The city is supporting those efforts with seven street staff, five parks staff and five code compliance inspectors. An additional two street department personnel have been requested in next fiscal year’s budget, and would primarily be devoted to working on the far eastern rural portions of the city.

“The general citizen thinks we have this army,” he said. “It’s not very many.”

And O’Leary said the City has been working on defining objectives for the program, including redefining areas to be maintained, establishing acceptable levels of service and determining responsible parties.

Current ordinances do not adequately specify the responsibility of adjacent property owners, he said. And current subdivision regulations do not permit gates in fences that abut arterials, so some property owners don’t feel like they have to mow the property by the arterial streets.

“Most people wouldn’t think of not mowing between the sidewalk and the street,” he said. But many citizens don’t think about mowing behind their property to an arterial road.

Levels of service proposed for the right-of-way program include Level A, or mowing every seven to 14 days in medians and beds. It ranges down to Level D, which is mowing every eight to 12 weeks for rural areas like East Franklin Road.

A rainy summer in 2007 created more foliage to deal with in lesser maintained areas.

The 2008 Right-of-Way Maintenance Program initiatives include greater citizen awareness of right-of-way maintenance and encouraging ODOT to improve right-of-way highway maintenance.

The City would maintain its relationship with OU, which O’Leary termed “excellent,” and enhance Cleveland County participation through ongoing interlocal agreements.

A level of service standard would be adopted and current city practices are going to be reevaluated. The program will coordinate closely with the developing Storm Water Master Plan.

A litter crew also has been added to Norman’s staff.

“Trash doesn’t take a rain day,” said Ward 7 councilmember Doug Cubberley.