City wants council committee to take larger role in development, traffic issues

Elected officials want a City Council committee to take a larger role in guiding development and traffic decisions in Lawton.

Council members were set to vote on a series of actions that would change the name of their Streets and Bridges Committee to the Streets, Bridges, Building and Development Committee, as well as dissolve the Traffic Commission. The Traffic Commission is a citizens board that makes recommendations to the council on changes in traffic-related items, ranging from placement of Stop signs to adding crosswalks.

But, city officials say the committee often can’t meet because not enough members attend, meaning most items that would have been on the agenda are handled by city staff and taken to the council.

The Streets and Bridges Committee is a council committee created specifically to make recommendations on street and bridge projects, but Ward 4 Councilman/Committee Chair George Gill and Mayor Stan Booker said the committee also needs to be reviewing development issues and is the better body to take over Traffic Commission’s duties.

Neither action was taken last week because the council agreed with City Manager John Ratliff’s recommendation to table a decision until city staff can analyze any potential conflicts with other committees. Council members and Booker directed city administrators to settle those details and bring recommendations back to the council for its Jan. 28 meeting.

Gill said the change was proposed by Booker, who says some decisions would be better served being under the Streets and Bridges Committee.

“We’re the first line of defense,” Gill said, of work the committee already does: meeting with city staff and engineers to discuss street and bridge proposals, then make recommendations to the full council.

Gill said many agenda items typically taken to the Traffic Commission already are being handled by WSB, the city’s traffic consulting engineer, adding he and Booker feel that handling those details “would be a natural fit for us.”

Expanding the Streets and Bridges Committee’s role would mean dissolving the Traffic Commission, action that was supposed to have been taken Jan. 14 before the council suspended action until other details were reviewed. Gill said once that action has been taken, his committee would make a formal statement about assuming those duties.

City Manager John Ratliff said the Traffic Commission would cease to exist as soon as the council takes that vote.

Ratliff said other issues also are at play, including the fact city staff already has to work around the commission because it frequently cannot meet.

“I encourage the committee to take on those responsibilities,” he said.

Those duties should be minimal. Public Works Director Michael Watrous said the city typically receives only four or five traffic requests a month that would go to the Traffic Commission.

While the committee has the option of creating a subcommittee to handle those duties, Gill said he wants the full committee involved. And when a request is made, Gill and Ward 5 Councilman/committee member Allan Hampton want the council member representing that specific area involved in the discussion.

“It’s important that citizens have a voice,” said Hampton, adding requests made by one citizen aren’t always supported by the entire neighborhood.

Booker said action is important because it was referenced in his New Year’s address, under the category of a systematic review of the city’s development policies to ensure none impede development in Lawton. Booker said it is important Lawton create a nurturing atmosphere for developers, noting 80 percent of residential construction in Comanche County takes place outside the Lawton city limits.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Linda Chapman asked whether any plans being made would conflict with the City Planning Commission, a citizens board that makes recommendations on city zoning and development codes. Ratliff said he didn’t think there was a conflict there, but there could be with the council’s Processes Oversight Committee. City Attorney John Andrew said there also might be one with the Building Appeals Board.

The men said the best option was tabling any action so city staff can analyze the issue to see if there are any other conflicts with existing boards.