Norman council reviews possible charter amendments on pay, term dates, auditor qualifications and TIF votes

The Norman City Council on Oct. 28, 2025, discussed a set of potential charter amendments that would change elected-official pay, standardize swearing-in dates for terms and broaden qualifications for the city auditor, City Attorney Catherine Walker told the council.

Walker said the measures trace to prior work by the Charter Review Commission and a 2022 ordinance that voters rejected; she said the earlier proposal included a $8,100 annual mayor stipend and $5,400 annual councilmember stipend and the creation of a five-member compensation committee to review pay every three years using the consumer price index and the city budget. "What the Charter Review Commission recommended last time was a range, and council ended up settling on $8,100 for the mayor per year and then $5,400 per year for council members," Walker said.

The proposed swearing-in change would move the start of terms to a uniform date — the first Tuesday after a scheduled runoff election — to avoid staggered start dates across offices. Walker explained the shift would be phased so as not to cut short current terms; she said even-numbered wards…