Norman petitioners want OK Supreme Court to hear entertainment district funding case

NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) — A group advocating against a taxpayer-funded plan to help build a billion-dollar entertainment district in Norman plans to appeal to the Oklahoma Supreme Court and send the issue to a public vote.

Oklahomans For Responsible Economic Development started the referendum petition process in 2024 after the Norman City Council voted 5-4 to move forward with an agreement that would see the project partly funded by two Tax Increment Finance Districts (TIFs). The vote came after at least seven hours of debate that lasted into the early hours of the morning.

The project would include a new arena for OU athletics, retail, housing, and office space near I-35 and Rock Creek Road.

The first TIF uses sales tax, while the second is an ad valorem tax. The University of Oklahoma is also funding part of the project.

Opponents have made it clear that they don't oppose the project itself, just the funding plan. OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. encouraged the city council to say yes regardless last year.

"You either get on board and invest or you get left behind," Harroz said during a September council meeting.

The petition to send the issue to a vote of the people received over 10,000 signatures in less than 30 days, but opponents of the TIF funding plan were sued regardless.

An initial argument for attorneys representing individuals in favor of the TIF first tried to contest the signatures themselves, arguing that the gist of the petition wasn't legally sufficient to send it to a vote of the people.

That argument, challenging the validity of the signatures, was dropped this month, but a Cleveland County District Judge ruled the gist of the petition wasn't legally sufficient, meaning the issue couldn't go to a vote.

“We could’ve written a thousand gists here and it was gonna be challenged," said Rob Norman, attorney for ORED members sued after the petition. "This is a journey."

He explained on Friday, in front of a room packed full of dozens of Norman citizens, that his clients believe voters deserve to have their voices heard, saying that Oklahoma's constitution guarantees the right to a referendum petition by the people. Norman says he has less than 30 days to file an appeal on his client's behalf, but it's not done yet.

He said he didn't want to say much about what it would include, but made several pointed comments about the gist debate.

"If you really want to know what the real gist is, we want to bring this to a vote of the people and that's all," said Norman.

Norman says he's hoping the appeal will get the attention of Oklahoma's highest court, which could decide whether or not they'll hear it personally or if the case will be heard at all.

"We're gonna ask the Oklahoma Supreme Court to keep it," said Norman. "They're gonna see the briefs and they're gonna see all this picking it apart, lawyering it to death...Our fate is the hands of the judges."

News 4 reached out to the attorneys representing challengers of the petition for comment on the appeal, but did not hear back.