Good morning, good morning, good morning, welcome, welcome, welcome. Heat is time now for our City Matters program. We have a vice mayor of Bartlesville. We have Trevor Dorsy again with this how you do it? Said a little bit a little on the soggy side.
There, I'm doing great.
Then great, We're we're getting a little a little water out there. And uh, I think you said probably a little over an inche so far it was it was flat getting after it this morning. So if the lakes were a little down there not now, No.
No, I guess we won't be talking about water as our headline today.
Yeah, yeah, I.
Don't think uh and and uh my my hope, as I told you earlier, that we can keep it a little bit warm because I want the grass start coming on. I'm tired of having to feed hay and uh break eyes and those kind of fun things.
Yeah, that's just too much fun.
We're I want that to get behind his. Plus, it's it's baseball season. Then I got a couple of kids doing baseball and it's not real fun sitting out in the baseball park when it's thirty degrees so you know, at least fifty five or better I can.
I can kind of manage.
But yeah, I think we'll be back up there in no time.
Yeah.
Wind's blowing out tomorrow Sunday fifty two.
Yeah, And I'm thinking this morning about all the folks in Ada and Tracy Rowles, who was our former police chiefs now, no you're doing down there, city manager and Ada. They I guess maybe a little tornado or some straight line winds or something. Last night looks like it, oh tore up some stuff downtown.
I don't know.
I've not heard that anybody who has been injured. Hopefully that's the case. So I might be thinking about Ada and praying that everybody's okay down there.
With the weather last night, we're getting into that time of year.
You know, you get the fall, then you get in the spring, when you get that cold and that cold air in the warm air meeting up kind of it gets gets things a little exciting in Oklahoma.
Yeah, we put it a little overtime. Hey, we did a little bit of overtime sort of with the with the I guess we tell us a little bit about this. Something kind of cool last night.
Well, the BDA, we.
They asked for fifteen acres in our industrial park to be transferred over to the BDA. They have an opportunity or or feel like there's a really good opportunity if we get a spec building going that we can create some jobs.
And I think they are correct. I know.
I'm all the time thinking about when I'm out across the state of Oklahoma or Kansas, Arkansas, wherever I'm at meeting with customers or clients, that when somebody mentions they're looking at expansion, I'm like, hey, you know, what.
Would be a great place to be is a barbers buttle Columba.
And in a couple of those instances, there's been opportunity where I've gotten those folks with David Woods and Chris bat should hear it over at the BDA. We've got a great team over there. They do a good job recruiting, a good job trying to expand our existing footprint with with businesses that are already here. And those instances, especially when we got the Seamens building, I thought, oh, here we got a building, let's really go parlay that into
some growth. But the ceilings in that building weren't quite tall enough for certain manufacturing needs. A lot of manufacturers you need high ceilings, but the high ceilings some of them have to have those you know, cranes and so if the ceiling heights aren't right. And I know CBR is working with us to kind of provide some specs and detail on what they're hearing out there in the marketplace that the people that are looking to expand and grow.
Or needings a little more universal.
I think that I think it's it's going to be a really good opportunity. We've had some home runs out there in industry. Park Abb has expanded Phillips Machining, Well, that was part of last night that they will be expanding. The way they showed that broken out, you had three five acre tracks in the top track it that front's Bison Road that.
Would be back to the north.
You know, Phillips, we'll be able to expand over there and that'll create more jobs. As matter of fact, since we've done that and then they've left the old Seamens facility, I think they've increased their payroll.
Yeah, their their.
Employee headcount I think is one up about twenty so, I mean they have they have done very well. It's when when you're looking for a test case of what the BDA does that one is spot on home run a really really good opportunity. And I think once the word gets out on the street about our spec.
Building that people will be talking to this. I think just from communication.
You know, there's some folks in Tulsa that have outgrown their footprint and looking for space. And so I have complete confidence that David and Batch and Jared will probably as soon as we announced that the groundbreaking's happening, we may already have some.
Some lease opportunities, a little flood as they say, of oportunity.
And and you know, for for people who may not be aware. Out the old Sunset Industrial Park, there was some some funding that we were able to get in order to uh do a taxiway and do some additional hangar space.
Uh.
There's a company out there, Phoenix Rising, I believe it's the name of it.
Talking about that earlier.
They have grown and expanded and then they have got some capital partners come in and so there's some really good opportunity there for for job growth, expansion. And with the focus the state has had on you know, the aerospace industry, we have just an incredible airport.
Uh.
You know that that got turned back over to the city I believe.
Two years ago, and we were a little bit, you know, a little bit puckered up over that because Phillips Conco has always maintained that space because they used to have shuttles day lean back and forth to Houston and other places. I know there is still some P sixty six coop planes that coming in out of there, but they don't
have the daily shuttles they used to. And so when they turned that back over to the city, we just hadn't had to run it for so long, and the expense, we had no idea what we were getting into, but we were able to retain you know, staffing that was direly needed. And that thing is just I think it's a it's a jewel in the crown and there's a lot of opportunity, I feel like, and we could start seeing some of that transpire hopefully, and you.
Know, the b DA.
Feels really good about that fifteen acres and not just the first building spec building that they could do, but you know, hopefully an additional other building. And for those out there you know, wondering where those funds come, they're not coming from the city. The b das has an account has has some funding, and I know David used to always like to refer to as as war chest. You know, initially we did the ABB building and then they purchased that and so that money was able to
be reallocated into projects. Right now we have the ability and the funds to go do that spec building and again hopefully if somebody comes in and least of that, maybe.
They they hear that real quick.
And then maybe we can continue and do an additional spec building and keep moving and navigating that way.
That'd be great. Yeah, that would be great. Hey, I know you had a workshop one that did not long ago. It was on those flock cameras here. I hope I'm not putting you on the spot here, but uh, it was a workshop, so really nothing got decided. But I understand that with these cameras, they're license plate readers. They're not surveillance video cameras at this point, or will they be until somebody pulls out those cameras and put us a different kind of camera in there.
But where's it going.
I mean, this was something that was agreed upon a year or so ago. We had a change with the city council, and now folks want to a redo on this.
It appears well, yes, the council, previous council I think passed this or made the agreement back in October of twenty four, okay, And leading up to that, there was several months I don't know whether it was three or four months of discussion where Chief Ackleberry brought it, you know, before the council to discuss. There was obviously meetings with the city councilmen and others in the community. At that point, we didn't have a lot of the forums that we've
had since the council had changed over. But you know, we were informed about those cameras.
What they do.
You know, they're licensed, so it's a license plate reader, and there's already cameras that are out there like that the state.
I went to Illinois over the weekend and I had to but to get one in Venida. Yeah, you know, I didn't smile at nothing went away.
For fifteen years, Flock's been around and it's in forty two states, five thousand municipalities. So I don't know that we're necessarily late to the show, but we're you know, we weren't one of the first, and so we've got we've got data, we've got information, and you are correct, it does take a picture.
Of your license play.
And you know, these cameras have been pretty instrumental. You know, an LPR camera was what allowed the culprit that that may have been on the golf course looking to take our our now presidents live was able to be captured within an hour of that incident.
You gotta worry that because of the because of an LPR camera.
So I think they are available, and we've already seen in our community the two abductions we were able to used those cameras to help with that, and two murder cases.
And it's all in just six months.
And we've had it for we've had it for a limited time. And I know when we first started talking about these cameras as a council, I reached out to several municipalities or counties that are using these and all of those everybody that I talked to in law enforcement had a lot of really good stories about, hey, we were able to capture this guy or you know their their theft is down by you know, statistically, this is down statistically h TPD.
We did a.
Forum or I guess just a community event at Oklahoma Wesleyan University and we had TPD there. We had to flog folks there so people were able to ask questions.
And you know, you talk about TPD, I understand that they've had pretty good success.
Yeah they well they for the second time, at least, I think the second time, they had solved every murder in their city last year. You know, Tulsa obviously is bigger than Barsville. They have two hundred and thirty two cameras. We do not we have ten, and again that that could help capture bad guys coming into town and leaving town. We know when somebody comes into town, if that tag hits, that says, hey, this person was involved in a murder or abduction or whatever you know.
On TPD.
I think they the officer whye told me about which makes sense now. And I do a lot of traveling for my work and being in Tulsa a lot. You'll see a TPD officer get behind you for a little bit and they stay behind you.
I always wondered, well, you know what, they.
Have software that will take a picture of your license plate and then it pulls it to the computer or you know, laptop in the car. If you've got outstanding ticket, it's warrants anything, it'll it'll flag that so that they can pull you over and see yeah, and so I don't we don't have that capability or software. But you know, it's kind of the same thing license plate reader, but
it's it's mobile. Our our cameras aren't mobile. It's going to take a still picture of your play and in doing so, your plate's probably never going to be pulled. Right if you're not involved in any sort of crime. I think off Sir Elkins gave an example, and I don't know if there's a theft at Walmart and they were looking for like.
A silver silver auto truck and.
There was kind of twenty that that were similar possible matches, and then they were able to pare it down to just that one license plate, which then wild get pulled and go in a what did they call a jacket, which is their file for the particular potential crime that they're investigating. So you know, again a lot of communities
are using them. If it's been around for fifteen years, I would think at this point if there was problems with it, that somebody that had been charged with a crime would try to fight it and get it thrown out because of that, And if you weren't able to listen in to the recent forum on the twenty fourth or attendant personally, our city attorney gave a lot of detail on the Fourth Amendment, and I believe, based on the case law that he stated that we are not
infringing on your Fourth Amendment rights. And I certainly think you're on a public road. Yeah, we're not surveilling people. We don't have somebody sitting at a cubicle that's watching where you're traveling or what you're doing. And again, nobody ever pulls those tags unless there is a crime and there's a reason to look at tags.
It's not like hey, it looks like Marvin's going to the liquor store. Yeah, Or it's not like a you know, Jinny has been talking with the mailman a little too long.
No, that none of that is going on.
Yeah, and speaking with you know, various people throughout our community. I know a lot of the business community. Folks like it because it can hopefully deter theft, can deter a lot of things. I think some people, as they are kind of up tied about them, I feel like it will only continue with facial recognition, and then you know they can be used to take at you for not using it, not wearing a seatbelt, or running a stop sign.
So the concern is possible progression, future, future progression.
And you know, to my knowledge, I think again through that forum and the forum at OKWU that you got to hear some of the council's thoughts, and to my knowledge, there's not a counselman that wants to do facial recognition or use this software in order to tick at people for for not having us wearing their seat.
Belt or see it's a bit tedious.
Yeah, it seems a bit tedious.
Well, I mean, these cameras aren't aren't here to do the officers jobs.
They are.
Oser white.
From the TVD I think gave the best quote, it's it's like a small snippet of DNA. In most of the murder cases, and he talked about three they had a witness or someone that said, hey, you know it's a white they think it's a white Toyota camera. Well, then they can go to ring doorbells, Hey there's a white camera on the street the night of the shooting.
And then they go from there.
To uh a particular intersection where there may be an LPR camera. Well, then they get a tag. Well, then they go to QT and they get that car in the QT parking lot and actually have footage of the suspect and QT. And then and they go across the street to CBS. Well they circle the parking lot at CBS. So I think it's it's like a small snippet of DNA, as Officer White said, and they can just take that small snippet to keep working that case to figure out, you know, and solve the crime.
All right, we got just a little bit of time left. Anything else you'd like to add from last night.
Well, we always I always like to talk about openings, and I did.
That's right, we need those.
I did get a chance to talk with a constituent.
We have one opening on the park board, one opening on the Streets and Traffic Committee, and one opening on the White Road Cemetery board. And talking with that constituent, I said, hey, we love whenever we have citizens in our community that want to serve. That's what we need. That's what those committees are for. That's how we understand
and know what's going on, what the community wants. I mean, we get people from the community, and obviously you want them to have passions for whatever committee that is, whether it's streets, parks, Library, Trust Authority, the museum. I mean, we have a lot of committees and we have a lot of people that are willing to serve, and so
we're grateful for that. But if you have you know, if you have some love for a certain area and energy for something, then we would love for you to to You can go to the city website, or you can go up and see Lane and I'm sure we'd be happy to get you an application to serve on at least those three openings right now is what we have, and we got some some things coming up this month.
March eighth, we have.
A surplus auction, so Saturday, if you if you've ever wanted to own a fire truck, maybe.
Bring some cash, bring your checkbook, no credit cards for.
Me, Maybe that's maybe that's your opportunity.
And we're going to have a budget workshop coming up on April to twenty eighth, so uh, you know that that's always a big one.
The budget.
I think a budget book last year was don't catch me fibbing, but I think it was around nine hundred pages, so.
We typically forklift.
We typically a council get that, you know, a few weeks early, because it takes some time to delve through all of that.
You know, we've got each.
Department, each area has a budget, and thankfully we have a good city staff and a team. I know Jason Munger's always maybe not eager, but he's always willing to sit down with you and and go through a lot of the budget book if you have questions. And so this will be, I guess my eighth year of doing this, so I've kind of started to get a better understanding
of all that. That first year it seems, you know, pretty overwhelming when you get a nine hundred page and I that's what I do every day for a living is look at uh, you know, tax returns and p and ls and proformas and you name it. But they're typically not nine hundred pages worth.
So it is a lot.
And we we last night got a couple of street improvements that will be going on. One of them will be Yell Drive from East Frankfois Boulevard to southeast Adam's Boulevard, and the other will be Madison Boulevard off of Tuxedo to the water tower, so it doesn't get all the way to Minnesota. But I got to think here in the future, we'll get that last leg done. But Minnesota has been resurfaced from Madison back to seventy five, and if you hadn't been out on that road, it's it's
very nice. So and I know that that road was in need of improvement, and there is you know traffic. I know a lot of times when I go to go to do her, I'm coming back into town from Dewey, I either take that Minnesota to Madison to get home, or I loop out there at pumping Pede's go around and hit Bison. So but that oh, there is a Let me tell everybody, there's a sidewalk grant.
So if you have.
A sidewalk that is you know, in need of some repairs right now, it's a good opportunity for take advantage. I know I've had some constituents that have reached out in the past, and so I immediately thought of all of them after the meeting and texted them and said, hey, if there's you know, there's the sidewalk grant. If you get on the city website, you can apply if you need any help.
Please reach out and.
I make sure that that grant is available through the fifteenth. So today's what's the fourth, So you've got a couple of days to get that application in.
But you know, if you own.
A home and you own a lot, if there's sidewalk on it, that's technically a responsibility.
But I do know that with this grant it.
Can help some people right now to offset that cost so they're not coming out of pocket. And so I would encourage anybody, and I know a couple of my constituents. It was around some of the schools and it would be great to have those sidewalks repaired so that there's a lot of students walking back and forth school. Then they're not having to deal with sidewalks that may need they need some upkeep and maintenance.
Very good, do you ever, Thanks for being with us.
Always good to be here and good to see you.