OKC Mayor David Holt addresses city’s role in proposed jail site | #citycouncil

PLUS FIVE DAY FORECAST. ALL RIGHT JONATHAN, THANKS. WELL, EVERY MONTH WE CHECK IN WITH OUR CITY LEADERS FOR AN UPDATE ON ALL THINGS OKLAHOMA CITY. AND THIS MORNING WE HAVE IN STUDIO WITH US, MAYOR DAVID HOLT, MAYOR HOLT, THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING ON. ABSOLUTELY. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR HAVING ME TO YOU. LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS FIRST THING HERE, THE NEW OKLAHOMA, THE NEW OKLAHOMA COUNTY JAIL. THAT’S BEEN A TALKER HERE IN THE CITY. THE SITE WE’RE LEARNING DOES NEED CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL. AND WE’RE TOLD AT LEAST ONE COMMISSIONER ON THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BELIEVES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MIGHT BE SPLIT FOUR FOUR ON THIS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THIS WILL ALL WORK IN TERMS OF THE CITY RIGHT NOW? SURE. WE’RE GOING TO GET IN THE WEEDS AND I’LL TRY TO DO IT AS BRIEFLY AND AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE. BUT THIS IS A COUNTY PROJECT, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, NOT A CITY PROJECT, BUT BECAUSE THEY CHOSE THE SITE THAT’S IN OKLAHOMA CITY LIMITS, THEY THEY BELIEVE THEY NEED TO GO THROUGH A ZONING PROCESS AND GET A SPECIAL PERMIT TO OPEN A COUNTY JAIL ON A PARTICULAR PARCEL OF LAND. SO IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OBVIOUSLY WITHIN OUR CITY LIMITS, WE WE DICTATE THE ZONING AND THAT GOES THROUGH THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WHICH IS A GROUP OF NINE VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL FIRST MAKE A RECOMMENDATION ON. AND THEN IT GOES TO THE CITY COUNCIL. THIS IS A PROCESS THAT TYPICALLY TAKES AT LEAST FOUR MONTHS, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF REQUIREMENTS IN STATE LAW FOR NOTICE TO THE NEIGHBORS HEARINGS TO BE HELD PUBLICLY, WHERE PEOPLE CAN TALK ABOUT THEIR VIEWS BOTH WAYS AND SO EVENTUALLY IT COMES TO THE COUNCIL. NOW, THE COMMENT THAT YOU’RE REFERENCING, WELL, LET ME FIRST SAY THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE COUNCIL, OF COURSE, THIS IS A QUESTION OF IS THIS USED COMPATIBLE WITH THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE PARCEL OF LAND YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT IT IS NOT NECESSARILY BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MYSELF AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL TO REEXAMINE THE WHOLE ISSUE. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE’RE ALL INDIVIDUALS AND PEOPLE WILL MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON, I SUPPOSE, WHATEVER FACTORS THEY PRIORITIZE. BUT THE REALITY IS THIS IS A ZONING QUESTION ONLY. BUT ANYWAYS, THE COMMENT THAT THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER MADE THAT YOU’RE REFERENCING WHERE HE WAS SPECULATING ABOUT HOW THE VOTE WILL FALL. WELL, YOU DO HAVE SOME PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM SOME MEMBERS OF OUR COUNCIL TO THIS POINT, BOTH ABOUT JAILS IN GENERAL, ABOUT ANY LOCATIN OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN AND THEN ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC LOCATION. AND BASED ON THAT, HE WAS MAKING SPECULATION ON THAT A44 VOTE, WHICH WOULD BE FAILURE IN A SENSE. YOU HAVE TO HAVE FIVE VOTES IN SUPPORT OF NEW ZONING TO SUCCEED, THAT A44 VOTE IS THE OUTCOME THAT HE THAT HE FORESEES. AND BY THE WAY, FOR THOSE FOLLOWING AT HOME, THERE ARE NINE OF US. AND SO THE REASON THAT IT’S FOUR FOUR IS THAT ONE COUNCIL MEMBER IS NOW RECUSED BECAUSE HIS LAW FIRM, WE ALL HAVE OTHER JOBS. HIS LAW FIRM HAS ENGAGED WITH ONE OF THE PROTESTERS, WHICH IS THE CITY OF DEL CITY. SO WE’RE LEFT WITH EIGHT VOTING MEMBERS, WHICH INCLUDES ME AND AND AND THE COMMISSIONERS BELIEF IS THAT AT BEST, THERE ARE FOUR YES VOTES. AND HE MAY BE RIGHT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I DON’T KNOW. I MEAN, I PREFER TO LET THE PROCESS PLAY OUT, BUT I UNDERSTAND I CAN SEE THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. I SEE WHY HE WOULD SAY THAT. AND IF THAT’S THE CASE, WHO KNOWS WHERE ALL THIS GOES. THERE IS A THEORY THAT THE COUNTY DOESN’T EVEN NEED TO GO TO THE CITY BECAUSE IT’S A SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE. PEOPLE MAY NOT REALIZE THIS, BUT ACTUALLY THE STATE DOES NOT COME TO US FOR THEIR ZONING AND PERMITS. THEY JUST DO WHAT THEY WANT BECAUSE THEY’RE THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA. AND AND THERE IS A LEGAL THEORY THAT MAYBE THE COUNTY CAN DO THE SAME. WE’LL SEE HOW ALL THIS PLAYS OUT. IT’S PRETTY COMPLEX AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE SIMPLE. AND IT’S DEFINITELY GOING TO TAKE A FEW WEEKS. IF NOT MONTHS TO TO FULLY PLAY OUT HAS A PROPOSAL COME TO THE ZONING COMMITTEE? YES. LAST WEEK THE COUNTY DID FILE AN APPLICATION WITH THE CITY FOR THE ZONING. AND YOU TALKED ABOUT THE TIMELINE THERE. THIS COULD TAKE MONTHS TO GET IT TO CITY COUNCIL. IT TYPICALLY TAKES ABOUT FOUR MONTHS BECAUSE YOU GOT TO GO THROUGH PLANNING COMMISSION AND THEN THE COUNCIL AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF HEARINGS AND PUBLIC NOTICES ALONG THE WAY, LIKE PEOPLE HAVE TO GET A NOTICE IN THE MAIL BY A CERTAIN DATE, YOU KNOW, ALLOWING THEM ENOUGH TIME TO COMMENT. ALL OF THAT IS BUILT IN. SO IT’S NOT LIKE SOMETHING YOU CAN YOU CAN RUSH. MAYBE YOU CAN RUSH IT A LITTLE BIT AND WE’LL TRY PROBABLY TO GET AN EFFICIENT ANSWER TO EVERYBODY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN JUST BE DONE NEXT WEEK AT THE COUNCIL MEETING. AND JUST TO CLARIFY, SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT HERE, THIS IS A ZONING. THIS IS A ZONING SITUATION IN TERMS OF HOW THE CITY IS INVOLVED IN THIS, CORRECT? YEAH. IF THIS IF THE JAIL HAD BEEN CITED IN ANOTHER CITY IN OKLAHOMA COUNTY OR IN AN UNINCORPORATED AREA OF OKLAHOMA COUNTY, WE WOULDN’T EVEN BE A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION AT ALL. WE’RE ONLY A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE IT IS IN OKLAHOMA CITY, AND THEREFORE IT BECOMES A ZONING QUESTION IN OKLAHOMA CITY. BUT A ZONING QUESTION ONLY. THIS IS STILL PRIMARILY OBVIOUSLY, AN INITIATIVE OF OKLAHOMA COUNTY. ALL RIGHT. AND LET’S GO OVER TO THIS NOW, THE ECONOMY YOU PUT OUT A STATEMENT ON X RECENTLY TALKING ABOUT HOW THE CITY OF OKLAHOMA CITY IS RIGHT NOW, IN ITS THIRD LONGEST STREAK OF UNEMPLOYMENT, BELOW 4%. THAT’S IN ALL OF MODERN OKLAHOMA CITY HISTORY. SO TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT THAT EXACTLY MEANS. AND HOW IS THAT, YOU KNOW, TO YOU READING AS MAYOR, A GOOD SIGN FOR OUR ECONOMY, RIGHT NOW WE ONLY HAVE UNEMPLOYMENT, MONTHLY UNEMPLOYMENT RECORDS FROM THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS GOING BACK TO 1990. SO THAT’S KIND OF MODERN TIMES. THAT’S THAT’S MAYBE YOU’D WISH YOU COULD GO BACK A LITTLE FARTHER, BUT THAT’S 35 YEARS, YOU KNOW, 34 YEARS. SO, UM, SO, SO LOOKING AT THAT, AT THAT STRETCH OF TIME, THERE ARE ONLY TWO OTHER PERIODS WHERE THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS BELOW 4% FOR THIS LONG. AND IN ABOUT SIX MONTHS, IF IT KEPT BELOW 4%, WE’LL BE AT NUMBER ONE. WE’LL HAVE THE LONGEST STREAK. SO I THINK THE POINT IS JUST KIND OF IF YOU FEEL LIKE, MAN, IT SEEMS LIKE THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING WELL FOR A WHILE. YOU’RE RIGHT. IT HAS BEEN GOING WELL FOR A WHILE. THERE ARE MANY OBVIOUSLY INDICATORS OF A STRONG ECONOMY, AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS JUST ONE OF THOSE, UM, AND LOOK, PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT ABOUT UNDEREMPLOYMENT OR WHAT ABOUT WAGES? AND I ALWAYS SAY, YES, OF COURSE. I MEAN, THERE’S ALWAYS TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT THINGS. YOU CAN LOOK AT A STATISTIC LIKE UNEMPLOYMENT BELOW 4% AND YOU CAN SAY, HOW CAN THINGS BE BETTER? OR YOU CAN LOOK AT IT AND SAY, MAN, THINGS SURE COULD BE WORSE. YOU KNOW? AND I THINK IN A SENSE, LEADERS IN POSITIONS LIKE MINE, WE DO BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, WE SAY, HEY, HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO MAKE THINGS EVEN BETTER THAN THEY ALREADY ARE? HOW CAN WE INCREASE WAGES? HOW CAN WE, YOU KNOW, MAXIMIZE PEOPLE’S FULL POTENTIAL? BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF I’M NOT REMEMBERING THE FACT THAT THERE ARE TIMES IN OUR CITY’S HISTORY WHERE WE’VE HAD 8% UNEMPLOYMENT OR ACTUALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC FOR LIKE ONE MONTH, WE HAD LIKE 12% UNEMPLOYMENT. YEAH. AND WHAT THAT FELT LIKE. AND YOUR TV CREWS WERE DOWN AT THE, YOU KNOW, THE UNEMPLOYMENT AGENCY FILMING PEOPLE WAITING OVERNIGHT TO GET MEETINGS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE HORRIBLE TIMES. AND THE WHOLE 1980S WAS LIKE AN ENTIRE PERIOD OF THAT. IT WAS LIKE LIKE A DECADE OF THAT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY YOU WANT TO HAVE UNEMPLOYMENT BELOW 4%, AND IT IS A STRONG INDICATOR OF A GREAT ECONOMY. AND YES, OF COURSE THINGS COULD BE BETTER. BUT MAN, THEY COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE. AND I THINK THAT’S, THAT’S WHAT I TEND TO, OBVIOUSLY. AND I’M AN OPTIMIST LEADER BY NATURE. YOU KNOW, I TEND TO REMEMBER THAT THINGS COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE. AND AND WE’RE SO GLAD TO HAVE THIS LONG STREAK OF LOW UNEMPLOYMENT. IT MEANS PEOPLE HAVE A JOB. AND IF PEOPLE HAVE A JOB, THEY’VE GOT THE MEANS TO ENJOY THE AMERICAN PROMISE OF OF FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS. SO WE HOPE TO CONTINUE THAT STREAK. UM, YOU NEVER KNOW. I MEAN, BOTH OF THE PREVIOUS STREAKS THAT WERE LONGER THAN OURS WERE ENDED BY MAJOR INTERNATIONAL EVENTS. NINE OVER 11, THE PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, AND SO SOMETIMES IT’S OUT OF OUR CONTROL, BUT WE’LL KEEP DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO CONTINUE THIS STRONG ECONOMY IN OKLAHOMA CITY. ALL RIGHT. OKLAHOMA CITY MAYOR DAVID HOLT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON. TALK ABOUT ALL THINGS OKLAHOMA CITY. ALL RIGHT.