Mar. 6—The City Council will discuss neighborhood safety cameras and a water rate increase election during a study session at 5:30 p.m. today inside City Hall.
Voters declined a water rate increase in April 2022 by a 54% margin.
The revenue would have helped the city obtain $15 million in bonds to install water meter upgrades and $17 million to combine groundwater and surface water to better maintain residual chlorine levels.
Utilities Director Chris Mattingly told the council-led finance committee in November that sometime next year, he would urge the council to call for another election.
According to that November presentation, Financial Services Director Anthony Francisco said the city faced a “tight” financial position when it comes to the water fund.
The committee learned the city keeps 1.5 times the revenue against its debt to stay within the best industry compliance standards for bond repayment.
If the city’s revenue drops below 1.25 times the amount needed to repay it, the drop triggers severe penalties, Francisco said. The city’s revenue position is at 1.4.
Since the April 2022 election, the utilities department obtained a $15 million loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and $2 million grant for the meter upgrades, but presentations to the council last year from Raftelis showed the water fund is not gaining enough revenue from rates to keep up with maintenance and current water demand.
Raftelis is a consulting firm the city hired to review the water and wastewater departments and related funds.
Voters have not approved a water rate increase since 2015, when the funds paid for a $35 million water treatment rehabilitation project and $11 million for new wells.
Customer rates start at $3.35 up to 5,000 per 1,000 gallons with the highest rate for more than 20,000 at $6.80 per 1,000 gallons.
Cameras
The council will discuss the installation of Flock Safety cameras.
According to the company’s website, the cameras are used to combat crime and keep residents safe with enhanced video surveillance technology.
The company stated on its website that the cameras are for both residents and law enforcement use, and claims seven out of 10 criminals use a use a vehicle to commit crimes.
Its “patented Vehicle Fingerprint” technology lets the video footage viewer search by vehicle make, model, color, license plate information, and “unique vehicle details like roof racks, bumper stickers, and more,” the website read.
The cameras are motion triggered to photograph the back of a vehicle as it drives by the view, provides 24/7 coverage, and is solar powered.
According to data published on its website, 42 state and “thousands of cities” have installed Flock Safety cameras, more than 1 billion vehicle images are captured each month, and 120 “hot tag alerts” for stolen vehicles are logged every hour.
The company maintains a 97% license plate capture rate. No further information on the discussion item was available Monday.
Council meetings are held at 201 W. Gray Street. Study sessions are open to the public but do not include public comment.
Mindy Wood covers City and County government news and notable lawsuits for The Transcript. Reach her at mwood@normantranscript.com or 405-416-4420.
