Looking back at 2008: Voters’ rejection of ballot measures leave officials seeking answers

By Carolyn Cole/Staff Writer
published Jan. 1, 2009

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series looking at the top stories of 2008.

Voters’ rejections of three tax increase initiatives in 2008 left city and county officials scrambling to find alternative solutions.
One city property tax proposal would have funded repairs to Czech Hall Road while a second would have paid for a new baseball park. A county ballot measure asked voters to OK a sales tax increase to fund a new county jail.

In June, Mustang City Council members refused to consider a 3.5-percent water and wastewater fee increase, which was expected to help close gaps in the city budget.

Mustang School District officials also faced funding problems as fuel prices soared and concerns of state budget cuts lurked on the horizon.

Here are news highlights from April through June:

April
Voters rejected two bond issues, putting the brakes on proposals to repair Czech Hall Road and to build a new baseball complex.

Proposition 1, which was for a $5 million “total rebuild” of two miles of Czech Hall Road, was defeated 1,088 to 935 votes.

Proposition 2, which would have funded a $2.9 million baseball complex if passed, was crushed 1,175 to 846 votes.

If the issue had passed, Proposition 1 would have paved the way for the construction of concrete streets and guttering for a two-mile section of Czech Hall Road, split into two one-mile sections between SW 59th Street and state Highway 152 and south from state Highway 152 to SW 89th Street. The proposal also included the addition of a turn lane into Mustang Centennial Elementary and improvements to drainage ditches.

City officials proposed a bond issue for the road improvements because they said the city does not have the funds in its annual street improvement budget to “fix the problems.” It also would not be feasible, Adams said, to obtain federal monies to fund the project because of the associated requirements.

Amid reports of voting “irregularities,” newcomer Katherine Callahan upset Len Scott for the Ward 6 City Council seat.

Canadian County Election Board Deputy Wanda Armold said six Ward 6 residents were not given ballots for the Council race because of errors in precinct records. She said those residents could have cast a provisional ballot before precincts closed if they had challenged election board staff on their eligibility to vote.

Ward 5 Councilwoman Linda Hagan was one of the people affected by the error. Hagan said she was mistakenly given a ballot to vote in the Ward 6 election although she is a resident of Ward 5.

The day before Mustang voters went to the polls to decide the fate of two bond issue proposals, an automated call was made to voters informing them of how much property taxes might increase if the measures passed.

The calls were paid for by Mayor Jeff Landrith.

Landrith said he decided to buy the calls because he questioned whether residents understood the costs of two bond proposals.

Those calls, which Landrith’s fellow Council members said they knew nothing about until the day of the election, has caused what Ward 3 Councilman Scott Gibson called “bad, bad feelings” in the wake of voters rejecting both proposals.

Supporters of two bond issues struck down by voters say a line has been drawn in the sand.

Those supporters said they hope it will be possible for that line — which they said is not just between supporters and opponents of the issues, but also goes to who is considered a Mustang resident — will fade away.

Developer Cathy Jo See said a disturbing aspect of the election was the notion of “Mustang city versus Mustang proper;” that while residents of the city live in 12 square miles, there are “many, many” people who live in Mustang School District and consider themselves residents, as well.

“I’m a good example,” she said. “I don’t live within the city limits, but I own a business here. I have a choice of where I shop, and I make an effort to come into town (Mustang) to spend my money. With a family of eight, that’s probably about $1,500 to $2,000 per month I spend here. I don’t have to do that — I could go to Yukon. I’ve made a conscious choice to come to Mustang because this is my home.”

Gerald Amundsen lives outside the city limits, but his business, Mustang Family Physicians, is located in Mustang “proper.” Amundsen said voters — led, he said, by Mayor Jeff Landrith — gave a clear message to residents of the surrounding area.

“Basically, we were told, ‘You don’t count.’ They want us to spend our money here in the city to get the sales tax, but they rejected a project they think doesn’t directly benefit them,” he said. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow.”

Inspectors called Mustang High School’s Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps a “model program,” and cadets are expected to receive the gold star to wear next fall.

The Bronco Battalion will be recommended to receive the title Honor Unit with Distinction, the highest rank bestowed to a JROTC unit, after passing its first federal inspection April 3 with flying colors. The honor is expected to be awarded in May and will give Mustang High School students a preferred ranking for acceptance in West Point Army Academy, as well as other benefits.

Regional JROTC Manager Barry Van den Burg told teachers Sgt. Maj. Claude Arnold and Maj. Stephen Muehlburg their students presented one of the best briefings and inspections he had seen this school year.

“This program is a lot more mature than I expected it to be for a third-year program,” Van den Berg said. “I am amazed at how many kids have been in it all three years. I have a lot of programs who don’t have any who have been in it so long.”

Bernerd and Louis Briscoe gave Mustang Masons a deed to their new lodge, finishing a project the brothers have planned for three decades.

The brothers, both Masons for more than 50 years, gave Worshipful Master Tony Merka the deed April 3, which contains one stipulation — the property must always house a Masons lodge. If the lodge leaves the land and any facilities revert back to the Briscoe family’s ownership.

Bernerd Briscoe said he started planning a new Mustang lodge more than 30 years ago. The original lodge located on South Mustang Road lacked visibility from state Highway 152 and had little room for parking or gatherings.

The new lodge is more than three times larger than the Mustang Masons’ previous home. The 80-foot by 120-foot steel building with a stone and brick façade faces East state Highway 152, just west of Bernerd Briscoe’s home and north of Meadows Park.

After nearly dying in November, Colleen Fitzpatrick said she knows how fragile life can be.

“On Nov. 28 my daughter came in to wake me and found me not breathing, a cold 94 degrees and unresponsive. She immediately called 911,” she said. “When the emergency team arrived, they tried to revive me from a respiratory arrest.”

Fitzpatrick presented medals to the three Mustang firefighters who came to her aid that day — Capt. Mike Carroll, Lt. Tom Lewis and Kyle Huff — during the City Council meeting.

Mustang City Council gave Lowes Home Improvement the “thumbs up” on final plats that will allow development of the lots adjoining the center.

Community Development Director Richard Rolison said Lowes can move forward with the sale of individual lots for development by other businesses.

The approval comes as the Oklahoma Department of Transportation continues a signalization project at state Highway 152 and Sara Road designed to help the flow of traffic at that location.

Council passed a resolution in September approving the city’s participation in the signal project with ODOT, and the project was approved in November.

Rolison and his staff recommended the project after Jemsite Development, Lowes’ developer, did a traffic engineering and impact study on the intersection.

Construction crews have been working non-stop on the facility, which company officials said is comprised of about 139,410 square feet of retail space and a 32,000-square-foot garden center.

A failed sale of Pebble Creek Golf Course to Tate Publishing may foretell a change in the company’s plans to build its headquarters in Mustang.

Rita Tate of Tate Publishing said the company decided not to pursue the sale, which had been scheduled to close March 20, after learning part of the property was on a flood plain. She said officers at Tate Publishing did not have any knowledge of that fact until they began surveying activities.

“I don’t think it was anything intentionally kept from us — it seems like it was common knowledge, and I believe the seller just thought we knew,” she said.

Karl Springer said he plans to remain Mustang School District superintendent after school board members tabled his request for retirement.

“It was never about my health or money,” he said. “It’s always been about wanting to be able to be effective and be able to help the school district get better every day. As long as there is a good chance I can do that, I want to stay.”

Mayor Jeff Landrith delivered a “working plan to keep baseball in Mustang” to Positive Posse.

“My goal is to keep the idea alive and come to a consensus on what would be the best and most appropriate course of action regarding baseball,” he said.  “The final product will be safe and driven by a group of people, not one person. I wanted to get input from Positive Posse members on the draft plan so far.”

The five-step plan would begin with the formation of a committee to oversee the construction of new fields, as well as a $200,000 to $250,000 commitment by City Council during its upcoming budgeting sessions to kick-start the project.

Committee members would include “local businesses and interested persons,” who would be charged with determining what components of the construction could be donated, develop a construction schedule and determine an “appropriate” budget, he said. Landrith said the goal would be to begin construction on the new fields within one year.

May
Officials have their “feet to the fire,” after state inspectors found health and safety violations May 7 at the Canadian County jail that could potentially cost county taxpayers thousands of dollars.
“Unfortunately, I knew this was coming — I said all along that if the new jail was rejected, the jail inspectors would bring on the heat — and here it is,” Sheriff Lewis Hawkins said.

Contract negotiations between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police broke down, and the FOP demanded arbitration to resolve the outstanding issues.

FOP is the union representing many Mustang police officers. Its president Dennis Craig said FOP submitted its demand for arbitration to City Manager David Cockrell May 22. Negotiations broke down, Craig said, because the city made proposals in its recent budget sessions that were “unacceptable” to the union.

“They proposed a 0-percent COLA (cost of living allowance) increase and rejected pay incentives,” Craig said. “They also want to raise dependent care over 100 percent.”

County Commissioner Don Young asked for the resignation of Teresa Ramsey, after learning she intended to enter the District 2 County Commissioner race.

Ramsey said she has been a Canadian County employee for 22 years and has worked for nine commissioners. The conversation with Young “blew me away,” she said.

“Don called me into his office and told me to shut the door,” she said. “He said, ‘I think you should resign,’ and I asked him why — he said I was disloyal to run for the office because I work for him.”

Young confirmed the conversation. He said he believed Ramsey should resign because she has shown him a “lack of loyalty” to him as her boss.

“She should have asked me about it before she announced,” he said. “I don’t think a county employee should be allowed to run against her boss.”

June
Officials moved forward with plans to expand the Canadian County Juvenile Justice Center.

The 8,800-square-foot addition of office space — with an estimated price tag of about $1.5 million — would provide offices for about 19 employees, Director Joan South said. Those employees in the behavioral health services and comprehensive home-based services departments are unable to work efficiently because of their office situations, she said.

South said the expansion would include construction of a multi-purpose room, which could be used for training and group meetings.
“As we continue to grow, that could really be useful for the entire facility,” she said.

As Lowes Home Improvement prepared for its grand opening, one city official questioned whether the incentive deal struck with the retailer was “set in stone.”

Ward 5 Councilwoman Linda Hagan said she was “very upset” by the agreement negotiated by city officials — and approved by City Council — in June 2007. Hagan said she had asked the city attorney if the contract could be broken.

Canadian County Commissioners drew almost $38,000 in 2007 for travel expenses from using their own vehicles, in addition to their $54,000 salaries.

Even though the three commissioners have access to county vehicles, each said they prefer to drive their own trucks. In all, the commissioners received $37,946.76 for travel claims in 2007.

District 1 Commissioner Phil Carson received the largest reimbursement at $13,125.34 for miles driven between January 2007 and December 2007, averaging about $1,093.78 per month. District 3 Commissioner Grant Hedrick received $12,868 in 2007 for mileage, or an average of $1,072.34 per month.

Commissioner Young claimed $11,953.32 in travel expenses for 11 months in 2007. He did not turn in a travel claim for August 2007. His 11-month average is 1,086.67 per month.

Commissioners have three options for travel reimbursement, according to a memo from State Auditor and Inspector’s office. They can receive $600, the statutory amount of travel allowance for in-county travel each month, drive a county-owned vehicle or keep a detailed log of all miles traveled on county business and claim actual miles traveled each month. Forms must state the date, miles traveled and nature of official business. Commissioners are reimbursed at a rate of 48.5 cents per mile.

Canadian County Commissioner’s travel claims do detail vehicle odometer readings, total mileage and the date of the trips. The information provide to the Mustang News did not include the nature of business conducted during the trips.
Statutory travel amounts for other county offices include $400 for the clerk and treasurer, $500 for county assessor and $600 for the sheriff.

Steve Meyer has thousands of memories of milestones in his life that have taken place in his father’s red 1947 Chrysler convertible.
“If this car could talk, I would try to keep it quiet,” he told friends at All Season’s Big Kahuna Hot Rod Luau.

More than 200 cars lined the field next to All Season Building Supply for the Byrd family’s 11th Big Kahuna Hot Rod Luau – each one with its own story.

The luau is more Hawaiian party than car show, Chuck Byrd said – a chance for families to spend time together. Byrd and his staff served up free hot dogs, children made castles in a sandpit and Graystone Blues Band kept the beat.

Mustang Chamber of Commerce leaders and City Council members vowed to “work together” to hammer out a contract between the two entities.

Several members of the chamber’s executive board attended the Council meeting to discuss financial arrangements between the city and chamber. The need to draft a new agreement between the city and chamber came to light earlier this month, when it was discovered the chamber’s lease for its office at Mustang Town Center expired in 2004.

At the June 3 meeting, Landrith said, “I have a hard time with the chamber. I wish they were more on their own from a funding perspective. I think about who shows up to volunteer, and it is more those folks from outside of Mustang. I don’t like the idea that this is not a true Mustang chamber.”

Landrith and Ward 2 Councilwoman Kathleen Moon clarified statements made during that meeting, saying their questions stemmed from questions pertaining to “the legality of the contract, rather than where the chamber is located.”

County Commissioners took their first step to “reload and regroup” in their efforts to build a new county jail.

District 1 Commissioner Phil Carson said officials needed to take a step forward in their efforts to “find an answer” to ongoing problems with the current jail, which include overcrowding and structural issues.

“I think we need to come up with a five-person feasibility study to see what route the jail needs to take,” he said. “If we have one person from each of our districts and one person from the law enforcement end of it, that should be a balanced panel.”

Ashton Mowdy followed in the footsteps Houston Astros greats Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan and Jose Cruz when he suited up for his first professional game.

Mowdy, a former Mustang High School pitcher, was picked up by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 2008 draft June 5. Mowdy was one of 25 pitchers selected by the Astros this year.

Mowdy will play for the Astros’ short-season Class A Tri-City ValleyCats, based in Troy, New York

Local residents and business owners Steve and Carla Baker purchased the Pebble Creek Golf Course from developer Robert Crout and reopened it for business.

“There are so many little things involved in getting a course like this up and running again,” Steve Baker said.

Crout closed the course in October due to problems caused by heavy rains earlier in the year. At that time, he said renovations were needed before he reopened it in March. After months of trying to sell the course – and the failed Tate Publishing sale – Crout said in April he would develop the property if a buyer didn’t materialize by the end of the summer.

Eleven Mustang youth played soccer into the dark with several homeless children, after long days of gardening and repairing the shelter in Morelos, Mexico.

The teenagers from Clear Springs Free Will Baptist Church rode half a day to the desert village, about 30 miles south of U.S.-Mexico border with plans to make repairs at the children’s home. Seventh-grader Austin Harris said he didn’t expect the adventure to change his view on life.

“They don’t have a family; they don’t have anything; but as soon as someone comes to play with them they can be all smiles,” he said. “They don’t have a care in the world; they are just as happy as they can be.”

Holy Spirit Catholic Church’s members invited Mustang to a free community-wide pancake breakfast in honor of the congregation’s silver anniversary.

A few dozen people gathered for Holy Spirit’s first mass July 2, 1983 at the local funeral home. Now the congregation numbers almost 400 families, he said, and parishioners are outgrowing the church and parish center, which they have called home since November 1985.

In honor of the milestone, 75 volunteers have worked to build the Celebration Pavilion, nestled on Holy Spirit’s grounds. John Lippe, 25th anniversary activities chairman, said the construction was funded through private donations, and skilled volunteers have donated more than 2,000 hours of their time to finish the 2,350-square-foot covered picnic facility, complete with lighting and ceiling fans. Lippe said the pavilion was designed so future leadership could enclose the facility to hold classrooms or a fellowship hall.

Traffic counts confirm what residents fighting traffic on city streets already know – there are more cars on Mustang’s streets.
A comparison between April 2006 counts and the data taken May 21 show the biggest increase occurring on state Highway 152 between Sara and Morgan roads, just west of North Carol Terrace. Meters counted 15,500 cars at that point in 2006; this year, that number jumped to 20,152, a 4,652 increase.

Canadian County wheat farmers reaped a record harvest for 2008 with high field yields and high-quality grain meeting skyrocketing prices.

Lifelong farmer Ray Bornemann said his family is almost through harvesting their 1,300 acres of wheat, with yields ranging from 45 bushels per acre to 70 bushels per acre. He said most farmers are satisfied with a 40-bushel per acre average.

“We have had real good yields,” he said. “Some of it has been the best I have ever harvested.”

Not only are farmers reaping more from their fields, but Banner Co-Op worker Betty Weach said the golden grains have been high in quality. The average test weight at the Banner and Union City elevators is 62 pounds for a bushel of grain, and she said any weight above 60 pounds is considered good quality.

“It has been a good crop,” she said.

When all of the economic factors shake out, County Extension educator Brad Tipton predicted 2008 will rank in the top three harvests in the Oklahoma record books.

“You think about the money that is going to go into the local economy because of this wheat, and it’s staggering,” Tipton said.

Prices topped $8 per bushel for top quality wheat this month, up from $5 last year, which was considered an all-time record at harvest then. On average, Tipton said farmers are getting $7.50 per bushel for wheat, after taking national shipping costs into account.

Parents will pay 30 cents more per meal for their children to eat in Mustang school cafeterias this fall.

Mustang School Board members approved the increase after school officials reported skyrocketing food prices and fuel costs are eating away at the Child Nutrition Department’s bottom line.

Finance Director Kay Medcalf reported the district’s child nutrition fund is expected to finish the fiscal year with a $488,000 carryover, or $212,000 less than last year. She said officials expected a small hit after hiring new staff to open Mustang Centennial Elementary but couldn’t foresee food companies passing on their higher fuel prices in $150-per-month delivery surcharges.

“We are not even looking to recoup it by all means in one year, but we can’t continue to take a $212,000 drop,” she said. “We wouldn’t have any money to operate with.”

Board members approved increasing student breakfast prices from $1 to $1.30 and adult breakfast prices from $1.25 to $1.55. The price for a 4-ounce carton of milk is now 35 cents, an increase of 5 cents.

Lunch prices at elementary schools will increase from $1.60 to $1.90. Middle school students will pay $2.10 for lunch, up from $1.80.

Mustang High School and Mustang Mid-High students buying lunch in the main line will pay $2.30, up from $2.

Teachers and other adults will pay $2.80 for lunch, up from $2.50.

Prices for some ala carte line items offered at middle and high schools will also increase. Subway and Chick-Fil-A sandwiches will now cost $3, representing a 15-cent and 25-cent price increase from the companies. The price for a slice of Pizza Hut pizza will remain $1.25.

Mustang School Board members approved seeking $1.4 million in MAPS for Kids bond funds to buy 80 acres for a future school campus.

The property is half of 160 acres available at the southeast corner of SW 44th Street and Czech Hall Road. Mustang school officials have sought a contract to buy the east half of the land, Superintendent Karl Springer said, with the option to purchase the rest in 2009.

Post new comment

Special Sections