Muskogee — The City Council on July 28 approved Ordinance No. 42-66A to annex the remaining parcels in the John T. Griffin Industrial Park and adopt a service plan for city utilities and emergency response, voting 7-1. The decision follows staff presentations of expected service responsibilities and public comments from an operator in the park that urged the council to negotiate the city’s electric franchise fee for existing businesses.

The annexation ordinance formalizes the city’s plan to bring approximately 123.1 acres just south of Smith Ferry into city limits and to rezone the parcels to I-1, light industrial, while incorporating a service plan that spells out police, fire, water, sewer, street and sanitation responsibilities. Sarah Winkle, a city planner, told the council: “This agenda item is addressing the annexation of the remaining parcels in the John T Griffith Industrial Park.”

Why it matters: Council members said the annexation completes a multi-decade plan to extend municipal services to the industrial park and ensures that properties served by city infrastructure share the costs of those services. Business representatives, including Polaris Technologies, argued the city should negotiate franchise-fee arrangements for existing operators before applying the city’s 3% electric franchise fee to active facilities.

City presentation and service-plan figures

Winkle summarized the service plan that staff published with the agenda. She said municipal water and sewer lines were installed in advance of annexation and described estimated recurring costs the city used in its analysis. She told the council the parcels total “approximately a 123.1 acres” and said police would be the primary responders with “no additional equipment or personnel” required at the time of annexation. The service plan presented hourly cost figures for a single-alarm commercial fire response and annualized estimates for water and sewer treatment: Winkle described the Muskogee Fire Department’s staffing and apparatus as well as city estimates that water treatment to supply the annexed area could be about $691,880 annually and combined sanitary sewer treatment and collection about $350,000 annually. She also noted street maintenance ($18,906 annually), water distribution maintenance ($10,211 annually) and an estimated $10 per cubic yard disposal charge if properties use city sanitation service; the environmental-control herbicide estimate was $1,320 annually. Winkle said stormwater fees would be charged if the property discharged into the city system.

Public comments and business concerns

Daniel Chipkoskis, speaking for Polaris Technologies, urged the council to let the company negotiate the financial effects of annexation before the franchise fee took effect. “For Polaris, this will amount to roughly $5,000,000 more in additional costs,” Chipkoskis said, and he asked the city “to sit down with players, try to understand how this impacts them financially.” He said Polaris is already operating on-site, distinguishing it from other projects that have not yet begun active operations.

Mayor Patrick Kale framed the annexation as the fulfillment of the city’s long-term plan. Kale referenced the 2013 comprehensive plan and city investments in water, sewer and road infrastructure, and said the city had committed to serve heavy industrial users: “In 2023, the city committed up to 2,000,000 gallons per day of potable water, representing approximately 6 and a half percent of the city's total daily water treatment capacity, along with sewer service to support Polaris' operations,” the mayor said. On the fairness of fees, Kale said: “Each and every business and citizen in Muskogee pays the same 3% franchise tax fee.”

Council action and related franchise-fee item

After public comment and discussion the council voted to adopt Ordinance No. 42-66A, annexing the parcels and approving the service plan. Roll-call votes recorded in the transcript show Councilor Jamie Stout voting no and the remaining voting members on the dais voting yes (motion passed).

Separately, Councilor Jamie Stout brought an item (agenda item 17) to authorize the city manager and city attorney to negotiate agreements related to electric franchise fees paid through the municipal franchise with utilities for businesses in John T. Griffin Industrial Park. The council allowed public comment on that item: Michael Gregg and Charles Crawford addressed the council with questions about the franchise fee’s history and regulatory oversight (Crawford discussed state vs. federal jurisdiction over utilities). A motion to approve the authorization was made but received no second and the item did not advance.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 42-66A (annexation, John T. Griffin Industrial Park) — approved (motion passed; roll call: majority yes, Jamie Stout no).
- Resolution 30-41 / Ordinance 42-67A (future land use amendment and rezoning for 602 N. 20th St. for a daycare) — approved.
- Resolution 30-40 / Ordinance 42-68A (future land use amendment and rezoning for N. 20 Fourth St.) — approved.
- Resolution 30-36 (Martin Luther King Jr. Trust Authority bylaws amendment) — approved.
- Honorary street names for Ronald Ventor Sr. and Rev. Dr. L. H. Smith Sr. — approved.
- ARPA Water Treatment Plant improvements, low bid Cook Consulting LLC, $1,600,000 — approved.
- Equipment purchases (Kubota tractor $52,764.58; Kubota mini excavator $127,388.64) and parking-lot and resurfacing contracts — approved.
- FAA grant application and associated Olson engineering work order for runway rehabilitation at Muskogee Davis Regional Airport — approved.
- Cherokee Nation donation to Muskogee Police Department, $5,633 — accepted.
(These items were recorded on the July 28 consent and regular agendas and passed by roll call; specifics are summarized from the meeting record.)

What’s next

The ordinance makes the parcels subject to city permitting, zoning and municipal fees, and the city will incorporate the final service plan into the enacted ordinance as discussed in the public hearing. Polaris and other businesses in the park may pursue private negotiation with the city if both parties agree, but the council did not delegate authority that evening for the city manager and attorney to negotiate franchise-fee arrangements after the motion to do so failed for lack of a second.

The council’s action completes another phase of planned industrial annexation that city leaders said ties future development to existing city infrastructure investments.