Norman committee considers using freed contract funds to hire in‑house economic development staff and pursue $25M grant

At its Feb. 5 Business and Community Affairs Committee meeting in Norman, city staff and councilmembers discussed proposals to repurpose money previously budgeted for an external economic development contract and instead hire one or two in‑house economic development positions while pursuing a federal grant to acquire the former Griffin campus.

Andrew, a city staff presenter, told the committee staff had a roughly complete grant application to pursue through Congressman Cole’s office "in an amount up to $25,000,000," and that the application would be submitted in March. That federal funding, he said, could support acquisition of the main Griffin campus footprint if the city decides to pursue that path.

The discussion grew from staff history and internal capacity work presented by Andrew, who described a 2019 internal review of development services that identified coordination gaps. He credited past city employees such as Terry Floyd with helping "synchronize those gears," and noted Norman’s existing retail‑attraction efforts are largely led by Sarah Kaplan. Council members cited in‑house models used in nearby municipalities — including an Edmond downtown transformation manager — as examples Norman could emulate.

Council members and staff debated whether to place the funding into one senior, experienced hire or split it into two positions with complementary skills. The chair emphasized oversight as a key reason for the in‑house approach, saying, "With this approach, we know we can track every dollar and cent that's spent." Several members favored pairing a more technical, construction‑oriented hire with a person focused on downtown or business engagement; others recommended starting with an intern and building capacity over time.

The committee also addressed the terminated contract with the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition (referred to as CCEDC/CCEVC in discussion). Members said the main concern with the prior contract was a lack of transparent financial reporting from the external partner; some councilmembers said an audit or clearer deliverables should have been provided.

On the Griffin site, Andrew and others said the state has not finalized sale timing. Anthony Purinton had contact with state representatives and was sent a link to share with developers when sale timing is set; staff also reported attorneys for the Department of Mental Health have been cautious about tours, citing fairness for prospective bidders. Andrew said staff had forwarded a proposed entitlement master plan to the Department of Mental Health and would continue discussions.

On costs and budget context, staff noted $125,000 has already been appropriated in the current fiscal year and estimated that a single experienced position might be budgeted at roughly $125,000–$130,000 each year. Council members discussed a range of possible salaries (participants mentioned starting points from about $70,000 up to $90,000–$120,000 depending on experience) and reserving part of the appropriation for an intern stipend. Andrew framed the conversation within revenue expectations, saying the city is forecasting about 1% sales tax growth and roughly 4% use tax growth in the near term.

Councilman Dixon urged a broader, risk‑based review of staffing and resource allocation — including public safety needs — before committing to new positions. Andrew noted that major public safety additions can be costly, giving as an example that adding a second engine company could cost roughly $1 million a year and a new apparatus about $1 million.

There was no formal motion or vote during the meeting. Staff said the economic development staffing proposal and related budget options will be included in an upcoming budget study session; Kim Kaufman will keep the draft budget timeline on track. The committee adjourned with direction for staff to refine options and bring them back through the study‑session and budget process.

Next steps: staff will finalize the federal grant submission in March if appropriate, prepare options for the study session, and present budget recommendations for council consideration.