By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
Yukon’s long-awaited de-annexation of three miles of Wilshire Boulevard to Oklahoma City has been finalized.
The City of Oklahoma City has taken over full ownership and maintenance of both sides of W Wilshire from 11th Street to Sara Road.
The Yukon City Council, at its May 16 meeting, unanimously approved an agreement between the cities of Yukon and Oklahoma City for “deannexation of certain portions of Wilshire Boulevard within Yukon city limits, annexation of certain portions of Wilshire Boulevard by the City of Oklahoma City, and maintenance relating to such roadway.”
Under a memorandum of understanding approved at that council meeting:
- Oklahoma City will provide “all necessary routine maintenance of the paved surface” of Wilshire between 11th Street and Sara Road and “keep such roadway in good and safe condition for the use and benefit of the public.”
- Yukon will be responsible for snow removal (as needed), along with the mowing and maintenance of drainage facilities/ditches on the south right-of-way in Yukon city limits “as a benefit to the citizens of Yukon who traverse this road on a regular basis.”
Yukon City Council members, at their June 6 meeting, voted 5-0 to approve an ordinance de-annexing the three-mile portion of W Wilshire to Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma state law “provides that a municipal governing body by ordinance may add to the municipality territory adjacent or contiguous to its corporate limits and increase or diminish the corporate limits as the governing body deems desirable for the benefit of the municipality,” the ordinance reads.
The Oklahoma City Council recently passed its own ordinance to annex Wilshire Boulevard from the City of Yukon.
The June 6th Yukon City Council action was the “final step” for the de-annexation of Wilshire to Oklahoma City, Yukon City Manager Tammy Kretchmar said.
Yukon city leaders hope Oklahoma City will soon begin repairs and reconstruction of the worn-out, pothole-filled arterial street along Yukon’s north border.
Yukon and Oklahoma City officials and attorneys have been working to finalize the Wilshire annexation/de-annexation agreements for months.
Ownership of the three-mile section of Wilshire from 11th Street and Sara Road had previously been split in the middle of the paved surface – with Yukon owning the south half and Oklahoma City the north half.
IN OTHER BUSINESS …
Among other items approved at the June 6th Yukon City Council meeting were:
- Paying $310,945.10 to Brewer Construction Oklahoma for a well line lowering project on SW 29th between Rockwell and MacArthur. The labor and material cost totaling $310,945.10 will be paid with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal stimulus funds.
- Awarding a $80,000 bid and entering into a contract with Midstate Traffic for traffic signal improvements at the Yukon Parkway/State Highway 66 intersection.
- Amending the city’s fiscal year 2023 budget to increased appropriations by $5,500 for taser recertification. This amount was transferred from the Police PEST (Public Employees Sales Tax) Fund.
- An agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to construct a multimodal trail along the west side of Yukon Parkway between Ranchwood and the Stone Mill Plaza shopping center.
- A collective bargaining agreement for fiscal years 2023-25 between the City of Yukon and the International Association of Firefighters Local 2055.
