Norman City Council unanimously approved changes to public park rules Tuesday, Oct. 27, retaining Sutton Wilderness’s camping ban and expanding restrictions on watercraft and projectile weapons.

The council also appointed Deborah Rohrbough as the city's new auditor, filling a position that has been vacant for a year, reported by the OU Daily.

Park rules tightened

The amendment had originally been drafted to remove the camping ban at Sutton Park to avoid overlap with a separate, broader ordinance the council is developing to prohibit camping on all publicly owned property. The broader public-property camping ordinance was postponed until Nov. 24.

Ward 6 Councilmember Kyle Steele proposed adding camping back to the prohibited list before the vote. Without the change, he said, camping would have been legal at the park as soon as the amendment took effect.

"If we pass it tonight, and if we pass it under the emergency clause, then tomorrow morning it'll be legal to camp in Sutton Wilderness," Steele said.

Ward 3 Councilmember Robert Bruce questioned the reversal, asking why the council would remove the camping ban only to restore it the same night.

City Attorney Rick Knighton said the park is leased to the city by the state of Oklahoma, and the lease requires the city to prohibit camping there. Allowing it could violate that agreement, Knighton said.

Beyond camping, the amendment expands watercraft restrictions from boats and canoes to all watercraft, including kayaks, rafts, paddleboards and float tubes. It also updates projectile-weapon rules to cover firearms, bows, slingshots and air guns across all public park sites. The amendment allows power-driven mobility devices for individuals with disabilities at community and neighborhood parks.

The council approved the ordinance unanimously.

New auditor hired at $137,622

The council appointed Rohrbough as city auditor with an annual salary of $137,622.94. An additional 15% of her salary will go to a deferred compensation account each year.

Her employment contract includes a severance package: if terminated, the city must pay all amounts owed plus 12 months of salary. Rohrbough would also keep health and dental insurance for up to one year after termination.

Bruce voted against the employment contract, the lone dissenting vote in an 8-1 tally. He raised concerns about the severance terms, calling them "a significant benefit the way it's written for termination for performance issues."

Knighton said the severance package was structured to attract strong candidates to a position that requires leaving stable employment elsewhere.

The auditor position has been vacant since October 2025, when the previous auditor resigned after the city discovered the original job posting was incorrect. Norman Municipal Code at the time required the auditor to be a certified public accountant, but the posting had allowed alternative certifications. Norman voters approved a proposition in April allowing future auditors to hold certifications equivalent to a CPA.

Rohrbough is expected to start the week of Nov. 2. The broader ordinance banning camping on all public property has not yet been scheduled for a vote.