Broken Arrow Council Sets Election For Vision 2025 Tax Renewal

The Broken Arrow City Council on Monday approved a resolution calling for a November 10 special election, asking voters to permanently renew a majority of Tulsa County's Vision 2025 sales tax. 

“Broken Arrow, like all municipalities in Oklahoma, relies primarily on sales tax revenue to fund critical services for its residents,” said Mayor Craig Thurmond.

“Renewing the existing sales tax provides an opportunity to continue providing those services at the high level residents have come to enjoy, without raising taxes in Tulsa County. This is a no-frills plan that addresses every day, practical needs, such as fixing roads and making sure citizens are safe.”

The city says revenue from the sales tax would be used to hire additional police officers and firefighters, as well as street and stormwater projects in Broken Arrow.

Proposition 1:    Establish a sales tax of three tenths of one penny ($0.003) to hire additional police officers and firefighter/paramedics; as well as fund the acquisition and replacement of public safety vehicles, equipment, technology and apparatus.

Proposition 2:    Establish a sales tax of twenty-five hundredths of one penny ($0.0025) for the purposes of improving, constructing, and maintaining city streets, sidewalks, and related stormwater appurtenances, including the installation of traffic control devices and signalization.

The November 10 special election is open to all registered voters living within the Broken Arrow city limits in both Tulsa and Wagoner Counties.

Broken Arrow Vision 2025 sales tax information

In 2003, Tulsa County voters approved a 13-year, 6/10 of one penny increase in the county sales tax to fund regional economic development and capital improvement throughout the county.  Broken Arrow used Vision 2025 helped build Northeastern State University campus on the east side of town and build the Nienhuis Aquatic Center.  

Broken Arrow says the Vision 2025 sales tax will expire at the end of 2016, if an extension is not approved.