Public works pushes $35 million Norman street maintenance bond; council favors April ballot

Scott Sturridge, Norman’s director of public works, and Streets Program Manager Joe Hill asked the council Oct. 28, 2025, to authorize staff to prepare a proposed $35 million street maintenance bond for the 2026–31 five-year cycle and to place it on a citywide April 2026 ballot for voter consideration.

"We've made it another 5 years. It's time to to be looking at another 5 years," Sturridge told council, summarizing the program’s 20-year history and its goal of preserving — not expanding — the city’s street network. Staff said the maintenance bond is funded by the existing millage base (no tax increase) and that prior cycles began in 2005 and were renewed roughly every five years.

Staff described how they use an annual Pavement Condition Index (PCI) assessment to prioritize work. Joe Hill said consultants inspect 20% of streets each year so that the city has a full inventory and condition score every five years. "Currently, we're at a PCI of around 77," Hill said, and staff noted the national municipal average the vendors cited is about 60–65. Staff reported the city has roughly 800 miles of roadway and a backlog of about 2.2% of roadways in need of reconstruct.

For the 2026–31 proposal, staff estimated an approximate $35,000,000 bond and proposed target allocations: 25% for asphalt rehabilitation and maintenance, 25% for concrete rehabilitation, 15% for rural road rehabilitation, 20% for reconstruction and 15% for preventative maintenance. Hill said that mix may shift as bids and inflation factors are finalized but that the target provides a planning baseline.

Staff also showed a citywide project map and said the city will publish an interactive GIS map that residents can click to see proposed project locations, ward assignments and estimated construction years. Sturridge stressed the program’s focus on maintenance rather than widening: "The maintenance bond is literally just to maintain what we have today," he said in response to a council question.

Councilors asked about project clustering and outliers. Staff said reconstruct projects are spread across wards to maximize citywide impact and cited specific outliers (for example, a cul-de-sac in Ward 8 in unusually poor condition) that require full replacement. Staff described annual field verification to confirm the pavement management list and explained coordination with water, sewer and storm projects to avoid repairing a road before utility work is completed.

Staff recommended an April 2026 ballot to allow more time for public outreach and education; several councilors expressed support for April over a tighter February timetable. Councilors generally deferred the scheduling decision to staff and indicated they would back the April approach to allow better civic outreach and to coordinate charter items.

Direction: council indicated staff should proceed with preparing the bond proposition and the public-facing materials and GIS map for an April 2026 citywide election; staff will finalize ordinance text and the proposed street list for council review.

Why it matters: the renewal funds routine maintenance and reconstruction of local and rural streets across Norman’s roughly 800-mile network, aims to preserve pavement condition and avoid larger future reconstruction costs; the program is funded from the existing millage base rather than a new tax increase.

Key figures mentioned in council discussion: PCI ~77; backlog ~2.2%; proposed bond estimate $35,000,000; inventory ~800 miles of streets; past bond growth to $27 million in 2021 with ~67% voter approval noted by staff.