In April, 54 percent of Norman voters approved an $8 million bond to build a new homeless shelter on City property.
Shortly after, a lawsuit was filed challenging the bond, arguing a homeless shelter is not a public utility and therefore would need a 60 percent supermajority of the vote to pass under Oklahoma law.
Cleveland County District Judge Michael Tupper dismissed the lawsuit, which was then brought to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. On Tuesday, the court upheld his dismissal.
Now, Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman says construction can move forward and that City staff has been making preparations like rezoning the property during the lawsuit to minimize further delays.
However, the initial bid for construction has already lapsed and now a new bid will need to be made.
“Maybe the same company responds, but maybe it’s a higher price than what they were six months ago. And considering everything around us, that’s probably likely,” he said.
The shelter’s construction was originally estimated to take 18 months to complete, but that timeline may shift.
Holman said City staff should have more updates in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Holman said the City is making required updates to the temporary shelter on Gray Street to ensure the building meets fire safety standards.
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