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City Beat
Your city, your news
May 14, 2020
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Welcome to City Beat, a free weekly e-newsletter containing the latest news and information about the City of Bartlesville and related topics. Get yours delivered each week!
http://bit.ly/2eaFETx
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Council to begin 2020-21 FY budget review
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The budget is one of the most important “ordinary” pieces of business that the City Council conducts in a year. However, there is nothing “ordinary” about our current times. The budget of the City of Bartlesville will be reviewed by the City Council on May 18, 2020 and will be adopted as early as June 1, 2020.
Perhaps the most critical part of the budget calculations are our revenue projections, and while our crystal ball is always somewhat cloudy, this year’s crystal ball more closely resembles milk.
Cities across our state are almost solely reliant on sales tax to provide funds for fire, police, streets, parks and most other municipal activities. Sales tax is driven by consumer spending, and trying to determine consumer spending during unprecedented times such as these is very difficult, indeed.
As our citizens and businesses suffer economically during this pandemic, so, too, will our City. The question that is almost impossible to answer is: How much will we suffer and how long?
Panels of international experts debate this very topic and yet there is no consensus. How can we know better than they? The reality is that we don’t, but the good news is that we don’t have to be perfect in our estimates for next year. The City of Bartlesville is in excellent financial shape because of prudent decision making and a string of fiscally conservative city councils.
The City of Bartlesville entered the great recession with less than $1 million in reserves and, at that time, staff and council members alike determined that we would be better prepared the next time. The result of this determination was the creation of a stabilization reserve fund that currently holds nearly $4.5 million in reserve for an emergency. To my knowledge, we have never been in a stronger financial position entering a time of fiscal uncertainty. And given the novel nature of this particular uncertainty, there has never been a better time to be this prepared.
The budget that will be considered by the Council for the upcoming fiscal year is conservative in nature but preserves the service levels currently provided by the City. Just like everyone else in our great community, we understand that some sacrifices must be made to ensure this balance. For example, the proposed budget does not include pay increases for City employees, and other modifications will need to be made in our operations to keep employees and the public safe. Notably, however, no lay-offs, furloughs, pay cuts or staffing reductions are proposed.
The ability to protect the employees of the City and preserve service levels is a testament to the financial strength of our City. I am grateful to the employees of the City for their service, the citizens of Bartlesville for their support, and all of the recent City council members for their guidance. The next year is filled with uncertainty, but despite these challenges, your City is ready to meet them.
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City facilities to begin reopening on Monday
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City facilities are set to reopen and programs to resume as Gov. Kevin Stitt's Open Up and Recover Safely (OURS) plan progresses into Phases 2 and 3 in the coming weeks. City Ordinance No. 3527 allows most City-owned facilities to reopen and suspended programs and services to resume with the progression to Phase 2 of the governor's OURS plan.
In anticipation of a likely announcement that the State will move to Phase 2 of the plan on Friday (May 15), City officials have begun planning for reopening and transitioning staff back into City facilities between now and June 1.
Openings planned:
May 18
- City Hall: Utility Billing, Municipal Court (with seating limitations), Accounts Receivable
- Adams Golf Course (with restaurant limitations)
- Police department lobby
- Restrooms at Sooner Park, Johnstone Park and Lee Lake
- Bartlesville Public Library will begin its first phase of reopening by offering curbside service to patrons
- Codes enforcement hearings
- Parking enforcement
- Traffic enforcement
June 1
- Bartlesville Public Library interior (with limitations)
- All park restrooms
Park playgrounds
- Playgrounds will remain closed until there is no community transmission of the virus, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Recreation and Park Association. It is anticipated that Sooner, Johnstone and Civitan Park playgrounds could reopen on June 1, with progression of the third phase of the governor's OURS plan, while other playgrounds would likely reopen sometime after that.
- It has not yet been determined whether Sooner and Frontier Swimming Pools will be reopened for the season.
Other City facilities are expected to open this period, and announcements of these openings will be made as they occur.
General information
- Sneeze guards will be installed in areas with public contact
- Social distancing protocols will be maintained at all times
- Municipal court will resume with six feet between seats
- Employees will be provided with Personal Protective Equipment, which is mandatory for those who interact with the public and/or work in enclosed places or vehicles
- Facilities will be sanitized several times a day
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Covid-19 mitigation measures: What's next?
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City Ordinance No 3527
passed by the City Council on April 30 put in place several Covid-19 mitigation measures that are slated to change or roll off with the progression of the
Open Up and Recover Safely
(OURS) plan enacted by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt beginning last month.
The OURS plan calls for the State to move to Phase 2 on May 15 only if criteria is met during Phase 1, including hospital and incident rates remaining "at a manageable level" for 14 days.
OURS Plan, Phase 2
Goal of May 15, 2020
(Subject to all Phase 1 guidelines being met)
Individual guidance
- Continue following Safer at Home guidelines for those over 65 or part of a vulnerable population
- Maintain social distancing from others when in public
- Avoid socializing in groups that do not readily allow for appropriate social distancing
- Consider resuming non-essential travel
Employer guidance
- Close common areas or enforce social distancing and sanitation protocols
- Honor requests of personnel who are members of a vulnerable population for special accommodations
- Employers are recommended to implement social distancing protocols, which include proper sanitation and use of protective equipment when interacting with the public
Specific employer guidance
- Organized sports activities can reopen and operate under proper social distancing and sanitation protocols
- Visits to senior care facilities and hospitals should still be prohibited
- Bars can operate with diminished standing-room occupancy, where applicable and appropriate and under social distancing and sanitation protocols
- Funerals and weddings can resume under social distancing protocols
- Children’s nursery areas in places of worship can reopen
City Manager Mike Bailey said this week that several of the City's measures are set to expand or change once the governor announces the State has moved to Phase 2 of the OURS plan. During Phase 2, customer occupancy restrictions will ease for local businesses and restaurants will be able to seat more customers.
"The measures outlined in City Ordinance No. 3527 are largely in alignment with Gov. Stitt's OURS plan," Bailey said. "Once the governor announces Phase 2 of the OURS plan is in effect, our local businesses can apply Section 10 of City Ordinance No. 3527 which eases some of those restrictions in effect during Phase 1."
City Ordinance No. 3527, Section 10
Retail, gym or exercise buildings
Calculate the square footage of the building including any existing enclosed outdoor area that customers are allowed to access for the purposes of the business. Divide the square footage by the square footage factor listed and round up to the nearest whole number.
- “OURS” Plan Phase 1 = 650
- “OURS” Plan Phase 2 = 500
- “OURS” Plan Phase 3 = 350
The maximum customers allowed must be based on the above calculation or 10 customers, whichever is greater. Businesses must post the maximum number of customers allowed at all entrances and exits. Customers waiting to enter a building or facility are still required to maintain six feet between themselves and other people.
Bars and restaurants
Tables must be spaced to enhance social distancing in accordance with the OURS plan phasing.
- OURS Plan Phase 1 — 9 feet between seating areas of tables
- OURS Plan Phase 2 — 8 feet between seating areas of tables
- OURS Plan Phase 3 — 7 feet between seating areas of tables
Fixed booths must be seated every other booth for all phases. Customers who are not seated must still maintain six feet between themselves and others at all times.
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National Police Week
May 15 is recognized as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and this week is National Police Week thanks to a proclamation by U.S. President John. F. Kennedy in 1962. "We are grateful to all Bartlesville police officers and police department personnel for the work they do every day to protect our community," said City Manager Mike Bailey. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the department will not hold its annual ceremony this year.
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Fire hydrant testing continues
Water Distribution crews continue testing and flushing fire hydrants. As the current zones are completed crews will begin moving through Zones 6 and 7.
Zone 6
From 11th Street south to Sand Creek; from the Caney River west to the railroad tracks
Zone 7
From the northern city limits south to Frank Phillips Boulevard; from Washington Boulevard west to the Caney River
Crews will be flushing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday until area is complete. Discoloration of clothes can occur during this process. Please use caution when laundering clothes.
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Monarch plants available at annual sale
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The Mayor's for Monarchs project, a collaboration between the City of Bartlesville and the Bartlesville Council of Garden Clubs, continues as the BCGC plans its annual plant sale.
The sale will be held 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, at Eastland Shopping Center.
In addition to the monarch project, the BCGC maintains "The Corner," City-owned property at Washington Boulevard and Frank Phillips Boulevard. The plant sale is a major fund raiser for the group and helps support these collaborative projects.
The sale will feature several plants including milkweed, which is necessary for the monarchs that migrate through Oklahoma in the spring and for those that stay in Oklahoma, and nectar flowers, which are needed especially during the fall migration.
Green Thumb Garden Club will also give away 70 sapling trees to celebrate 70 years as a club in Bartlesville. The trees are redbud, the Oklahoma state tree, and the serviceberry, which is a small native tree.
For more information, call 918-213-5519 or visit Facebook-Bartlesville Green Thumb Garden Club.
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State AG taking unemployment fraud claims
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter recently announced his office has developed a new resource to help process unemployment fraud claims.
Individuals or businesses that receive bogus claims are asked to fill out a new
form
on the attorney general’s website, where the claim will then be directed to the proper law enforcement agency.
Hunter said that due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, there has been an increased number of fraudulent filings to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
“After conferring with federal, state and local law enforcement authorities, our office has determined we are well positioned to help victims of unemployment fraud and the OESC, which has seen an inordinate amount of complaints,” Hunter said. “Right now, thousands of Oklahomans have a legitimate need for the financial assistance offered by OESC. The hard working citizens of Oklahoma deserve access to these funds, not con artists around the world who are using this public health crisis as an opportunity to exploit our residents and businesses."
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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 located
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 the following committee/board openings:
- One opening on the City Planning Commission
- One opening on the Construction and Fire Code Appeals Board
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Job Listing
The City of Bartlesville is currently accepting applications for the following positions:
There are currently no open positions.
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Do you have questions you would like to see answered or addressed in City Beat? Let us know! Email kwilliams@cityofbartlesville.org, attn. City Beat.
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Kelli Williams, Editor
401 S. Johnstone Ave.
Bartlesville, OK 74003
918-338-4132
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