Original Vision 2025 Plan Wraps Up With $19 Million Surplus

The original Vision program, Vision 2025, has wrapped up with $19 million leftover. 

The county plans to declare the money surplus Wednesday, and they get to decide what to do with the last dollars from the first vision plan.

It was September 2003. 

"It's going to be a new day in Tulsa County."

The Vision 2025 plan passed with the expectation it would transform the county and have a surplus of money at the end.

It has done both.

No one can argue with the success of the BOK Center, with an economic impact estimated to be far more than it cost to build and operate.

"No question those entertainers and those events, whether it's NCAA basketball or Bassmasters. Those kind of events we wouldn't have even been on the list if not for the BOK Center," said Tulsa County Commissioner John Smaligo. 

The large list of projects that will be completed from the original Vision plan are paid off.

Huge projects like the Morton Health Clinic are done and debt-free.

Now, the county plans to declare the extra money surplus and spend it on new projects.

The Vision 2025 plan was assured of a surplus as early as 2006 when the budget was adjusted to put $45 million more money into the City of Tulsa share.

Another $45 million was later added to suburban cities.

And now the last major surplus - $19.5 million - will go to Tulsa County.

"We knew all along there would be yet one more surplus declared, that's what we're doing tomorrow - $19.5 million dollars," said Smaligo. 

He said the extra cash is in the bank, ready to spend, the last money from the thirteen years of the Vision 2025 sales tax.

"We don't have any firm plans on that money, yet, but we have some projects in mind, some road projects," Smaligo said. 

Even though that 13-year, one cent sales tax expired, it's been replaced with other taxes, including the Vision Tulsa package approved last year.