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Bartlesville
Posted: Apr 22, 2025 10:19 AMUpdated: Apr 22, 2025 10:19 AM
CITY MATTERS 4/22/25
Tom Davis
City Coucilor Aaron Kirkpatrick was our guest on CITY MATTERS on Tuesday. Kirpatrick announced that tonight, the Planning Commission will meet at City Hall at 5.30, and one of the things that they will discuss is the long-term strategic plan.
Kirkpatrick said, "The City Council approved that back in November, and then some people wanted to look it over and, I guess, suggest some changes. The plan has been redlined by a small group of folks and sent out to the Planning Commission, and so tonight we'll be discussing the red lines that were put into it."
He explained that a strategic plan takes a look at things like how the city may grow and how we're going to grow it, perhaps infrastructure needs down the line and things like that and it provided guidelines and possibilities. He said that a long-term strategic plan just helps you say generally we want to move in this direction, and then as things change, of course, it can be adapted.
Kirpatrick also has the honor of chairing the Unsheltered Homelessness Task Force. This is a six-month action team whose goal it is to understand the homeless crisis and then propose things that the city can do, that our organizations can do, to help people get out of homelessness and hopefully into stable housing, stable economic situations, and improve their lives.
Kirkpatrick was asked about a Facebook post that appeared a few weeks ago that said The Bartlesville City Council is considering ordinances to fine homeless people $500 or more per day for being homeless.
Kirpatrick read that post said, "You know, I was involved in helping put those ordinances together. I know all the people on that team, and I'm like, this is not in there. But by the time I saw it, it had been shared over 50 times already, which is about as locally viral as you can go. I mean, it's crazy." He added, "Of course, that's not real. There are hotels that would love $500 a night. Fining homeless people out of homelessness, that is as insane as it sounds."
Kirpatrick said his team is led by local nonprofit leaders that work daily with our homeless neighbors. It is led by people who work in homeless shelters. Errol from the Lighthouse, Keith and Christy from Be the Light are involved in it. It is staffed by mental health professionals. It is staffed by a police officer who deals with and interacts with our homeless neighbors regularly. We have multiple formerly homeless people on our team. This is a team that is steeped in compassion from the very beginning.
So these, when people read, you know, they saw the number $500, you know, as a potential, up to $500, a potential fine for certain violations. Things like, you can't camp in Sooner Park. If you're camping in Sooner Park, here's what actually happens:
The police interact with this person and give them at least 48 hours to vacate.
Police will ask if the person has a place to go, offers to get them into a shelter, or ask if they need mental health help? They do all of these things.
Kirkpatrick said that the $500 number that people latched onto is actually very strategic. And what that does is that is the jurisdictional limit for the municipal court. If one of our homeless neighbors is in a situation, maybe they're having a mental health crisis, they can't comply or they're not complying. The city doesn't want them going to a higher criminal court. We want them to be in our municipal court because our municipal judge already knows a lot of these people by name.
The fines, the penalties are there so that te judge has leverage to incentivize them getting help. Judge Gentges will tell these people that he's going to fine you $100, but if you'll go to one of our mental health facilities like Grand Lake, meet with your caseworker and then bring me back a note, he'll waive the fee. And it's a way to incentivize people getting the help that they need.
According to Kirkpatrick, the goal from start to end with this thing is to treat individuals with dignity, to treat them with compassion, which is being able to empathize with what they're going through, but also then saying, I want to help. We are balancing trying to help the individuals get help and get off the street while also making sure that the rest of our community is also protected. And that's a tricky balance.
Kirkpatrick encourage anybody to come to the committee meetings on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at 11am to 1pm.
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