Street Department

Maintenance Worker I-II-Parks Department

Applications for firefighter and police officer positions are accepted on a continual basis. To apply for these or any other open position, or for more information visit the City's website, www.cityofbartlesville.org.

Board, Committee & Commission Openings

The City of Bartlesville has numerous boards, committees and commissions that are driven by citizen volunteers. All citizens are encouraged and welcome to apply. Board applications are available online and in the City Manager’s Office, located on the second floor of City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. Applications are kept on file for two years. To view a complete list, see Boards, Committees & Commissions.

The City currently has openings on the following committees/boards:



• One opening on the Bartlesville Area Museum Trust Authority
• One opening on the Bartlesville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Board of Directors (Visit Bartlesville)
• One opening on the Construction and Fire Code Appeals Board

For more information, visit the City's website, www.cityofbartlesville.org.

Kelli Williams, Editor

401 S. Johnstone Ave.

Bartlesville, OK 74003

918.338.4132