Call to Action: Contact your Cleveland County Commissioners
And tell them NOT to PARTNER with the OTA
I wrote about this right after our win at the City but the call to action got buried in the celebration so here is the information again in case you missed it.
The OTA has also approached our County Commissioners and asked them for a partnership resolution.
We know they did, because we have an email from July 24, 2024 between Rod Cleveland, the District 1 County Commissioner, and the City Staff asking for partnership resolution language.
Why does Rod Cleveland want to “work on one from the county?”
We also know that Rod Cleveland had a meeting with POE and the OTA back in March of 2024. A lot of the local economic development and commercial real estate developers were in on the email from District 1 Commissioner including the Mayor of Norman, the City Manager, Norman Chamber of Commerce folks and the Norman Economic Development Coalition.
We also know that Mr. Cleveland contacted Governor Stitt’s office back in 2022 to try and get help with the other commissioners to not sign the NO MORE TURNPIKES RESOLUTION.
It seems like Mr. Cleveland was gung-ho for this turnpike back in 2022 and apparently still is. We really need to let the Commissioners know that we do not want a partnership with the OTA; especially Mr. Cleveland.
Contact the County Commissioners
Please contact the Cleveland County Commissioners and tell them to uphold their 2022 NO MORE TURNPIKE RESOLUTION (shown below) and to not enter into any sort of partnership with the OTA. You can tell them about our win at the City. You can send them the video of the education session or study session showing them what happened to Oklahoma County when they entered into a “partnership” with the OTA and the $4 million of damages to the county roads that went unpaid.
The majority of the proposed east-west turnpike would go through District 2 with a bit in District 1 north of lake a bit out by 10-mile flats. District 3 would be impacted by the proposed southern extension.
Here is the NO MORE TURNPIKES resolution that the Cleveland County Commissioners wrote back in March 2022.
We’d like them to stick with this.
Contact Information
The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners office phone is 405-366-0200 and their individual contacts are below.
Rod Cleveland, District 1 - District Barn = 405-794-2166; rcleveland@clevelandcountyok.com
Jacob McHughes, District 2 - District Barn = 405-321-3811; jmchughes@clevelandcountyok.com
Rusty Grissom, District 3 - District Barn = 405-872-3888; rgrissom@clevelandcountyok.com
Talking Points
Please remind them of their 2022 resolution and that you don’t want turnpikes coming into your county. Send them a similar letter to what you sent to your Norman City Council Member.
Remind them of the OTA’s statutory requirement (Statute 69, Section 1716 (b)), to “partner” with municipalities and that is why the OTA might approach the County for a resolution.
Remind them of Oklahoma County’s unfunded damages to county roads during construction. Remind them of how the OTA tried to force Oklahoma County to take on more miles of service roads then they could afford to build or maintain.
Remind them that the OTA took MORE EMINENT DOMAIN THAN NECESSARY to build these service roads and then sold the surplus land to developers.
It doesn’t have to be a long email or phone call. Just let them know that you oppose the turnpikes and hope they will stand by their 2022 resolution and refuse to partner or acknowledge the OTA in any way shape or form.
FYI: If there is ever a turnpike related item placed on their agenda, their board meetings are on Monday’s at 1:00 PM in the Cleveland County Office Building at 201 South Jones, Suite 200, Norman, OK 73069. The next meeting will be Monday, September 30th at 1 PM. Agendas and minutes can be found here. The agenda should be posted 24 hours in advance.
These are the instructions for public comment: Comments from the public will be allowed on any item listed in the agenda. Public comments will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis and are limited to two (2) minutes per person for a total of ten (10) minutes. Individuals who wish to participate in the Public Comment portion of the meeting should complete a “Request to Speak” form at the beginning of the meeting and specify the agenda item they want to discuss.
There doesn’t seem to be a miscellaneous comment period.
That’s it for now. Good work everyone!
Let’s keep our momentum going.
A Sample Email for you to send:
Subject: Upholding Previous Resolution Regarding Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Partnership
Dear Cleveland County Commissioners,
I am writing to remind each of you about the resolution passed in 2022, where you collectively decided not to partner with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA). I urge you to stand firm in your decision and refrain from considering any partnership or acknowledgment of the OTA in the future.
As a reminder, the OTA is legally required under Statute 69, Section 1716(b) to "partner" with municipalities, which could potentially lead them to approach your county for a resolution. I strongly advise you to maintain your opposition to such partnerships.
Oklahoma County has experienced unfunded damages to their road network during OTA construction projects. Additionally, the OTA forced Oklahoma County to take on more miles of service roads than they were able to afford building or maintaining. It is crucial that Cleveland County does not face similar issues by partnering with the OTA.
Furthermore, the OTA has taken more eminent domain than necessary for these service road projects and then sold the surplus land to developers. This practice is not in the best interest of the citizens of Cleveland County.
I kindly ask that you reaffirm your commitment to upholding the 2022 resolution and resist any attempts by the OTA to partner with or acknowledge your county. Your dedication to protecting our community from the potential negative impacts of turnpikes is greatly appreciated.
If a turnpike-related item appears on your agenda in the future, please remember that public comments are allowed during the meeting. I encourage you to consider the concerns raised here when discussing any OTA-related matters.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Thank you for this information!