Transparency has long been a priority for the City. The website has served well in facilitating the presentation of information. Staff regularly discusses ways to improve information that is available on the web. However, with more than 200 pages, the website is bulky and difficult to navigate. Currently, the City is considering ways to improve the navigation of the site while keeping our goal of maintaining an A+ quality rating intact.  In addition to the website, Facebook provides an additional means of keeping citizens informed.

Transparency does not begin and end with the website, though. Transparency is a core responsibility the City takes seriously, not just a catchword to toss around. It does not simply mean meeting statutory obligations to maintain and archive records. The City’s staff works to ensure records are available to those who wish to review them, as is their right to do. The City’s Financial Audit is an example of transparency and great record keeping. The City’s successful audits are in large part due to the diligence in maintaining records that demonstrate the best practices and recommended processes from the citizen Audit Committee are followed.

The City commits to continue ensuring records are available, whether it is on the web, at the request of a councilor, board and committee members, or it’s a citizen calling, emailing a question or making an open records request on the website. This is one of the best assurances citizens have that their government is being responsible and accountable to those they serve.

The City’s eBay account was set up and the first item to be auctioned was an old police cruiser. It was sold to a man from the state of Maine who wanted to restore it and present it to an ailing friend who had been a police officer and drove a similar patrol car. The buyer flew to Tulsa, paid for the car and drove it back to Maine. This could not have been easier. Well, perhaps there have been a few challenges along the way, but the City has successfully been selling on eBay for nearly 10 years.

It is difficult to say what may have been the most unusual item to be sold. Shortly after starting to sell online, the City sold a tractor that had caught fire and burned up. That went to a couple in Georgia. Then there were the church pews that were sold out of the old Central Baptist Church when it was purchased by the City. Old Central is now the location of City meetings, trainings, and events.

The city has utilized eBay to sell everything from backhoes to bicycles, and skate board ramps to trash trucks. The skate park equipment was some of the latest equipment to be sold. These pieces were auctioned to make way for improvements to the skate park, recently approved by the City Council. The park is being upgraded through Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, funds. That equipment sold for around $5,000.00, which will go back into the improvements to the park. By staff estimates, this equipment sold much quicker and for more than it likely would have through a locally advertised auction.

The City pays a fee to sell, but is still ahead as this fee is much less than it would take to organize and advertise a local auction. The eBay auctions are as-is and buyers are responsible for inspecting and picking up purchases. It has proven to be a very efficient system.

First sale: 10/19/2002

Transactions: 231

Sales to date: $88,278.39

To the credit of a student, the City has not only recovered much more than it would have expected from selling surplus items online, but learned a lesson in the process about maintaining an open mind and a willingness to consider new ways of doing things.

There will be many benefits to choosing a paperless bill, convenience, elimination of sifting through junk mail to find a monthly utility statement, faster notification.  It will also provide quick and easy access to the City of Owasso’s free on line e-Gov bill pay system.

Paperless billing also saves environmental waste. This is just one more step in the City’s pursuit to provide Go Green alternatives.  The City participates in “going green” not because it is a trend, but because it is important to conserve and reduce waste. E-Statements are a green solution that will allow the city to cut back on the costs of production and distribution of paper billing.

Look for more information in your May statement, the City’s website, and Facebook, in the coming weeks regarding this opportunity.

In recent years, sales tax revenue to fund the operations of the City has not been as robust, however the population continues to increase. The volatile nature of sales tax creates challenges for many City departments in terms of how to continue providing services at a high level, without additional funding.  As an alternative to increased funding, City staff has started looking to volunteers to help fill the gap.

The Police Department has long recognized the value of volunteers. Currently 23 people serve as Reserve Officers for the City. These dedicated volunteers work side-by-side with full time officers each day to protect residents.  The Reserve Officers are well trained and serve as a valuable resource to the department. It is no accident that Owasso is one of the safest communities in the state. The department has strategically leveraged the use of Reserve Officers when it was unable to fund additional positions. In fact, one of the current K-9 Officers for the department is a highly trained Reserve Officer committed to respond whenever needed. The department also utilizes volunteers in Animal Control, and other divisions of the department.

Nearly a year ago, the City began a volunteer program where citizens could access the city’s website to view a listing of volunteer opportunities and register their contact information and expertise in order to be matched with projects that would allow them to give back to the community.  In this first year, the City has been able to place 622 volunteers for a total of 2,080 hours of service to complete projects that in turn, has saved the taxpayers approximately $35,000.  Community volunteers range from 7 to 70 years of age. The most pleasantly surprising statistic is the number of youth who have responded to the City’s call for volunteers. More than 400 youth have given their time to make a difference in the lives of others.

The projects range as widely as the ages of the volunteers. The volunteer hours have benefited the City in the areas of landscaping, litter pickup in parks and public areas, cleaning, painting, organizing, clerical, and even graphic design and technology assistance. Volunteers have also joined together with the Strong Neighborhood Program to positively impact the appearance of neighborhoods by assisting with cleanup efforts, removing trash, and painting fire hydrants. Volunteers have become a valuable resource to the City, especially in lean economic times, helping Owasso go the extra mile to provide a high level of service for Owasso residents.

What are we talking about?

Our Owasso.  Yes, OUR Owasso.  Yours, mine…ours.

What about it? Where do we start?  It’s an amazing city with so much going on.  Owasso has great shopping, schools, businesses and services; but most importantly, it is home.  Our home is our primary investment and our safe place.  It is where we feel most comfortable. That is how we want you to feel in this conversation.  After all, we are talking about our community. Yours, mine…ours.

This blog provides a forum for members of our Owasso to have an open discussion. The City of Owasso wants to open up this conversation so we are not talking to you, but talking with you.  We are going to talk about what makes this city tick and what sets it apart from the rest.  If you think you live in a good place, let’s talk about making it better.  If you think we have areas of improvement, let’s throw the obstacles out there and discuss how we can work together to make this the best place on earth to live and raise a family.

The City of Owasso wants our community to be your home, forever. With that in mind, we recognize there is a lot to talk about to help you feel secure in your investment here.  We not only want to provide interesting information about our Owasso, but we also want you to challenge and engage us in the discussion.

The way to give and receive information is changing every day.  The City of Owasso is jumping onboard the fast-moving conversation in order to get to know you better.  Hopefully, as we exchange information, we can find new ways to break ground and open doors in Owasso.  By virtually cutting out the middle-man, the discussion can go from hearsay to actuality.

We have so much going on in this city.  Hardworking individuals are doing something at every moment of the day to continue to make this the best place to live, work, and play.  Let’s take a look behind the scenes at what some of those things are and how they make our life great in Owasso.

Blog authors include but are not limited to City of Owasso employees, local business owners, educators, public officials, and you.  We encourage everyone to read, write, comment, and share with an open mind.  You can email your ideas, comments, and suggestions to ourowasso@cityofowasso.com.

Let’s kick this conversation off with the question: What do you want to know about our Owasso?

Over the past months, Tulsa area residents, business owners, and community leaders have become painfully aware of the discord within Tulsa’s City Hall. Emotions are high and almost every issue seems to highlight the growing disconnect between the parties involved. Most recently, Janet Pearson of the Tulsa World brought to light the effect of such public debates on the morale of citizens who serve on city boards and authorities. As Ms. Pearson notes, not only have recent events clouded citizens’ view of public service, but also they have led many to consider refusing reappointment or to reevaluate their desire to volunteer in the future.

While the reality of the repercussions of this very public discussion is both disappointing and sobering, the true shame would be for the leaders of Tulsa’s suburbs not only to condone, but encourage, the continuation of this behavior as a way to promote their own community. Unfortunately, an anonymous city official from the article was quoted as saying Tulsa’s feud is “the best thing that could happen to us.”

As the City Manager of one of Tulsa’s fastest growing suburbs, I find this attitude to be short-sighted and irresponsible. As families throughout Owasso can attest, Tulsa serves as the regional locus for jobs and economic activity. While our community provides invaluable employment prospects and our local businesses offer expanded retail opportunities, the economic viability of Tulsa is undoubtedly the single-most important factor to Owasso’s (and other Tulsa suburbs’) continued prosperity.

When considering the effects of Tulsa’s all-too-public debate, City leaders should reflect on the fact that, as the second largest city in Oklahoma, Tulsa attracts not only the businesses and industries which employ the regional population, but also the very individuals who invest time and money in their communities. Without these bright young minds, not only will Tulsa’s growth stagnate, but so too will the growth of its suburbs. Just as we have prospered collectively, we will fail collectively if our leaders neglect to see the importance of cooperation and collaboration between cities.

In addition to competing for the investment of in-state industry and skilled workers, Tulsa must further compete with the metropolitan areas of northwest Arkansas; Wichita, Kansas; and Sherman-Dennison, Texas. As businesses and corporations evaluate the costs of locating in each of these areas, the stability of our core city certainly plays a large role in ultimate decisions. If Tulsa fails to attract investment it is a direct loss to the suburbs where future employees would have lived, shopped, and visited.

While it is glaringly apparent that the events that have taken place over the past few months are adversely impacting Tulsa, the strife of our neighboring city should not be taken as cause for celebration. As Bell noted decades ago, the greatest discoveries and improvements take the cooperation of many minds. In our case, the collective intelligence of city leaders and civic activists throughout the region will always be the driving force behind success. To think otherwise is to limit the stability of not only our governments, but also the lives of citizens. As we contemplate the paths our communities will take, we should all remember that our collective future is tied to a Tulsa that has a prosperous economy, a stable government, and strong institutions. Relishing the problems of our friends and neighbors is counterproductive and prevents us from fully exploring the opportunities which the future holds.

In a community with a population of almost 38,000, it is rare to find one hospital, but Owasso is fortunate to be home to two facilities, both with a broad range of services and care.  Whether a resident needs an annual medical exam, to give birth or is in need of emergency services, they can conveniently access care in Owasso at one of the two state-of-the-art hospitals.

Bailey Medical Center and St. John Owasso both opened in November 2006 within days of one another.  Bailey is a physician-owned facility offering 73-beds.  St. John’s 36-bed facility has the city’s only medical helipad.  Both hospitals offer a full range of primary and specialty coverage with 24-hour emergency care for any situation ranging from life-threatening circumstances to middle-of-the-night fevers.

Responding to those emergency situations in a timely and professional manner is a core-service of the City of Owasso.  The Owasso Fire Department has provided a paramedic-level ambulance service in Owasso and the surrounding area since 1978.  Until a couple of years ago, all medical emergencies resulting in a hospital visit required medic/firefighters to transport patients to Claremore or Tulsa hospitals.  Prior to the opening of Bailey Medical Center and St. John Owasso, an average Ambulance medical emergency lasted for one hour and forty minutes from receipt of the call, until crews returned to Owasso fire stations.  When considering there are over 2,000 medical incidents in Owasso each year and a minimum of two firefighters are assigned to the medical emergency, the number of hours when all ambulances were “in-service”, thus not available for emergency response, mounted quickly each year.

However, now because of the two local hospitals (and the growing number of medical doctors in the City) the number of medical emergencies treated in Owasso is constantly growing.  Data gathered over the past three years show that most medical emergencies that originate in Owasso are treated by the two Owasso hospitals.  Residents feel an increased sense of security living in a community that offers quick response in dire situations and knowing the Fire Department is able to place ambulances and medics back in service within minutes of completing a call.  That quick turn-around in placing ambulances back in service is a huge benefit to Owasso residents.  Additionally, the “peace of mind” that comes from knowing that qualified responders are only minutes away from being “on the scene” is important to every family and business. In 2009, 68% of the medical patients that called Owasso Ambulance Service and required a trip to the hospital were taken to an Owasso hospital.

In addition to the availability of hospital care, since the two Owasso hospitals opened, there has been tremendous growth in the number and variety of medical professionals.  This opens the door to expand development of health care sciences.  As the hospitals grow their services and fill their campuses, health care opportunities will prosper. Medical facilities and professionals will be attracted to locate in Owasso due to the availability, interest and relationship with the hospitals.  As the city continues to grow, health care business will diversify providing quality jobs and care unique to the area.

Virtually every day, Owasso citizens are finding that medical services available in Owasso meet or exceed their expectations, and help create a full-service community. One thing can be said today with identity and pride, which could not have been uttered two years ago, “I was born in Owasso, OK.”

The City takes its fiduciary responsibility for retiring debt used to make improvements to water and sewer systems very seriously. Other costs must be taken into consideration as revenue and expenses are reviewed, including personnel expense.  The importance of having appropriate and qualified staff members within the Public Works Department is fundamental to the successful operation and customer service that citizens have come to expect. Consider  that a citizen is most often met with a real person who genuinely cares about resolving the issue.  There is also the dedicated employee who, regardless of conditions, is repairing water main breaks or wastewater systems. Of course there are other ancillary costs to be considered, such as electricity to pump the water into the distribution system, or the vehicles and fuel required to address customer’s needs.  Also important is the continuing need for Capital Improvements. These improvements are vital for renewing water systems, sewer mains, building pump stations and water towers for future generations.

Construction for Wastewater plant improvements - Taken July 2010

With that in mind, there will be occasions, like the current year, when water, sewer and stormwater fees must be evaluated and increased to meet continuing demands.

The City of Owasso, like most municipalities, uses a demand rate structure for billing customers. This means that each customer is billed a fixed monthly fee for each meter in addition to a usage charge per 1,000 gallons.

Residential customers are billed sewer charges based on their average winter water consumption. December through February billings are used to arrive at average consumption to be  used for the next twelve months billing cycle. That average gallons used becomes the usage a customer is billed during the subsequent year.  Winter averaging is used so that during the summer months when water usage increases primarily due to irrigation, customers will not be paying for water that is not entering the sewer system.

For every dollar collected from water, sewer, and stormwater billing, the City of Owasso’s commitment to its citizens is to charge only what is needed to maintain the water, sewer, and stormwater systems and to provide quality water service in the future as we reinvest in these systems and expand the City’s ability to support greater water capacity as the community continues to grow and prosper.

The future of Owasso lies in the hands of the young people growing up in our city. Isn’t it time we started encouraging them to share ideas about the potential they see in Owasso and listening to their vision of what the community should become? This blog posting is directed specifically to the people who will inherit Owasso’s living environment, business environment and the results of decisions made today.

Owasso Seventh Grade Students—You are invited to participate in a Town Hall meeting specifically for those who have completed the 7^th grade to express ideas on the quality of life in Owasso! As the future of our city, you have a unique and very important perspective on how Owasso looks now and how you think it should look in the future. Join your fellow 7^th-graders at the Town Hall meeting in the Owasso 7^th Grade Center Auditorium, June 10 at 6:30 in the evening, to discuss current and future Owasso issues!

What do you like about Owasso? And what could make it a better place to live and play? Your opinions matter and they can change the future of our City. You see what Owasso has to offer now; what ideas and thoughts do you have to offer about it?

The City of Owasso’s leaders understand that today’s students will soon be originating and directing the projects and initiatives that affect the future of our city. When Owasso belongs to you, a voting and tax-paying citizen, how do you want it to look? Now is the time to dream, imagine, and communicate your desires. This Town Hall meeting is your opportunity to take charge of your future. You have an investment in Owasso—this is your home. You don’t have to wait until you are “grown up” to become a responsible, active citizen!

Come share your ideas with your fellow students and City leaders. You have a voice in this community—use it, next Thursday, at your Town Hall meeting!

As residents share ideas and work to create a vision for Owasso’s future in the Quality of Life planning project, it is important to note that volunteer efforts can contribute significantly to the realization of an ideal community. Often the greatest impact can come from individuals and groups committed to making a difference.

Funtastic Island was not originally planned by the City. It was the vision of two residents, Kenna Cataudella and Robin Thoendel. Kenna and Robin had not met before their husbands, Stephen Cataudella and Craig Thoendel, were elected to the Owasso City Council (Councilor Cataudella still serves, formerly as mayor and now as council member). Soon after meeting, Kenna recalls Robin brought up the idea of organizing a volunteer effort to complete a large community playground to be funded through private donations and constructed by volunteers. Robin had previously lived in Norman, Oklahoma, where a similar project was completed. Fortunately for Robin, Kenna had learned of a project in Altus and was also interested in bringing something similar to Owasso.

Kenna and Robin formed a foundation, organized a steering committee, rolled up their sleeves, and started to work.  The project was launched as a coordinated effort between local volunteers and the city.

In a more recent effort, volunteer Neighborhood Associations committed to preserving and improving the areas where they live coordinate with the Owasso Strong Neighborhood program for assistance. Doing so not only maintains neighborhoods and enhances home values, but ensures Owasso continues to be as attractive to investors in the future, as it is today. Small neighborhood grants funded by the Strong Neighborhood program will soon begin being awarded and administered by the Owasso Community Foundation to assist with projects. This is a win-win for everyone. If a single neighborhood makes improvements, it enhances the value of property across the entire city.

Church, civic, and youth groups in the area are often in search of projects that give back to the community, as well. Owasso Community Resource has for years mobilized volunteers to provide services to local families. The availability of volunteers in Owasso is abundant and can be a significant resource in building a great community that positively impacts the quality of life for all residents.

Just as two women with a vision came to realize their dream, so can an entire community. Because of their determination and passion for creating something special, many continue to reap the benefit, and will for generations into the future. This effort shows that great vision paired with a commitment to produce results can provide significant opportunities in our city.

With this in mind, the City is launching its Quality of Life Initiative as it seeks to lay the foundation for a future in which Owasso attracts both residents and jobs, encourages sustainable living practices, and provides an array of amenities to those who live and work here. In achieving these objectives, the City hopes to establish proactive development policies that promote long-term stability for home values and business investments. At the very heart of this initiative is the ideal that City services should be responsive to the needs and desires of the community. In the upcoming months, citizens will have the opportunity to provide input on what areas of service and opportunities are most important to them and their families. City staff will then take this information and use it to develop priorities for further study and action. Just as “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” the future of Owasso will be constructed using the insight of individual citizens themselves, thus ensuring Owasso continues to be an attractive, progressive community that—above all else—cares for its citizens and works to ensure the city truly is their community.         

In order to make participating in the planning process for the Quality of Life Initiative convenient for all citizens, the City will provide two ways to contribute.  One way is to visit the Wikiplanning site, where you will be prompted to enter your email address and either your zip code or the letters “OQLP” for the password. A short introduction from the Mayor and Community Development Director will follow, after which you can proceed to a number of features—message boards allow visitors to post comments on what changes they would like to see made to the city; a “Project Photos” section provides a forum for individuals to post images of things they like and dislike about Owasso and other communities; and a brief survey assists residents in conveying their opinions to City staff.   

Owasso residents may also participate by attending one of the upcoming Citizen Input Workshops.  These workshops will provide an opportunity to interact in a group setting where one can provide input, listen to what others have to say, view maps, and participate in other activities designed to garner ideas. Below is a schedule of the meetings, showing the locations, dates, and times.  A map of the workshop locations may be found on the City’s web site.

Meetings (All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.)

Monday, May 3 – Discovery Bible Fellowship Church – 11600 N Garnett

Thursday, May 6 – Bailey Elementary School – 10221 E 96th St North

Tuesday, May 11 – Hodson Elementary School – 14500 E 86th St North

Thursday, May 13 – Owasso Community Center – 301 S Cedar

Monday, May 17 – Baptist Village – 7410 N 127th E Ave 

As our community continues to grow, I hope you will join me in ensuring that Owasso is truly the city without limits. Not only are Owasso’s residents its greatest asset, but they are also its greatest source of knowledge. For this reason, City leaders now look to the mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren, and our leaders in business and education as we embark upon the Quality of Life Initiative. Through this grand collaboration we hope to shape a future in which Owasso continues to be the community where people choose to live, work, and play. I urge every resident and business to make a commitment to participating, whether in person or online. In doing so, we can all become a part of Owasso’s bright future.  

If you have questions about the Quality Life Initiative and the Wikiplanning tool, please contact Karl Fritschen, Community Development Director at kfritschen@cityofowasso.com

Given that Google is looking for a community in which cutting-edge technology can be utilized to its fullest, citizen participation serves as a key indicator that residents are actively looking for ways to improve their internet experience. Moreover, enthusiasm for such a major investment in our community displays the fact that Owasso residents are looking toward a future in which our city and the surrounding area are at the forefront of innovation and business development.  With this in mind, every Owasso resident can have an impact on Owasso’s bid for Google Fiber. Through your active support for Owasso’s application, the Google selection committee will see that not only is Owasso a community of committed, forward-thinking individuals, but also an environment in which citizens foster and promote the businesses that support their community and families. 

There are a number of ways you can demonstrate your support for Google Fiber in Owasso. Facebook users can become a fan of the Owasso for Google Fiber page, from which you can find the links to officially nominate Owasso for Google Fiber, upload videos and photos displaying your support, as well as a link you can follow to discuss Owasso’s candidacy for Google Fiber. You can also go directly to www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/ to nominate Owasso. The nomination process requires a Google Account, which can quickly and easily be created free of charge.

Additionally, you can help by making sure you contact all of your friends and encourage them to become a part of this project. If you are a student, ask your class to participate in supporting Owasso’s application and send us a picture of your class or student organization holding signs of support. There are so many creative ways to show your support—you can help by finding an original way to show Google that Owasso is different, bold, creative, and seeks new partners to find solutions to problems, educate our children, and provide jobs for future generations.

I encourage you to join me and the people of Owasso in showing that Owasso has something to offer Google. In addition to its high quality of life and low cost of living, Owasso offers the ideal point to begin technological advancements. With two new major hospitals opened in the past two years and a cutting edge technical and vocational education facility currently under construction, residents throughout Northeastern Oklahoma look to Owasso for the best medical and career advancement opportunities. Moreover, Owasso is strategically located just six minutes away from the Tulsa Port of Catoosa—one of the largest inland river-ports in the United States, offering year round, ice-free barge service and supporting 2.2 million tons of cargo each year by barge, rail, and truck. On top of this, such national and international corporations as American Airlines and Whirlpool have chosen the Owasso area as major hubs of operation, proving that our community has value for families and businesses.

Please join the City of Owasso and its residents in our quest to truly become The City Without Limits. If you or your friends have photos of yourselves showing support for Owasso for Google Fiber, feel free to send them to us at: twillson@cityofowasso.com.

The City’s initial Go Green! discussion centered on why the City should undertake an initiative which, much like the City’s Character Program, is perpetual. While there are myriad arguments for the development of a green culture, there are four compelling reasons as to why the City of Owasso should pursue a greener approach to delivering public services:

· Reduce the ecological footprint of the City

· Reduce the consumption of natural resources by the City

· Provide a healthier and more productive workplace and community

· Achieve a reduction in the cost of operating our local government

 The City’s Go Green! Report is divided into six broad categories, and addresses:

· Green Facilities

· Green Processes

· Green Vehicles and Equipment

· Green Codes and Development

· Green Utility Facilities and Structures

· Public and Employee Education

 Each of these broad categories is further divided into groups containing proposals and recommendations for study and future action, as well as cost estimates and preliminary scheduling categories for implementation.

Through this report, and the community discussions that will follow, we anticipate the addition of new and creative ideas which, when implemented, will positively impact the delivery of the City’s services. However, it should be recognized that becoming a truly green community will require the support of residents and a change in the current culture, as well as an understanding that a green philosophy is and will continue to be a process more than an event.

The Go Green! Report can be found on the City’s website at www.cityofowasso.com. Comments and suggestions can be submitted to the City Manager at rjray@cityofowasso.com. 

However, it should be noted that no single community alone can assure prosperity for the entire region, regardless of how good or advanced it may be. Economic success is built on the ability of the entire metro area to contribute toward the region. It is critical to the residents and businesses of Owasso that Tulsa remains a strong and vibrant community. Without Tulsa’s continued strength and economic viability, none of the individual cities will reach their goals or envisioned future success.

That is why I suggest that, for Owasso, one of the most important events in this week’s calendar is the Tulsa Public School vote on Tuesday, March 2^nd to decide the passage of a much needed bond issue. Passage of this bond proposal is a key part of Owasso’s future success, given that it will strengthen the links in the regional education chain.

Why should the people of Owasso make an effort to help pass Tulsa’s school bond? Because it just makes sense to foster strong, well prepared children throughout the metro area as a step toward regional success and prosperity. There is a great chance that Owasso businesses will employ a graduate of the Tulsa Public School system. A son or daughter may someday wed a Tulsa graduate. Without a doubt, our future next door neighbor could be a Tulsa graduate. Our future, our business success, our family security, and our community are affected by how well all of the area schools perform. It only makes personal and business sense to support Tulsa’s current effort to reach excellence in education.

Even though we cannot vote in the election, each of us has friends and business associates who reside within the Tulsa School District. Those friends should be aware that this is an important regional issue, important not only to their children, but to the children and grandchildren of every metro resident and business owner.

Make calls. Urge Tulsans to get involved and to help make Owasso a better place to live, work, and invest. We should not let the opportunity pass to help ensure a bright future for our families, communities, and businesses by doing something that may appear to have nothing to do with Owasso, but in reality has everything to do with our community’s future.

When every school is strong, all students win; when every community contributes to the effort, all will prosper.

The Owasso Recycle Center and Convenience Station was built twenty five years ago damaged the reputation and image of our community and certainly made a bad impression upon visitors. The city’s proposed solution to this problem was to build a recycle center and convenience station where people could conveniently deposit bulky waste and recyclables. As a result, in 1984 the first municipally owned recycle facility in Northeast Oklahoma, and possibly the entire state, was born.

Since then, the Center has grown and expanded to meet the desires of a thriving community and changes in the ecologic waste stream. As the City of Owasso continues its efforts to provide multiple waste disposal options to its citizens, the question becomes: “Why do we as a community desire recycling?” One response is for us to consider our civic duty to protect, preserve, and enhance our environment. As we have all often heard, our planet has limited resources and an increasingly damaged ecosystem. Thus, we must ask ourselves: “What type of an environment are we leaving for our children and future generations?” As citizens each of us may desire to evaluate the personal impact we have upon our environment and what footprint we leave behind as a result of our actions. This type of questioning and ponderance of thought has led us individually and civically to desire services which aim to make a positive impact upon our environment. As such, recycling in our homes and communities becomes the means through which we can promote a clean, environmentally safe city, while also lessening our impact upon the landscape at large. As a community, the City of Owasso made the decision to participate in a responsible, proactive approach to replenishing and revitalizing our local environment by recycling.

Today the Owasso Recycle Center accepts: aluminum, cardboard, glass, newspaper, paper, magazines, telephone books, #1 (PET) plastic, #2 (HDPE) plastic, cooking oil, motor oil, antifreeze and lead acid batteries. In the near future, the center is planning to accept metals, household batteries, tires and e-waste. Yet, as we look down the road, the City of Owasso will continue its mission to provide even more environmentally aware options for its residents and local citizens. In preparing for the future, we should consider our ideal recycling and environmental objectives. In short term planning this might include a redesigned facility with improved public convenience and easy access. It may also include planning for the collection of other recyclables such as Styrofoam, refrigerant recapturing, additional plastics, electronics, fluorescents, and bulky item pickups. Short term planning should also include an improved educational component.

 In long term planning, the ideal goal for the City of Owasso would be zero landfill activity. Planning for this objective might include projects and services such as curb side recycling; drop off centers located in parks, shopping centers, and schools; composting (yard waste and organics); and the creation of a materials recovery facility (MRF), a regional  transfer station, or a co-generation facility which would convert trash to energy.

 While it is not possible for us to conceive what future technologies will hold thirty years from now or where recycling will lead, we as a community should plan for a future that responsibly preserves our environment, protects our resources, and enhances our quality of life in a way our children and future generations can be proud.

The Recycle Center and Convenience Station is located at 499 S. Main St. with the following hours of operation: Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Additional information is available on the website; www.cityofowasso.com, or you may contact the Center at 272-4991.

Feedback from readers is welcomed. If you wish to contact the City Manager regarding this blog, send an email to cmanager@cityofowasso.com.

Collaborative efforts between governments, the private sector, and individual citizens can, when genuine, lead to improved services, lower taxes, better decision making and increased public support for needed programs or projects. Nevertheless, many communities choose to approach their problems with a go-it-alone attitude that is most often driven by desire to hold power, or, in the mistaken belief that having partners somehow dilutes their authority or power.  Observers almost unanimously agree that the opposite is, in fact, true. Those collaborative efforts are the best way for the individual member to achieve success.  Partnerships that seek to cooperate and coordinate efforts and resources are most likely to develop long-term viable solutions to problems. Additionally, when those collaborative efforts are developed between local units of government (states, cities, and counties) they are much more likely to reach common goals and bring efficiencies among governments that serve the same constituents.

An example of one of those collaborative efforts can be found in a 1992 decision that brought the City of Owasso and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections together to develop a program that allowed the city to utilize state prison inmates to provide labor for repair, maintenance, and construction projects. Over the past 17 years the City of Owasso has benefited from the daily use of between eight and fifteen DOC inmates to assist with a variety of public service tasks at a very low cost to the taxpayers of Owasso. At the same time, these workers are being reintroduced to society. They are gaining valuable experience as potential future employees. All parties win. The citizens of Owasso have had the use of approximately $3,700,000 in labor value, the DOC has had fewer hours of required supervision and more opportunities for job training, and inmates have increased their chances for future success.

Partnerships can provide a continued or improved level of service, at reduced cost. Equally important is that partnerships can also provide the capital needed for construction of a communities major facilities. Each citizen benefits from the availability of shopping or doing business in Owasso without having to leave their home town. It is important to recognize the priority that citizens have placed on maintaining the quality of living that brought them to Owasso in the first place. Over the past 20 years, the City of Owasso has partnered with various land developers to create development opportunities that led to the home building, retail expansion, and friendly business environment that exists today.  One recent example is the Smith Farm Market Place.  In the early 2000’s a city staff member traveling from Owasso  to Dallas, Texas, noticed an attractive retail shopping complex. City Officials met with the developer of the shopping center to discuss development opportunity in Owasso.  As a result of those discussions, and the collaborative efforts that followed, expanded retail opportunities were no longer a dream but a reality for the citizens of Owasso. This strategic partnership between the city and the private sector has increased the City’s sales tax by $2,000,000 per year, allowing for increase of  police officers, fire fighters, and street and drainage improvements for Owasso residents.

Additionally, collaboration between governmental entities allows for the coordination of their individual resources. Over the past several years, the City of Owasso and Tulsa County have become strategic partners in an effort to provide improved levels of service at a reduced cost to the taxpayers. This partnership has provided both entities with an ability to repair and construct major roadway improvements to the benefit of our shared constituency. Since April, 2006, these efforts have improved over 30 lane miles of roadway within the City of Owasso reducing costs by 40% to the citizens of Owasso and Tulsa County. These efforts would have not been possible without Tulsa County Commissioner John Smaligo’s and Tulsa County Engineer Ray Jordan’s willingness and foresight to allow the use of county labor and equipment to make significant improvements to roads that are used by both residents of Owasso and Tulsa County. That kind of collaborative effort recognizes that efficiencies in the expenditure of tax dollars must be a priority. The goal of any partnership between governmental entities is to 1) improve services for the benefit of taxpayers and 2) combine resources in order to realize a cost savings to the taxpayer.

Here in Owasso, the City recognizes and acts to create strategic partnerships with other governmental entities, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations for the sole purpose of developing solutions to mutual concerns, avoiding duplication of efforts, and improving the efficiencies of how tax dollars are expended.

In the first week of January, Owasso residents will notice Tulsa County crews in our neighborhoods overlaying streets. That project is costing taxpayers about half of what would have been paid had Commissioner Smaligo not been the kind of public official who believes in making the most of every tax dollar. This collaborative effort is a win-win for all parties and results in almost twice as much road repair work being completed as could have been done by only one of the parties.

To meet the demands of a growing constituency, the city must develop creative solutions to problems. Thinking in other terms lends itself to the collaborative mindset that is embraced by local officials to the benefit of citizens.

Feedback from readers is welcomed. If you wish to contact the City Manager regarding this blog, send an email to cmanager@cityofowasso.com.

Owasso has realized significant growth in recent years by developing a strong retail base and attractive, affordable housing opportunities.  Additionally, significant improvements in streets, public safety, water and wastewater infrastructure have set Owasso on a course that will carry it forward for many years. Yet, the biggest challenges for Owasso do not come in the next few years, but further into the future as our children become adults and are facing a decision about remaining in Owasso to raise their family. It comes twenty years down the road as the retailers we’ve attracted determine if Owasso is still vibrant enough to make renewing leases a profitable decision. And it comes when the people who choose to live in Owasso do so because this is a community with a quality of life that enables them to live, work and play close to home.

Great creations can stand the test of time to be enjoyed by future generations, if properly planned and implemented. Cathedrals of Europe provide examples of great structures whose completion spanned several generations of leaders, often over hundreds of years. The original creators did not let the length and scope of these projects deter them from planning and laying the foundational stones for these great structures.  These works were intended for future generations, thus making the journey to completion worthy of the effort.

As City leaders contemplate the future needs and desires of a thriving community, it becomes critical to develop a planning process that will place Owasso on the right path for great results and address challenges yet to come. Planning for Ideal is a process the City has established to use in creating a shared vision for our community and outlining the steps necessary to achieve goals that leaders both present and future can follow to realize the great results set forth in the original vision. This approach will help ensure Owasso’s continued success for many generations. 

Planning for Ideal allows leaders of today, along with citizens, stakeholders, and future leaders, to set a path toward achieving significant long term goals.  When the right plan is developed with community buy-in, it not only enables future leaders to follow that course, but compels them to continue toward completion.

Planning for Ideal consists of three components.

1.    Accurately assessing the current situation.

2.    Creating a shared vision, or ideal plan for the future.

3.    Stepping backward from the vision to the present to develop the process for reaching Ideal.

Assessing the current situation involves taking all factors of an issue into consideration. It is important to objectively measure the existing condition, first, before creating the ideal vision for that situation. Once the current status has been established, it is imperative that the community and City staff work together to create a shared vision for the future. The Quality of Life initiative, recently approved by the City Council, is an example of an initiative that will implement the first critical steps in planning ideal solutions for Owasso. It is vital for citizens to participate in this process to create a comprehensive shared vision. In creating a long term vision for our community, it is important to stretch the imagination and consider possibilities beyond current resources and funding. If we only dream of what we can currently afford to accomplish, by the time we achieve it, we will have outgrown it.

After the shared vision has been established, it is important to develop the steps necessary to accomplish the desired results by starting at the end. Working from the vision backward to the current situation allows all factors to be considered and creates a roadmap to achieving the vision. This roadmap is one that can easily be followed by future leaders and citizens to continue toward achieving the ideal. If we fail in this and work from the current situation to the vision, it is likely we will settle for a goal much less than ideal because current limitations become roadblocks that we cannot imagine surmounting.

We may not know exactly what Owasso will look like fifty years from now, but through public collaboration and implementing the Planning for Ideal process, current leaders can set the foundational stones that future leaders will follow to achieve great results to last many generations, and ensure the continued success of Owasso.

Feedback from readers is welcomed. If you wish to contact the City Manager regarding this blog, send an email to cmanager@cityofowasso.com.

In recent months, Owasso’s Character Initiative has been a topic of great interest.  This increased awareness has been stimulated most recently by a newspaper article and a television news story.  Since implementation of the Character Initiative, it has not been uncommon to get emails and comments from citizens ranging from high praise of the Character Initiative to even the questioning of its validity.

In 2002 the Owasso City Council adopted a resolution declaring Owasso’s intent to become a City of Character and the City Council’s desire to create a culture of character through a focus on individual character qualities.  Because we may not often think about character as being a choice that affects our attitudes as well as our actions, the foremost goal of the Character Initiative is to keep the pursuit of good character at the forefront of our minds through character awareness and character development.  In addition to promoting a culture of character in the community, the City as an employer finds focusing on character invaluable in emphasizing and recognizing good character within our own organization.  Owasso residents deserve to be served by individuals who believe that good character is essential to good public service.  To do this as an employer, we have shifted our hiring process from focusing solely on an applicant’s employment history to the character and attitude of the applicant.  Far too many times, individuals are hired because of an effective resume, only to be later terminated for a character issue, such as a lack of punctuality or lack of dependability or even lack of truthfulness.  The City’s success in this effort can be seen in lower employee turnover and fewer disciplinary actions since character, attitude, and trainability became the key components in the hiring process.

Businesses, families, and communities can focus on character by emphasizing, role modeling, and recognizing good character.  Recognizing good character in others can make a lasting impact.  Often at home or at work we recognize others for their achievements instead of the character behind the achievements.  However, “Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent.  Most talents are to some extent, a gift.  Good character, by contrast, is not given to us.  We have to build it piece by piece, by thought, choice, courage and determination.”[i]  The difference between recognizing someone for an achievement versus the character behind the achievement is the focus of the praise.  Consider a parent praising a child for receiving straight A’s.  The A’s may be important, but they are not more important than how these grades were achieved.  For example, the parent would not want the child to cheat in order to make straight A’s.  To praise for character, the parent might praise the child for the determination it took to make such good grades, or for the diligence it took to keep up with the homework and studying required to make straight A’s, or even for the thoroughness displayed.  The child is still being praised for the good grades, but what the child will recognize is that it is the determination, diligence or thoroughness that is earning the recognition.  It is important to look for opportunities to praise for character because behaviors, good or bad, that are praised are most often repeated.

Creating a culture of character is a way of life.  It is a journey, not a race with a start and a finish.  As individuals and as a community, we will not come upon the day when we can say we have arrived and we no longer need to focus on character.  Creating a culture of character is a lifelong process that can produce stronger businesses, families, and community.

The surprise shown by the resident is not unique. Most people don’t equate shopping locally with better police, fire, streets and parks. But, the truth is that a bag of groceries, a new pair of jeans, dinner and a movie all add up to a better equipped fire department, more police, officers, pothole-free streets and wonderful parks. Though only three cents of each dollar spent in Owasso stays to help the local government (the rest of the sales tax goes to the state and county) those pennies add up quickly and have a huge impact on city services.

But, the data indicates there is still about 40% of all spending by Owasso residents that goes out of town to fill the coffers of other cities. While there may be a number of reasons that could be given for that lost spending, most likely, people just don’t think about every purchase having an impact on keeping our families safe, streets smooth, and parks inviting.

That is why the City Council, with the full support of the Owasso Economic Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce, has authorized the development of a comprehensive Buy Owasso information campaign. All parties believe that such a program is a win-win; it will promote local businesses who have invested in the community, and the city’s public services will be enhanced if new spending occurs. Keeping our money at home also presents a potential economic win for our children and grandchildren. A sound local economy complemented by strong public sector services will draw more investors to our community creating new jobs and opportunities that will keep our children in Owasso when the time comes for them to begin their families and careers.  

For a number of years the city has focused on infrastructure needs and encouraging new businesses to locate in Owasso. This new campaign will focus on helping and growing existing businesses that have long supported the town. In today’s economy, support of the local citizenry is critical to the health and survival of those businesses.    

Soon there will be two billboards, a new web-site, and a direct mail campaign, all promoting and encouraging every resident to develop a loyal and enthusiastic attitude about spending in Owasso. The hope is that by keeping our dollars at home, our community will be a better place to live, work, and invest.

Buy Owasso, Build a Better Community.

Feedback from readers is welcomed. If you wish to contact the City Manager regarding this blog, send an email to cmanager@cityofowasso.com.

This initiative is being undertaken because for almost twenty years the City has had to focus its efforts, energy, and vision on providing a solid foundation for public safety, basic infra-structure, and fiscal stability. Amenities that elevate a community’s “livability” were assigned a lower priority. The result placed Owasso in the enviable position of being ahead of the curve in water, wastewater, stormwater infrastructure; and at a pace to spend about four million dollars annually on major street construction and repair projects. Additionally, the City’s business community (and resulting sales tax) has grown to a point that allows the City to provide excellent public safety services to citizens. Developing that retail destination point has resulted in a favorable position wherein approximately 70% of every dollar spent comes from residents of other cities.

That twenty year focus on public safety, infrastructure, and fiscal soundness has made Owasso a safe place for families and businesses, a community that can meet the challenges of growth, and a full service city that can meet the commercial needs of its residents. But, during that time, our City has provided only basic services in the area of parks, recreation, youth sports, trail systems, public gathering places, and other amenities that make a community’s livability better than “norm”. Even though a basic park backbone has been acquired, there is a growing gap between what the City has in terms of quality of life amenities and what residents expect their City to provide.

The City wants to address quality of life amenities that Owassons see as important; but first, City Councilors must determine what residents would consider priorities. To make that determination, a plan of public input is being designed that gives all residents an opportunity to provide ideas and suggestions relating to what kind of amenities should be funded and developed to give Owasso residents a world-class quality of life. The program to gather public input is scheduled to begin in November or December. Every resident is encouraged to participate and offer suggestions. Announcements of meetings will be made on cityofowasso.com, through Twitter, and various news outlets.

This effort to create a community that meets the expectations of its residents is one that is critical to future generations and to the long-term value of our community. Every resident should give thought to the quality of life amenities and projects that would enhance the lives of our children and set a foundation for future generations.

Feedback from readers is welcomed. If you wish to contact the City Manager regarding this blog, send an email to cmanager@cityofowasso.com.

The Community Policing concept is producing great results in communities that have implemented its philosophy in schools through the use of School Resource Officers (SRO’s). This concept places fully certified police officers in schools, walking the halls and school grounds, becoming acquainted with students, and like the “beat” officers of the past, getting to know what and who may bear watching.  But, it is the development of personal relationships that has the biggest and best long-term impact on young people. When a young man or woman begins to see a police officer as their protector, and friend, they begin to understand that there is mutual trust between those who enforce the law and those who benefit from that enforcement. The result of this mutual understanding is often a decrease in crime. That relationship also allows the police officer to see our youth in a different light as they begin to see the promise and potential our children hold for our future.

Veteran Officers who have walked the SRO “beat” find themselves refreshed and energized by the good they see in the individual students they encounter. All the while, both groups are building a respect and trust that will not only be felt now, but for years to come, as the students grow into responsible adults and become committed partners in the fight against crime.

Obviously, a program such as this must be implemented and funded as a part of a comprehensive strategy to build and maintain a safe city.  The Owasso Police Department’s strategic plan recognizes community policing as an imperative and the SRO initiative as a vital component of that strategy.  The Owasso Police Department is committed to the placement of law enforcement officers inside our public school system on a full-time basis because we believe the best plan to fight juvenile crime and drug problems is to build relationships and partnerships with the students.

The city’s goal is to improve the lives and futures of the young people in Owasso.  In order to transition from imagining a community where juvenile crime is the lowest in the country to planning for the ideal, the City is committed to expanding the number of SRO’s and increasing the allocation of resources.  Placing real officers in schools as a strategy to build the idea of community policing and engaging students as partners in these efforts will, in the long run, be significantly more effective and cost less than putting young adults in prison for the remainder of their lives.           

The Tulsa metropolitan area has grown dramatically in the past 20 years and Owasso has played a major part in this growth.  The majority of all Tulsa metro area residents commute each day and, as a result, congestion has risen sharply on our highway system and air quality has been further degraded.  As the population of the region continues to grow, we can wait no longer to address the long term consequences. Now is the time to focus on the future and begin exploring possible alternatives for improving the transportation mobility throughout the Tulsa region.

A commuter rail service could provide tremendous benefit in terms of transporting people to their jobs, the airport and other places throughout the area.  It would help the environment, reduce congestion, support economic development, and help balance growth.

Now is the time for Owasso to join with the other cities in our area and begin to focus on the development of an effective and efficient commuter rail system.  But even if we begin the foundation work today, it will take up to ten years to initiate actual operations.  In view of that time line, the Owasso City Council recently voted to take the first step by joining with other area governments to fund a study required by the Federal government before Federal funds can be utilized for commuter rail systems.

Today, Owasso is participating with other cities in the Tulsa metropolitan area in the initial stages of system planning and investment analysis.  The Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) will manage the study in cooperation with other cities in the region.  This study will address questions of transit modes (which type of rail is best for each corridor), alignments, ridership, costs, benefits, impacts, and sustainable operation, in order to qualify for federal funding for a regional system.

As with other regions throughout the nation, a detailed study of the local circumstances must be undertaken before specific solutions and modes are pursued.  The study provides the information needed for local decision makers to consider before advancing into preliminary engineering, final design, and construction.  Ultimately, there may be multiple applications of the various rail transit modes in the Tulsa region.  The Alternatives Analysis study will determine the locally preferred alternative for each corridor based on data and public input.

It is imperative that Owasso is actively involved in shaping the future transportation systems of this region.  Our location in the center of the three largest employment areas in Tulsa, the airport, the Port of Catoosa, and the Cherokee Industrial Park, requires our participation, and the future of our children and their community demands it.

Owasso has deliberately focused significant attention, time and resources on public safety initiatives which have resulted in a low crime rate for our community, and consequently have provided a safe environment for families to raise their children. Even with low crime rates, Owasso has youthful offenders and takes seriously the responsibility of helping these children. If we are committed to raising successful future leaders, it is important that at-risk youth not be forgotten and only focus attention on those already heading down the right path.

The Youth Court program in Owasso started in 2008 as a means to reach at-risk youth with a goal of early intervention to provide the support needed to turn young lives in a direction toward success. Owasso has partnered with Youth Services of Tulsa to set up a court in which youth participate on two levels, as defendants, and as trained Youth Court attorneys and judges. The cases heard by the Youth Court do not include crimes of a more serious nature, such as drug, alcohol or assault and battery. Those cases are still best handled by the juvenile court system. However, youth whose cases are referred to Youth Court have the opportunity to be represented and adjudicated by their peers. This provides an experience that positively impacts both sides of the equation.  Youthful offenders learn that there are consequences for their actions and learn the importance of making better decisions going forward. Volunteers for the program learn about leadership and the impact of becoming stakeholders in the community. All youth learn more about citizenship, the significance of the laws enacted, and the outcome to the community if those laws are violated. Statistics show that Youth Courts have a positive impact on recidivism rates, thus lowering juvenile crime, and that early intervention helps youth improve decision making skills.

In addition to Youth Court, Owasso has proactively initiated other juvenile intervention programs: the School Resource Officer program, which has successfully placed officers in the schools where they can directly interact with the teachers and youth on a daily basis; a First Offenders program that includes a community service component; and an Early Intervention Program that can refer youth to counseling and other intervention programs as ordered.   

Placing appropriate emphasis on early intervention with children is clearly as important to the future of our City as any decision we make. Continuing the Youth Court program is one step in providing the intervention needed to help guide youth down the right path. When supported by the community, a child’s life can be transformed by understanding the consequences of bad decisions and learning proper decision making skills. This develops productive youths who have the potential to become the future leaders we envision.

Journey of Faith

Faith looked over her shoulder and saw a figure running up the trail. As she continued her climb, the figure caught up with her.

“Greetings,” he said, after coming within earshot.

Faith returned the greeting, and the two continued on together. At length, Presumption, for that was his name, said, “Can we not go faster? It feels like we’ll never get there at this rate.”

Faith smiled, explained how long journeys require consistent effort, and warned how easily a person can overrun his or her bearings and become lost. Presumption wasn’t satisfied, but he didn’t want to leave Faith’s company, and he walked quietly for a while.

As night fell, they came to the edge of a cliff. Faith’s map indicated the trail to the right led to a bridge that would take them on their way. As they walked along the cliff, they came to a tree that appeared to have fallen across the chasm. Presumption immediately assumed this was the bridge, but Faith pointed out that a large boulder marked the bridge they sought.

“Someone probably moved it,” Presumption argued. He was getting tired of Faith’s methodical observations. “Besides, doesn’t faith mean you are supposed to follow your heart?”

Unable to dissuade Faith, Presumption began working his way along the tree trunk, and Faith soon found the bridge and continued on her way, but she never saw Presumption again.

Most people do not reject the truth from lack of evidence but because they want to interpret the evidence in a way that supports their conclusions. Discern and faithfully follow the roadmap of integrity, whatever the temptation to take a shortcut.

It has and remains the mission of the City to provide accurate and reliable financial information to the City Council and the citizens of Owasso and to be in compliance with financial policies and regulations that govern our city.  The leadership of the City of Owasso has demonstrated its commitment to proper stewardship and accountability over public funds through the establishment of an Audit Committee.   

The Audit Committee augments the fiscal accountability standards established and adhered to by the city’s leadership and is a key component for promoting good governance practices. Although there is no statutory requirement to form an audit committee, it was recognized that an effective Audit Committee would make a valuable contribution to improving the transparency, performance and accountability of the City. Further it was felt the Committee could play an important role in examining the organization’s policies, processes, systems, and controls.

Perhaps most significant was the demonstrated commitment to a culture of openness and continuous improvement, critical values of the City of Owasso.  In creating an audit committee to protect the interests of the city’s primary stakeholders, the “citizens”, city leadership considered several critical principles.

Independence was a primary consideration. Members of the Audit Committee are required to be independent of the management team. The membership of the committee is expected to be knowledgeable, balanced, objective and independent of mind.   To that end, the Audit Committee ensures the city’s auditing firm is independent of management and addresses control and compliance weaknesses.

Competence and compensation were also key factors.  Audit Committee members are required to have relevant experience and expertise in the areas of banking, finance, business and accounting. The City’s Audit Committee consists of five voting members and two non-voting ex-officio members.  All members are appointed by the City Council and serve without compensation for a term of three years (with the exception of the City Councilor who is appointed for a one year term).

A primary responsibility of the Audit Committee is to recommend to the council an independent firm of certified public accountants to perform the annual audit of the City.  The Audit Committee analyzes and reports to the Council any significant findings in the annual audit report and makes recommendations regarding these findings.

As the demand for enhanced accountability and quality of services in the public sector increases, so does the significance of the Audit Committee’s role. The Audit Committee has a major responsibility in assuring the mechanisms for achieving accountability and for limiting risk are in place and functioning.  To achieve that goal, open and transparent communication with the governing body and the citizens of Owasso is imperative.

Through the establishment of an independent Audit Committee, a clear message is being sent to the citizens of Owasso that their governing body aspires to achieve “excellence” in the common goals of quality of service, accountability and transparency.

Community policing is a philosophy, management style, and organizational design that promotes proactive problem solving and police-community partnerships to address the causes of crime and fear, as well as other community issues. While Owasso is certainly a community with a low crime rate, citizen collaboration with the police is increasingly seen as the most effective way to maintain a highly sustainable quality of life. Community policing in Owasso represents a shift from a reactive to a proactive problem-solving method.

A seemingly simple concept, community policing actually required a complex and strategic approach of changes to our police department’s organizational culture and structure. These changes are combined with innovative approaches to prevent and fight crime that call for extensive community cooperation and planning.

Community policing is built on the two foundations of problem solving and building partnerships. One of the core elements of community policing is solving problems; whether through innovative solutions or simply the execution.  Responsible strategies of community policing in Owasso redefine who is responsible for public safety and evaluates the roles and relationships between our police department and our community. Community policing requires shared ownership, shared decision making and shared accountability. Sir Robert Peel founder of the first modern police department in 1829, stated “Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”

Recently, Owasso launched its Strong Neighborhood Program that will greatly assist and identify needs and priorities for a common goal.  As information is collected and analyzed, resolutions are developed facilitating responses that are calculated and tailored with the best potential solution. Owasso’s vision statement embraces the very essence of this program, which is built on collaboration between community stakeholders and the city departments for the shared goal of providing a safe quality of life, and doing so by effectively and efficiently using our available resources.

Owasso is a community built on character that continues to have substantial growth, but maintains a hometown family feel. Many times this growth changes the dynamic of that small-town feel, but with the community working together along side its city leaders and departments, it is able to manage the growth and still enjoy the qualities of life from  the annual Burning of the Greens to packing the Ram stadium for Friday night football. In our ever changing world we are able to offer innovative protection, such as putting Segways in our school’s hallways and community shopping areas during the holiday season allowing response to the most critical of incidents; but without a strong partnership we will never achieve greatness. Our city team leaders continue to focus on the vision to always build a greater Owasso, which involves working side by side with its citizens. “Removing every obstacle standing in the way of people celebrating their lives” will always be our priority.

For these reasons, the City Council has, over the years, designed a process whereby proposed developments can be evaluated and planned so that the impact of those developments on the existing community is beneficial and not harmful. The tools with which the City moderates such developments include the land use master plan, annexation, the zoning code, subdivision regulations, and other policies that specifically control how the built environment is constructed. These regulatory tools provide a guide for how land is used within Owasso’s city limits and, to some extent, Owasso’s fenceline. That fenceline was created more than thirty years ago with the understanding that properties within the fenceline could eventually be annexed into the corporate limits of the City, as part of the Owasso’s long-term strategy for growth and at the property owners’ request. The fenceline has been an effective long-range planning tool for decades, and has enabled Owasso to grow in an orderly and serviceable manner.

However, regulatory tools such as those listed above do not drive our municipal decision-making; rather, we choose to utilize an inclusive process of assessment that forces us to determine whether a development will benefit the community. The four basic steps to development are annexation, zoning, platting, and site planning. Each step of development must go through its own review process, and the groups of review that analyze each step of development include the Annexation Review Committee, Technical Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, and City Council. These various committees consider not only the desires of the developer and the findings of the municipal staff, but also the opinions expressed by citizens of the Owasso area.

One particular phrase commonly discussed during the development process is “what is the highest and best use of the property?” However, highest and best use must be balanced with the predominant pattern of development that already exists in an area, in order to maintain a high level of compatibility and to enhance area property values. The level of citizen participation during the land development process is always crucial to ensuring that the City remains mindful of property values in the area, and to not lose sight of existing conditions when making findings about what should be built where. Owasso has been fortunate to have had a high level of citizen interest over the years, and input from citizens has framed the land use policy that guided the land use master plan, the zoning pattern we see today across the community, and the capital improvements that have been built. It is because of this citizen input that Owasso is recognized throughout the region as being a quality example of a well-planned city.

Infrastructure and aesthetics are examples of concerns that impact the whole community, and issues like these are controlled by municipal regulations. The City’s development regulations require that any development meet municipal standards of construction and infrastructure, but they can only be enforced once a property has been annexed into the City. If the property is not annexed, development may still occur on the site, but would not be governed by Owasso’s development regulations. Annexation ensures that developments of municipal quality are built, rather than developments of less quality that can result in costly infrastructure issues and conditions that must be addressed later.

Further, as Owasso grows, we are able to avoid the development mistakes of the past. In some previous instances, the City avoided annexing property prior to development. The development was then constructed outside the regulatory controls of Owasso. Because of this, the City was later compelled to annex the property after it was developed in order to correct a number of infrastructure problems including sanitary sewer, stormwater drainage, and pavement, at a cost to all Owasso taxpayers that would have been avoided if the development had been constructed within the city limits.

Owasso’s planning processes are intended to ensure that the community remains as strong and viable twenty years from now as it is today. It is important to remember that we are not the only ones who will be impacted by the growth and development decisions that are made today, but our children and their children will also benefit from those decisions.

To be considered truly transparent, local government must find successful ways to communicate information to the public. Communication with constituents on the local level is challenging. Traditional media outlets provide some information, but the extensive information distribution that satisfies the ambition of a city to be accountable and transparent cannot be completely fulfilled through local media.  Years ago, cities began setting up websites as a means to communicate and provide voluminous information to constituents. While this may serve to provide greater transparency, it does little good if no one sees the message. It’s a push approach to communication that does nothing to draw viewers, unless they have a specific need for the information. The development of social media sites and the subsequent popularity as a daily communication tool for throngs of users opens new opportunities for government to communicate with the public.

Many governments and companies do not seriously consider communicating through social media because they mistakenly believe it to be something only used by the under 18 age group. Statistical information shows that more than half the users of Twitter are over age 35, and the fastest growing demographic for Facebook is again from age 35 and up. The greatest amount of social media traffic is from users over the age of 18. It is, therefore, easy to see that the target demographic group for the City’s message is embracing and shaping the use of social media. This group is fully engaged with the digital movement and desires knowledge on the go, as it occurs. The introduction of social media has created an environment where information can be spread much faster than through any other communication method.

The City has focused primarily on Twitter in its use of social media, but has recently started blogs and is considering other social media strategies. Twitter allows brief messages regarding the City’s business and matters of general interest to be sent out to followers who have chosen to receive the City’s updates. Since launching the City’s Twitter account in February, 2009, over 460 followers have been established, many who regularly forward our messages on to their followers. As a result, many of those followers are visiting the City’s website to view the more comprehensive information available there. The cost of utilizing this digital tool: a few minutes each day to plan and post updates.

We accept the foundational meaning of democracy, as described by President Lincoln, and the responsibility for open access to information. Therefore, a communication strategy that includes social media creates an environment of greater access, which in turn helps provide the accountability and transparency the City seeks. As social media gains momentum and more users adopt this as a primary communication tool, the City is prepared to continue to take advantage of the opportunity to reach a larger participating audience. If you would like to follow Owasso on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/OwassoCity. If new to Twitter, click on Join.

As the day of our national independence approaches, it seems fitting to consider the ideals and beliefs upon which this country was founded. In an attempt to counter the discrimination and persecution that marred England’s religious and political sectors, our founders insured that liberty and equality would become America’s defining characteristics. Those two ideologies laid the foundation for the laws and customs that, while at the time, were quite innovative, now seem inherent and commonplace. Questions concerning the rights of man are recurrently being asked and debated, and our nation has become the standard against which most other countries measure. And most importantly, history indicates that the continuing effort to preserve and protect those rights must begin at the local level.

At the Federal level, and in some sense, the State level, the big wedge issues are considered and debated, providing the direction in which our country will move; but it is at the local level where the actual implementation occurs. Every time a police officer makes a traffic stop, or something even as simple as a citizen paying their water bill, there is a ready embodiment of the defense of the natural and civil rights protected by our Constitution. On the surface it seems somewhat counterintuitive, but every time an employee or worker for the local government interacts with a citizen, our rights are being upheld. It is in our cities and towns that we can be most confident that everyone will be treated the same, no matter what they look like or believe. However, that is a privilege easily taken for granted on a day-to-day basis, for there are many places in the world where that is not so. Getting a speeding ticket is obviously not a constitutional issue, but the ideals involved certainly are.

Government at the local level takes a more personal approach than is possible on a bigger scale, especially in a relatively small community such as Owasso. There is a reassuring sense of closeness and equality when your representative lives in the next neighborhood over as opposed to being off in Washington. A more trusting relationship is built when it is possible to run into your Mayor or Council members at a football game or grocery store. Our city leaders: the Mayor, Council, and the citizens who make up the various boards, are volunteers and give up their time for the betterment of the city. In those roles, they are involved in the actual manifestation of ideological rights, and their impact is significant. For if our rights are not being defended and upheld at the local level, having them is futile.

The most pressing question facing our community today is how to make Owasso a continuing attractive investment. That question should be the one that every homeowner, business, and parent continually ask.  Owasso’s next generation will depend on today’s leaders to lay a strong base for their future.  All growing cities have discussions relating to the value and method of growth and reinvestment; and reinvesting in infrastructure is a key component to an effective and efficiently managed city.  Owasso is a rapidly growing community and it is understandable that such a discussion is occurring.  I would encourage that discussion to be a positive one that focuses on how the public policy relating to reinvestment can best produce long term benefits for citizens of today and tomorrow.

The city’s position regarding reinvestment and fiscal soundness is the two are closely linked and to have one, the other must be present.   A bold approach to improving our quality of life by providing better and expanded public services also works in establishing a sound financial position for our city.  Just like a business or a home, a city must have a certain level of reinvestment in order to maintain the soundness and value of the investment.

Often the decision for a city to reinvest is difficult because of the political and financial risk involved.  Owasso, like every city or family, has an abundance of needs and limited resources to apply to those needs.  So, it is only natural that when faced with a decision to invest tax dollars into a project that provides solutions to meet short and long term needs as well as avoid future problems, there will be discussion about whether or not the decision is a good one.

Over the years, Owasso’s leaders have recognized the need for reinvesting in facilities and infrastructure.  Their bold action initiated the effort to invest in getting an expressway (1963), provided a long term water supply (1968), allowed for expanding water and wastewater thus enabling major residential development to occur east of US 169 (1974), allowed for the construction of the first wastewater treatment plant (1988), expanded E. 86^th Street North to five lanes producing the major business corridor (1990), reconstructed the E. 96^th Street commercial corridor (1998), and invested in expanding the US 169 service road system (2006).

The strategy of reinvesting in our infrastructure has a demonstrated history of success.  By any measure, the citizen–taxpayer has received a good return on their investment.  A low crime rate is one of those “returns” and is the direct result of increased police department funding derived from revenues generated by sales taxes from a growing commercial base.  Expanding our road and utility systems enabled that growth and will continue to produce benefits far beyond the initial investment.  Similarly, other critical services including fire, parks, and storm water have been improved and expanded as a result of our strategy to reinvest in infrastructure.  

We have also learned from our mistakes and have refined our approach to ensure there is fairness inherent in our investments.  An example of learning from mistakes can be found in the recent case of the E. 76^th Street Sanitary Sewer Interceptor Project.  The estimated $6,000,000 project will provide adequate sewer service to over three thousand acres of future Owasso for the next seventy-five to one hundred years.  When developing the financial model for that project, the city looked at the Ranch Creek Wastewater Interceptor built almost thirty years ago with public funds.  Based on a review of data it is obvious that private developers have continued to “tie” their developments to that sewer line as recently as 2008 without having to help pay for the original capital cost of constructing the line.  Even though the decision to invest in Owasso’s future by building that sewer line was a proper one, current thinking is that there should have been some form of developer “pay-back” so existing citizens would not have to pay for the cost of growth for new residents.

Because of that “lesson learned”, the city is moving forward to build the E. 76^th Street Sanitary Sewer Interceptor by providing, as we did with the Ranch Creek Interceptor, the “up-front” capital cost but requiring anyone that connects to the system to pay their fair share of the total cost of constructing the line regardless of how far in the future that connection will be made.  Another lesson learned is to require that payment prior to any connection.  That evolution in the process will allow the city to continue to reinvest and produce more opportunities for better services without excessive risk to the taxpayer.

It is important for a city that values the investment of its residents to remain vigorous and make wise decisions.  A sound reinvestment strategy is critical to the long-term viability and fiscal soundness of our Owasso.  It is important that we remain unsatisfied with a “just maintain the status-quo” philosophy and that we not be placated by our successes or lose the drive to improve.  The goals the city has achieved have been reached by focusing on the future and recognizing how we can be better tomorrow than we are today.

There are two possible approaches that can be taken in the solving of this problem; in a manner known as an area code “split,” the current geographic area served by the 918 area code would be divided into two distinct parts, one region keeping the 918 area code and the other receiving a new area code. If the split is employed, the traditional “7-digit” method of local dialing would be retained within each code, and everyone’s seven digit number would remain the same. The exact details are presently unknown; we know neither who would be getting the new code nor what it would be. The other possible solution would be conducted in a manner known as an area code “overlay.’ In an overlay the individuals who currently have the 918 area code would keep it and any new customers would be given the new code. The overlay would, however, force the entire region to assume a new “10-digit” dialing method, even to complete local calls, which might prove cumbersome and confusing.

After looking at the distinct strengths and weaknesses of each solution, and focusing upon which approach would be the least disruptive to the general populace, the City of Owasso has decided to support the approval of a two-way geographic split. Multiple factors played into the forming of such a recommendation, and once the specifics of the situation were studied, it became apparent that a split was the most intelligent and practical approach for not only the City of Owasso, but for the entire region in general. In an attempt to minimize customer confusion, the split retains the conventional method of local calls, by using seven digits only. In the event of an overlay, every single caller would have to adopt a new method of dialing, 10 digits, even if it was to someone across the street. Historically, the split is the only method that has been utilized in Oklahoma. Recently, Oklahoma City and the 405 area code encountered the same problem and a split was smoothly and successfully implemented.

Moving away from a quantitative focus and instead examining the effects of the change on the daily lives of citizens, the overlay would have a damaging impact on the sense of geographic and communal identity an area code provides. It would seem counterintuitive for two neighboring families to have different area codes, and confusing to have to dial an entire new area code plus the number if you are simply trying to reach someone across the street. An area code is one of the most basic of geographic indicators. Presently, if someone sees the 918 included in a phone number of a residence or business it automatically tells them their general location. That sense of geographic community would be lost were an overlay to occur. The overlay is a perfectly fine solution for huge metropolitan cities, where it is not as important to foster a sense of community and togetherness. Recent overlays that have occurred have been in Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, and Orlando. But in a more rural setting, the split just simply makes more sense. It is the method that will prove to be the least confusing, the least disruptive, and provide the easiest transition. An area code split would follow the precedence already set and in general be the most appropriate and fitting.