A number of longtime issues are back before city commissioners Tuesday, in their first meeting since all incumbents but Commissioner Brian Strow were returned to office.

At a nonvoting 4 p.m. work session, the talk will turn - as promised - to whether Shawnee Way and Navajo Drive should be reopened to through-traffic, or remain closed as they have since 2005. Residents of the Shawnee Estates neighborhood lobbied for those closings, saying a number of new apartment buildings nearby had increased traffic and speeding in the area.

A number of Shawnee Estates residents said during a September event in the neighborhood that they want the streets to stay closed, but a few others said they want them reopened. Commissioners said they’d discuss the situation in November.

Old Morgantown Road

A bid on the long-anticipated final design for improvements to Old Morgantown Road is up for approval at the 7 p.m. regular meeting. The recommended winner is Cannon & Cannon, for a price of $118,750.

The Forest Park neighborhood and businesses along the road have lobbied for several years for upgrades. An earlier proposal to make it a three-lane road with additional features foundered on the $11 million price tag, so city staff went back to area residents and asked what they could cut. The final proposal, presented Oct. 7, comes in at an estimated $3.9 million.

The $11 million plan would have spread across 58 feet, cutting substantially into businesses and residential property along the road. The new proposal for two 12-foot lanes, two five-foot sidewalks, plus curb and gutter on both sides, would trim that to a width of 42 feet.

According to a memo from assistant city engineer Melissa Cansler, it may be another year before the city begins buying land, moving utilities and construction.

Board member residency

Back for final consideration is an ordinance to relax residence requirements for people serving on city-sponsored boards.

The requirement that people appointed to city boards also live in the city was added about a decade ago, according to city attorney Gene Harmon. Current policy limits appointment to volunteer boards to those who live in the city, with exceptions for a few hard-to-fill boards. Commissioners have granted rare exemptions for people with specialized knowledge.

The proposed ordinance would change that, applying to all city boards. Mayor Elaine Walker said it would make eligible people who work in the city - and therefore pay city occupational tax - but live outside the corporate limits.

Ordinance revision

Also on the work session agenda is a continued item-by-item review of city ordinances, a project urged by Commissioner Bruce Wilkerson that City Manager Kevin DeFebbo said may take more than a year.

At their Oct. 21 meeting, commissioners suggested many minor rewordings, bringing the city code into compliance with state law and making penalties uniform in just the first part of one chapter of ordinances, on “Crimes and Offenses.” Wilkerson has long encouraged a comprehensive review to remove outdated laws, lessen duplication of state statutes and consider whether old penalties are still applicable.