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Council rescinds prior Griffin Park annex ordinance, moves to reproceed after notice error
Summary
The council rescinded Ordinance 42-66A after staff identified a public-notice omission and approved a new resolution to start the annexation process for remaining John T. Griffin Industrial Park parcels.
Muskogee, Okla. — The Muskogee City Council on Sept. 8 rescinded an annexation ordinance for the John T. Griffin Industrial Park and approved a renewed resolution to restart annexation procedures after staff said the original public hearing notice omitted the required service-plan language.
City staff told the council a lawsuit filed by Polaris Technology challenged the July 28 ordinance on procedural grounds. Staff described the omission as a “technical oversight” and recommended rescinding the earlier ordinance so the city could reissue public notice that includes the required service plan describing fire, police and other municipal services.
City attorney’s office staff presented a resolution (No. 30‑52) directing staff to pursue annexation of the remaining parcels in the John T. Griffin Industrial Park, to set a public hearing date and to approve the service plan required under state statute. The resolution listed parcels owned by the City-County Port Authority, OG&E, Core Scientific and Polaris Technologies Inc. The resolution cites Title 11 sections 21‑101 and 21‑103, Oklahoma Statutes, as the annexation authority.
Members of the public asked questions about franchise fees and tax increment financing (TIF) arrangements. Mike Gregg asked whether the city’s franchise fee applies only inside city limits; staff clarified the franchise fee applies within the city limits. A resident, Greg Webb, asked whether the annexation would affect county and school‑district agreements tied to existing TIF arrangements; staff said those questions could not be discussed in detail under the Open Meetings Act but encouraged private follow-up with staff.
Council action: A motion to rescind Ordinance No. 42‑66A passed on a roll-call vote (7–1). The council then voted to approve Resolution No. 30‑52 to begin the annexation process with updated legal notice and a service plan; that motion passed (vote recorded as yes votes from a majority of council members with two recorded no votes on the resolution). Staff noted an amended resolution corrected a business name to “Polaris Technology” and included additional clarifying language.
Why it matters: Annexing the remaining parcels would bring the industrial park fully into the city’s service area and subject those properties to city regulations and franchise fees, which staff said will help support infrastructure and municipal services for the park and city.
Next steps: Staff will publish corrected public notice that includes the service plan and will set a public hearing date as required by state statute prior to finalizing annexation. Councilors and members of the public were encouraged to contact staff for questions about TIF and related economic-development agreements outside the public meeting.
Quoted material in this article comes from the meeting record and is attributed to speakers listed in the article’s speaker section.
