City attorney outlines new state laws taking effect Nov. 1 that will reshape local rules for food trucks, liens and more

City Attorney Melissa Blanton told the Mayor and Board of Commissioners that several bills passed by the Oklahoma Legislature will take effect Nov. 1 and will require review or changes to municipal ordinances.

Blanton described House Bill 1076 as the "Food Truck Freedom Act," which moves primary regulation of food-truck permits and health licensing to the state. "The idea behind this is that the regulation for food trucks in Oklahoma is now primarily with the state," Blanton said, adding that municipalities will be required to recognize state-issued food-establishment licenses and have limited local authority to issue permits for specific events or municipal licenses.

Blanton also briefed the commission on a municipal code lien enforcement act (as cited in the meeting materials by its bill identifier) that would authorize municipalities to initiate foreclosure on properties with unpaid municipal liens if unpaid liens reach a statutory threshold; the packet cited a $1,500 minimum threshold in the language reviewed. Blanton said the city is not required to adopt the state act but may choose to do so and could set a higher threshold if desired.

Other changes Blanton outlined include expanded circumstances allowing executive sessions under the Open Meeting Act (Senate Bill 491), changes to annexation rules (two bills referenced in the packet) that add restrictions on annexing large areas and require service-extension plans to be included in public notices, and changes to construction-contract bidding that require political subdivisions to give a 5% local preference on construction contracts over $100,000 (Senate Bill 1014). She also highlighted an increase in government tort-claim liability limits (cited as Senate Bill 1168 in the packet): property-damage limits moving to $75,000 from $25,000, other loss limits to $250,000 from $125,000, and an aggregate cap increasing to $2,000,000 from $1,000,000.

Blanton said some items will require ordinance amendments and that staff will draft proposed ordinance language for an upcoming study session and regular meeting for commission review. "There are a lot of things I can tell you right now that will need to be changed within our code," Blanton said. She asked commissioners to provide constituent input so staff can evaluate needed ordinance amendments and return proposed language for consideration.