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Del City residents and council urge turnout at Oklahoma County hearing to oppose proposed jail site
Summary
Residents and several Del City councilmembers warned that a county contract committing to a new jail could saddle property owners with higher taxes and urged citizens to attend the commissioners' meeting to voice opposition to the project.
Del City council members and local residents used the Dec. 16 council meeting to press a unified message: attend the upcoming Oklahoma County commissioners meeting and oppose a proposed contract to begin construction of a new county jail. Speakers warned the county could be committing itself to hundreds of millions of dollars in construction costs and that Del City residents could face higher property taxes if the county seeks additional revenue.
Mr. Hightower, a Del City resident, told the council the county—s public messaging and an attorney general—s staff letter omitted Del City—s interests and urged veterans and residents to attend the meeting in person to oppose the project. "If they sign the contract to begin construction, they commit the county to that $800,000,000 construction bill," he said, warning it "could possibly bankrupt the county or at least commit the county to the invoice of $800,000,000." He urged neighbors to make their opinions known at the courthouse.
Gina Standridge, who lives off Oak Brook, said residents around the proposed site are already feeling unsafe and argued the county has not been a good steward of prior properties it controlled near the site. "If more people don't show up, they're gonna sign that contract," she said, and warned that privatization could effectively increase the long-term cost to taxpayers.
Councilmember Michael Dean and other councilmembers echoed the call for civic participation and described legal and procedural options the city is pursuing. City staff told the meeting the county has set a meeting date online and that pretrial proceedings related to the Oklahoma City–Oklahoma County dispute have been scheduled for January; the city encouraged residents and potential witnesses to be prepared to testify or attend.
Why it matters: Council members framed the matter as a direct fiscal and public-safety concern for Del City, saying the city's residents could face property-tax consequences if the county moves forward without fuller public input. The council asked the public to monitor county meeting notices and to contact county representatives.
What happens next: City staff said they will post updates on the council's social channels about the county meeting date and any pretrial developments, and urged residents to attend the meeting at the county courthouse.
