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City of Bartlesville
Posted: May 05, 2025 9:42 PMUpdated: May 05, 2025 9:49 PM
Council Rejects Amendments to Bartlesville's Comprehensive Plan
Nathan Thompson
Bartlesville's Endeavor 2045 Comprehensive Plan will remain in its original form after a slew of politically-charged amendments were defeated.
The Bartlesville City Council rejected approximately 60 amendments to the city's Endeavor 2045 Comprehensive Plan Monday, in a vote allowing the original document to remain as is.
Council members Tim Sherrick and Larry East were the only ones to support the amendments, which failed 2-3.
The city's original version of the 2045 comprehensive plan was written following extensive community engagement and public input during a 12-month period. Once the comprehensive plan was completed and unanimously approved by the previous city council in November 2024, some members of the community, including a right-wing faction within the Washington County GOP, made allegations the plan "covertly pushed" a United Nations agenda of diversity and environmental goals.
The council voted to allow an additional 30-day period to gather comments on the comprehensive plan. After the review period was completed, a small committee of four people, including citizen Sarah Burnett, who is now vice-chair of the Washington County GOP, met to discuss the amendments.
Community Development Director Larry Curtis says many of the comments the city received appeared to come from one source.
Curtis did not identify who the one citizen was during Monday's meeting. After that was revealed, Councilor Aaron Kirkpatrick continued to seek clarification on who was driving the comments.
The proposed amendments included removal of diversity statements such as "communities of color," equitable distribution of recreation facilities, accessible employment and "little libraries" in areas of lower income.
The amendments also removed several statements related to environmental concerns, eliminated a recommendation for a community housing planner, eliminated a recommendation for a neighborhood conservation coordinator and tree equity scores, among several others.
Vice Mayor Trevor Dorsey says the proposed amendments come across as a complete rewrite of the comprehensive plan put forth by Burnett and a faction of the Washington County GOP.
He says that undermines the efforts of the original committee that met for 12 months to compile the original document.
Dorsey publicly thanked the members of the original committee and apologized to them for attacks a faction of the Washington County GOP made against the work done on the comprehensive plan.
Prior to Monday's City Council meeting, the Bartlesville Planning Commission also voted to not recommend the amendments. That vote was unanimous.
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