Norman voters on Tuesday approved an $8 million bond that will pay for the construction of the city’s first-ever permanent homeless shelter after rejecting a similar proposal six years ago amid the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, in the city’s only council election on Tuesday, Trey Kirby defeated Dianna Hutzel to be the next representative of Ward 5.
The bond proposal passed with 54.25 percent, with 9,454 votes in favor and 7,973 against. Voters also approved the renewal of a long-term bond package for streets with 72.12 percent of 17,397, as well as an increase to the city’s guest tax that easily passed with 70.2 percent of 17,366 votes cast. Two minor changes to the city’s charter passed with 73.29 percent of 17,159 votes cast and 55.11 percent of 17,157 votes cast, respectively.
Results are unofficial until certified by the Oklahoma State Election Board.
While all of the propositions on the ballot easily passed, the homeless shelter took center stage in Tuesday’s election. Norman, whose 132,000 residents make it the state’s third-most populous city, has a facility operated by City Care that can house about 50 people overnight. The new shelter, which would be built on land purchased by the city along Reed Avenue on the city’s east side, south of Griffin Memorial Hospital, would house up to 120 people overnight. The issue of homelessness has punctuated city council meetings for the last year. The Norman City Council voted to send the issue to residents in January, but not without objections from some residents about the cost, location and concerns about how it might impact the area.
The city’s homeless population has increased in recent years. Cleveland County’s two most recent point-in-time counts found 238 people experiencing homelessness in January 2025 and 240 in 2024. The 2026 count has taken place, but its results have yet to be tabulated and released.
Norman Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman said that while the survey is county-wide, most of the respondents are found in Norman, and the proposed shelter fills in some of those gaps the city faces with its current temporary facility, which Holman said turns away at least 10 to 15 people most nights.
“We estimate probably about $1 million (annually) or so with the expanded shelter,” Holman said. “It’s not anticipated that it will be a 24/7 operation. It will be more of an overnight shelter. And then, during the day, there is office space for staff. But Food and Shelter for Friends next door is more of a day center. That’s where the breakfast and lunch would be, and potentially dinner as well. So in the end, it will fill a huge need, increase capacity, and it will still be less than 1 percent out of our entire General Fund budget.”
The approval of the city’s guest tax bumps it from 8 to 10 percent. It would take effect July 1. The proposal also included language to include spaces temporarily rented for overnight stays in recreational vehicles. The streets package renewal includes $35 million for reconstruction, repair, and improvements of streets, roads and intersections in the city.
Trey Kirby defeats Dianna Hutzel in Ward 5 City Council election
With 53.66 percent of the vote, Trey Kirby defeated Dianna Hutzel to represent Ward 5 on the Norman City Council.
Kirby, a facilities manager and the proprietor of Kirby Land and Cattle, earned 1,644 votes to Hutzel’s 1,420. The two candidates had proceeded to a runoff from a field of three candidates in February.
The race caused some controversy in Ward 5 and beyond. Hutzel had faced some pushback online, including from Norman residents outside of Ward 5, for not posting her campaign contributions to social media while the Ethics Commission had no way for local candidates to file. Some speculated Hutzel was attempting to hide donations from individuals and entities who favored developing the rural ward. She addressed the controversy in an interview with NonDoc, explaining she kept an up-to-date record of campaign finances and submitted it to the Ethics Commission when they developed a new portal.
“I did not put it out on Facebook because that is really an entertainment venue. It’s not an official venue, and so that’s why,” Hutzel explained. “As for the donations and everything that I’ve received, I view that as support. That does not, in any way, shape or form, though, mean that those individuals have any more say than anyone else does in what I do.”
Hutzel also distributed mailers last week using NonDoc’s last article covering the race to insinuate Kirby supports data centers, a claim he did not make.
“My opponent supports DATA CENTERS which will increase your electric bill. On data centers, ‘Kirby said … if elected… increasing offsets for substations, data centers or other similar developments near people’s homes,'” the mailer said, citing NonDoc’s article.
In the article, Kirby explained he is in favor of increasing offsets to prevent new developments from infringing on individuals’ properties, as, “People move out to the country and they’ve been out here for 60 years, and then all of a sudden we let these companies just come up and build right on their front door, and there’s nothing they can do about it, because we don’t have policies in place making it not OK.”
In terms of policy, Hutzel and Kirby were both adamantly opposed to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s ACCESS Oklahoma project, which would build a turnpike through Ward 5. Kirby said he believes in making it hard as possible for the OTA to continue development, both by rejecting contracts at the city level and raising concerns through state and federal conduits. Kirby is also passionate about improving Norman’s water quality and protecting its watershed.
