Norman residents will present the results of a month-long petition to change the vote on the Rock Creek Entertainment District to the public at City Hall on Thursday morning.
According to a press release from Oklahomans for Responsible Economic DevelopmentA nonprofit organization formed to give community members a say in the city’s economic development decisions, petitioners and members will present their results in front of City Hall at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
“All Norman residents are invited to come together and celebrate this achievement,” the statement reads.
the request intends to create a referendum to convert the Rock Creek Entertainment District, which was approved by the Norman City Council 5-4 around 1 a.m. on Sept. 18, to the public. According to the ORED website, the referendum would take place on February 11, during the next ordinary municipal elections.
ORED filed the petition on September 20. and has since created six petition sites in Normanincluding Yellow Dog Coffee Company, STASH, Green Feather Book Company, Alameda Market & Tackle, B & B Liquor Market and Westside Library.
Oklahoma law states that petitioners have 30 days to collect and submit signatures after the legislation is passed. Tiffany Vrska, communications director for the city of Norman, told OU Daily that ORED has until Oct. 18 to collect 6,098 signatures.
Russell Rice, co-founder of ORED, told OU Daily last week that the petitioners are on track to surpass their goal. He added that he could not reveal the number of signatures.
“As long as we continue to get signatures like we have, we will be successful,” Rice said. “It’s been a never-ending flow of people…everyone wants their voice to be heard.”
Cynthia Rogers, an OU economics professor and founding member of ORED, told OU Daily that she herself had collected more than 200 signatures as of Oct. 7. He said his top priority in working with ORED is educating residents about the district’s tax increment financing model.
The city council’s vote to approve the Rock Creek Entertainment District created two tax increment financing districts in the University North Park area, which allocate tax revenue generated within an area to economic development. ORED’s website states that the organization opposes the TIF model, not economic growth or the scope of OU.
“Usually these things are broken down so they only take some of the growth, but (the TIF) will take all of the growth,” Rogers said. “It takes this tax revenue and puts it in an ‘untouched’ fund, so the city, county and schools can’t use that tax revenue growth.”
According to Rogers, the district would also shift economic activity away from businesses that already increase the city’s tax revenue.
“It is attracting activity to the TIF, which is not taxed, (and) in doing so, it harms city and county services and school funding,” Rogers said. “We are literally changing the place where basketball is played. The anchor activity in the arena is OU men’s basketball, which already happens in Norman, and it’s not something new.”
Ward 7 Councilman Stephen Tyler Holman, who voted against the entertainment district, said he has supported a referendum “since day one.”
The day after the council approved the district, Holman announced his candidacy for mayor. While the entertainment district did not directly influence his decision to run, Holman said the public should vote on the project because of its potential impact on the city’s general fund and long-term commitment to the city’s finances.
“This is just one of many major issues Norman has to deal with,” Holman said. “The best way to solve this problem for good is for there to be a public vote on the matter.”
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Ana Barboza. Natalie Armor and Sophie Hemker edited this story.
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