Sand Springs City Council places potential mask mandate on agenda for special meeting

View fullsize

Sand Springs United Methodist Church Pastor Stephen Cagle spoke in favor of mask mandate at Monday’s Sand Springs City Council meeting.

As the number of active COVID-19 cases continues to climb dramatically in both Sand Springs and Oklahoma at large, the pandemic once again took center stage at Monday’s City Council meeting. Although the Council passed no specific measures to combat the virus, they did pass a measure that will place a potential mask mandate on the agenda at a special meeting that will be held next Monday at 6:00 p.m.

The Council had already placed a recurring item on the agenda to discuss the pandemic at each meeting since it began, but has avoided the ever-controversial mask mandate issue that has polarized the country. City leadership has instead relied on the community itself to voluntarily to action to reduce the spread.

“For the last few months we have relied on the idea that if we strongly suggest that people do the right thing, then the numbers will stay down,” said Mayor Jim Spoon. “That has been our game plan, and it has worked until recently, it seemed like. Now that just doesn’t seem to be working."

On Monday, there were 214 active cases in Sand Springs, 4,389 in Tulsa County, and 29,157 in the state. Councilman Brian Jackson attending the meeting virtually due to quarantine, and he made the motion to hold a special meeting in which the Council would consider a mask mandate. The motion passed 6-1 with Beau Wilson dissenting.

Prior to the vote, extensive conversation was held between Councilmembers and City officials, and several citizens also spoke both in favor of and against a mask mandate.

View fullsize

“Each month we have spoken about this, and we have been maintaining fairly well,” said Police Chief Mike Carter. “The goal of what we were doing is flattening the curve, so we were looking for a pretty stable number. In the last two weeks we have had a 256% increase here in Sand Springs in the number of cases.”

“Month after month we have not recommended any change to what we are doing,” said Carter. “With this rate of increase, I think we need to do something to break the trend.” According to Carter, Sand Springs ranks third in the Tulsa Metro area in per capita cases, behind Collinsville and Skiatook, while Tulsa has the lowest rate.

“My job is to provide you with the information,” said Carter. “I think it’s clear that there is something that Tulsa is doing that is positive, because they have half the rate that we do. I don’t think that’s by accident because it’s been happening day after day for a while now. Before they took that action (mandating masks in public businesses), they were mid-pack and sometimes towards the top early into this. So I do think (masks) have some sort of mitigating effect. To be clear, masks are not a cure for this. Masks will not make us go to zero, and we should never be under the illusion that they’re a magic answer to this. But I do think they have a mitigating effect that we should look at.”

Sand Springs United Methodist Church Pastor Stephen Cagle spoke at length in favor of a mask mandate. “To me and many others, the need for such a mandate is self-evident. However, I know that in the past the council has resisted such a mandate, and I know that there is a vocal minority that oppose such a mandate.”

Cagle rejected the notion that a mask mandate is a violation of rights. “Nowhere in our Constitution is the right to not wear a mask specifically protected. On the other hand, the Declaration of Independence, which forms the philosophical basis for our system of government, proclaims without caveat that the right to life is inalienable, granted to us by God Himself, and it is the moral responsibility of government to protect this right.”

“Do we not have the right to a reasonable expectation of safety in the public sphere?” asked Cagle. “Indeed, a failure to pass a mask mandate at this juncture would be a violation of our basic rights. Secondly, I would like to address the criticism that a mask mandate is unenforceable. Saying that a law should not be passed because someone might break that law is not an argument. By that reasoning there would be no laws at all.”

Five total Sandites spoke against a mask mandate, and two spoke in favor of a mandate.

In other news:

Council unanimously approved a resolution relating to a planned trail extension along Highway 97. The planned trail will be 5,400 feet long and 10 feet wide, along the east side of the highway between 41st Street and 51st Street. The project will cost an estimated $1,204,385.97 but the City is submitting a grant for 80% to the Transportation Alternatives Program. The City will commit to paying the other 20% with local designated sales tax.

Council unanimously approved a supplemental appropriation of $25,988 for the purpose of hiring a new full-time employee at Keystone Ancient Forest. Upon the completion of the KAF Visitors Center, the Parks Department will need an employee to run the center, open and close the park, perform janitorial duties, maintain the trails, manage the trail guide volunteer program, etc. The reserve is expected to open to the public Thursday through Sunday, weekly.

Council unanimously approved the purchase of four police pursuit units from Bob Howard Dodge at a cost of $92,063.

Council unanimously approved the purchase of an Elgin Whirlwind 1 Vacuum Street Sweeper from J&R Equipment at a cost of $299,314.

Council unanimously approved a resolution endorsing the Tulsa Regional Chamber OneVoice Legislative Agenda for 2021.