The Oklahoma City Council meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays on the third floor of City Hall, 200 N Walker Ave., and live broadcasts are available on Cox Channel 20, www.youtube.com/cityofokc/live and www.okc.gov. A recording of each meeting is then added to the City's YouTube channel.

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Event permits

The Council approved permits Tuesday for:

• OKC Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition's "Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade," Jan. 18.
• University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy Alumni Association's "Adrenaline Run," Feb. 27.

Council approves agreement with new nonprofit group to benefit OKC Animal Welfare

The Council voted Tuesday to approve an agreement between the City of OKC and a new nonprofit group dedicated to helping the OKC Animal Shelter. The group, Patrons of the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that will help OKC Animal Welfare fundraise, manage awareness campaigns and promote adoptions and responsible pet ownership. The agreement allows OKC Animal Welfare and the nonprofit to work together on common goals and programs that aren't funded by the City budget.

• Read the agenda item. (PDF)
• Read the full news release.

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Council approves changes to human rights ordinance

The Council also voted Tuesday to approve several changes to the City ordinance related to human rights, including adding familial status, disability, age, sexual orientation and gender identity to the classes explicitly protected from housing discrimination. The ordinance now reflects federal and state laws including familial status, disability and age as explicitly protected classes, which they were not when OKC's ordinance was last updated. An amendment approved Tuesday adds sexual orientation and and gender identity as explicitly protected classes, reinforcing case law affirming their protected status.

• Read the agenda item and amendment. (PDF)
• Watch the discussion.

Update provided on ice storm debris removal

Ice storm debris removal crews are about halfway through their first of two complete sweeps through OKC, Utilities Director Marsha Slaughter told the Council in an update. The City brought in contractors to help with debris removal and cleanup because of the massive volume of tree debris in the wake of the Thanksgiving weekend ice storm. Residents can stack tree limbs downed by the ice storm on their curb away from obstructions, and crews will pick them up with no additional cost on utility bills. Limbs should be in sections 12 feet long or shorter and piled away from obstructions. It's important to keep tree debris separate from piles of normal bulky waste to help the City's efforts to seek storm cleanup reimbursement from FEMA. Crews will begin a second complete sweep through OKC after a 10-day pause following the first sweep.

• Read a full news release from December.
• Watch the update.

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