Lawton City Council starts new year Monday, armed with slate of projects outlined by mayor

City Council members are ready to hit the ground running.

One day after launching a new council term and officially seating new Ward 2 Councilman R.L. Smith at their table, the council is ready to discuss two of the initiatives that Mayor Stan Booker listed in his New Year’s Address. Booker, along with Ward 1 Councilwoman Mary Ann Hankins, started their new — and last — terms Monday when the mayor officially gaveled an end to the old administration and launched the new one.

Booker and Hankins won their seats in August, while Smith was the winner after besting four other candidates over two elections last year to replace former Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris. Harris did not seek re-election and spent his las council meeting praising council colleagues and city staff for the jobs they do on behalf of citizens.

“The last three years, I got to play with the best team in the world,” Harris told city staff members after citing each council colleague by name for the work they do, then said he would remain active on city-related committees and the Lawton AMBUCS, whose members he credited with his civic involvement.

Smith said he was pleased to be joining an active council and looks forward to serving a community he has called home since 1977, when he came to Fort Sill as a private, met his wife, then stayed to create a family and life here, including a 20-year career as a Lawton police officer.

“I’m honored and humbled to be here,” he said.

Booker said he plans to make his final term as mayor the most active one yet, saying he and the council already have specific plans to build on the successes they launched in 2024. Some of this year’s actions are directly linked to initiatives launched in 2024: 84 miles of waterline or sewer line upgrades in residential neighborhoods, an aquatics center under construction in Elmer Thomas Park, and major street upgrades.

But some are a new or a more active emphasis, Booker said of what he is calling Throttle Up in ‘25.

Topping the list: the Kid’s First Initiative he and the council will discuss at today’s meeting. Booker said while the idea builds on the emphasis to make Lawton a destination of choice for families, Kid’s First is an effort to make neighborhoods safer and cleaner for the city’s youth by tackling issues such as litter, dilapidated and vacant properties, and vagrancy. Moving beyond issues such as picking up litter, cleaning up yards and removing deteriorating houses, the goal of Kid’s First is making neighborhoods happier and healthier places for children.

Booker said the goal will be to emphasize education, community action and enforcement, tackling challenges head on to enhance safety. Among those issues will be taking a “zero tolerance” approach to those who will not help themselves, Booker said.

“A hand up, not a hand out,” he said, of initiatives that will be possible because of the Capital Improvements Program Extension that voters approved in August.

Booker also is citing another initiative that he and the council will discuss today: A revision to the Open for Business mandate that will require permits for residential buildings and signs to be issued within 14 calendar days upon receipt of all required documentation, effective April 1. That process now is 30 days, an improvement from past years under the Open for Business initiative, Booker said. He said the ultimate goal is to convince people to build in Lawton, noting 80 percent of the houses now being built locally are outside Lawton.

Booker’s other initiatives:

• A series of special council meetings centered on proposals to amend the city charter, the city’s governing document. Those discussions are expected to lead to recommendations to city residents, because only voters have the authority to amend city charter. Booker said “many great ideas” already have been shared with him.

• Challenging the Street and Bridges Committee to identify 100 new streets for mill and overlay projects that can be accomplished in 2025.

• Using $10 million in PROPEL 2040 to upgrade community safety, through prevention and crime-fighting technology.