The total amount of this bond program is $35 million.

The bond projects are located throughout Norman. You can see a specific list of projects in the ballot ordinance here or view a map of projects on this webpage.

If approved by voters, work will begin on the first projects in August 2026 with the full list of street maintenance bond projects being completed by 2031.

Yes. The City has developed a five year schedule of projects throughout all parts of Norman. Search the map above to see the locations and projected years of each proposed project. 

By law, the City must provide the improvements at the specific locations identified in the bond ordinance to be voted on by the citizens. That ordinance is expected to be approved for an election in January 2026 by Norman City Council. You can view the ordinance with the listed projects at here. 

Yes, the project budgets include the anticipated cost for inflation over the proposed 5-year program.

On average, over 5 years (the life of the program), there will be no increase to your property tax if this program is approved. The proposed street maintenance program is a continuation of the five-year street improvement bond program that was approved by the voters in 2005 and re-authorized in 2010, 2016 and 2021. Currently, the owner of a home with a market value of about $100,000 is paying approximately $114.62 per year in property taxes to repay these existing bonds (an average mill levy rate of 10.42 mills). If the 2026 proposal is approved by voters, this simply results in an extension of the current tax.

You can learn more about your property taxes through your County Assessor’s Office or County Treasurer. Norman properties are located within Cleveland County and a website containing Property Records and details can be accessed at https://clevelandcountyok.com/129/County-Assessor.

Funding from the previous Street Maintenance Bond programs has made up approximately 60 to 70% of the City's street maintenance funds. The City also has other funding sources that are used to improve and maintain urban and rural roads. The annual Capital Improvements Program and the annual operating budget for the City Public Works/Streets Division allocate funds for the maintenance of city streets, as well. However, these other funding sources are not enough to adequately maintain Norman's network of 800 miles of streets.

Since the first program passage by voters in 2005, 578 lane miles of road in Norman have been maintained, rehabilitated or reconstructed.

An estimated 180 lane miles of road will be improved with the 2026 bond renewal.

As the 50th largest city in the country by land mass, the City of Norman is responsible for the maintenance of approximately 800 miles of roadway. The bond program has made up more than half of the funding allotted for necessary road maintenance. With traffic volume that continues to increase in our area – largely due to population growth and tourism – and quickly changing weather conditions in our region that impact external infrastructure, this funding is crucial in ensuring roads are well maintained and tended to across our city.

View past projects completed as listed in ordinances from previous cycles of the Norman Streets Bond: 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2021. Every project from every approved program has been completed.

Lane mileage is the number of miles on one lane of one road. For example, on a street that is a standard two-lane road – like Flood Avenue from Symmes to Boyd –  every mile of roadway translates to two lane miles. The number of these types of miles on any given roadway can change depending on its width and lanes. There are portions of Main Street, for example, that have five lane miles to every one regular mile.

No. The City of Norman’s 2012 and 2019 Transportation Bonds are focused on improving roadways for either capacity or function; the Street Maintenance Bond is focused on the maintenance of existing roadways. Questions can be directed to the Department of Public Works at 405-366-5453.

The proposition will appear on the ballot as outlined below:

"Shall the City of Norman, State of Oklahoma, incur an indebtedness by issuing its bonds in the sum of Thirty-Five Million Dollars ($35,000,000) to provide funds for the purpose of reconstructing, repairing, improving, and rehabilitating existing streets, roads, and intersections in the City of Norman, Oklahoma (including lighting, sidewalks/bikepaths, landscaping, related drainage improvements, driveway reconstruction, and other related improvements); and levy and collect an annual tax, in addition to all other taxes, upon all the taxable property in said City sufficient to pay the interest on said bonds as it falls due, and also to constitute a sinking fund for the payment of the principal thereof when due, said bonds to be competitively sold and bear interest at the lowest rate not to exceed the rate of ten percentum (10%) per annum, payable semi-annually and to become due serially within five (5) years from their date?"

Over the course of the 5 year program – should the program be approved by voters – your taxes should not increase overall. Annual property tax amounts due may vary year to year, however. This is because the millage levy varies during the payback period of the bond. This results in variation in the amount of the property tax due in any given year.

Annually, the City of Norman contracts with a third party to analyze the condition of city roads to develop a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score. As the 50th largest city in the country by land mass, the City of Norman is responsible for the maintenance of approximately 800 miles of roadway. Each year, the party grades – on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being the worst and 100 being the best – 20% of city-maintained roads in the community; every five years, a snapshot of all city roadways is completed in full. Currently the average PCI of Norman roads is 77. (The average PCI is cities nationwide is in the low to mid 60s.) As data is documented and retained year to year, Public Works staff examine it and review given locations on site to best formulate bond programs and general maintenance plans in order to stay ahead of major issues. Streets Maintenance Bond funding, since 2005, has made up more than half of the funding allotted for necessary road maintenance.

The concentration of the Streets Maintenance Bond Program is on the maintenance and repair of existing roads in Norman. You can view proposed projects of the 2026 bond program on the attached map located toward the top of this webpage or by viewing the ballot ordinance here.

In addition to actual roadway work – which is divided into categories of Urban Asphalt Rehabilitation, Urban Concrete Rehabilitation, Rural Road Rehabilitation, Urban Street Reconstruction and Preventative Maintenance – necessary and adjacent work could be carried out on certain projects. Examples of other work that could occur: The repairing of a curb ramp to meet ADA standards; the construction of a drive if it is necessary to make the roadway drain correctly; minor drainage improvements to an inlet or damaged pipe section; grading of bar ditches at rural locations. 

General obligation (G.O.) bonds are municipal bonds issued by government entities to fund public projects. They are repaid through property taxes (also called ad valorem taxes). It is a common misconception that property taxes help pay for the City's core services. Although this is true in many states, cities and towns in Oklahoma are not allowed to levy property taxes for day-to-day operations. Oklahoma is the only state in the country where municipalities rely primarily on sales tax collections to fund city government operations. Sales tax revenues fluctuate often and are not a reliable source for funding major projects. Because of this, voters may be asked to approve specific G.O. Bond Projects or Programs at the polls – such as the Streets Maintenance Bond Program. These propositions specify funding, the life of a program and exactly what dollars will be spent on.