At their Tuesday meeting Norman City Council adopted a $280 million budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021, which begins July 1.

 The City Manager introduced the proposed budget  in a series of three budget study sessions that began on April 7th.   Council also held public budget hearings at the meetings of April 14th, May 26th, June 9th and June 16th, before Tuesday’s vote. The adopted budget included three Council amendments to reallocate $865,000 from Norman Police Department’s $31 million budget to fund community outreach programs.

 

The proposed FY21 budget included a $969,005 increase in the Police Department budget to cover increased personal costs for current positions. With the Council mandated reduction, the FY21 police budget will be increased by $100,000.  The difference will be made up in reductions to budgeted positions classified as Police Officer, Master Police Office and Police Sergeant. These budget reductions will be absorbed from existing vacancies in personnel or vacancies that will be experienced in the next fiscal year with no layoffs expected.

 

 “I want to reiterate that both myself and the City Council support our Norman Police Department, and we are grateful for the outstanding men and women that serve our community. This reallocation was not an effort to abolish or punish these public servants,” said Mayor Breea Clark. “We are excited to take the next steps in re-defining what policing can and should be in 21st century Norman. These budget amendments reflect an intentional effort to tackle systemic racism in our community and to be proactive as opposed to reactive in meeting the social service needs of our residents.”