City Council Advances Ordinances for Special Event Flexibility

New rules allow City Manager to modify parking, camping restrictions

The Stillwater City Council advanced two ordinances Monday giving the city manager authority to modify parking time limits and allow overnight camping in city parks during special events.

The changes aim to provide more flexibility for accommodating large events in the city.

• 🅿️ Ordinance 3555 authorizes the city manager to limit or extend existing established parking time limits and waive other parking restrictions as deemed necessary during special events.
• 🏕️ Ordinance 3556 allows the city manager to grant overnight camping in city parks and public areas during special events, unless doing so would cause damage to city property.

City Attorney Kimberly Carnley said the ordinances were proposed at the request of the City Manager's office and Parks and Community Resources departments.

"Over the past several years, they've identified a need to grant some additional flexibility to the City Manager's authority to respond during times of special events," Carnley said.

The council also advanced emergency clauses for both ordinances, allowing them to take effect immediately upon publication.

The Mid South 2025 is just around the corner

March 13-16 thousands of cyclists, runners, their support crews and their families will descend on downtown Stillwater for the 14th annual gravel race and music festival. See The Mid South event schedule on Instagram.

• The event has partnered with Payne County officials to enable tent camping on the courthouse lawn. Additionally, the event collaborates with the city to manage vehicle parking, to provide a positive impact to downtown businesses.
• The new city ordinances could enable the use of Block 34 for event campers. Before construction on the block began last year, the Mid South utilized Block 34's parking lot for small RV camping and event parking.

Welcoming riders and runners of all abilities to Stillwater

Not only is The Mid South one of the first big endurance events in the gravel cycling season but it is also the first large event of the year hosted in downtown Stillwater.

• Originally a grassroots endurance bicycle race that took riders on difficult 100-mile routes on Payne County's gnarly red dirt roads, the event has evolved with the addition of running events, family-friendly rides and a full-blown music festival.

🤗 The event is also known for broadening its reach among a diverse mix of participants who find similar yet different reasons to challenge their bodies. Over the years, Director of Stoke and provider of finish line hugs, Bobby Wintle has preached acceptance and belongingness to riders and runners of all abilities at the event.

Electric utility shines with top honors for reliability and safety

In other business, the council heard a presentation on Stillwater Electric Utility's recent awards. City Manager Brady Moore announced the utility received first place honors from the Municipal Electric Systems of Oklahoma for both electric operations reliability and safety for the second consecutive year.

"In 2023, we had a 99.9% reliability rate and we had more than 118,000 work hours with no reported safety incidents," Moore said. "SEU continues to set a high standard in the industry and these awards definitely reflect their expertise."

📚 The council also approved several budget amendments for the Stillwater Public Library, reflecting receipt of multiple grants totaling over $38,000.

• The grants include $18,517 from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries for State Aid, $1,500 from Oklahoma Humanities for a reading series, $1,784 for conference attendance, $13,733 from the Oklahoma Historical Society for digitization of historic records, and $2,893 in donations.
• Library Director Stacy Delano said the State Aid grant will be used for software subscriptions and equipment upgrades. The Oklahoma Humanities grant will fund a reading series titled "Coming and Going in Oklahoma Indian Country" from February to May.

🛫 The council also reappointed three members to the Stillwater Regional Airport Advisory Board - Bill Arrington, Mindy Murray and Denise Roberts.

A message from Visit Stillwater

Business owners! Sign up for FREE copies of the 2025 Guide To The Local Scene to give your customers. This year's guide spotlights all the fun surrounding the 50th anniversary of Eskimo Joe's, Stillwater's iconic restaurant and nightlife hot spot.

Parks Open House is next week and library offers tax help

In other announcements, Vice Mayor Amy Dzialowski reminded residents of an upcoming parks open house.

"Please save the date and plan to attend the Open House for Parks and Community Resources on Thursday, February 20, 5:30 p.m., at the Stillwater Community Center," Dzialowski said. "City staff look forward to hearing your suggestions, concerns, and ideas about Stillwater parks, community spaces and facilities."

Councilor Christy Hawkins noted the library is offering free tax preparation assistance by appointment through April 8. Appointments will take place at the Community Center due to library construction.

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📺 Watch the meeting on YouTube