City Says Fixing Tulsa Streets Is Priority For Third Penny Sales Tax Funds

Tulsans will have to decide what to do with a limited amount of tax revenue.

The city's "third penny sales tax" is up for renewal and taxpayers are being asked to weigh in on a number of critical needs. There will also be a bond issue up for a vote, and the revenue would pay for things like street repair, but the needs far outweigh what the city can actually afford.

The City of Tulsa says fixing our streets is a priority. That's why Streets and Transportation, at $885 million, is the largest project on its $1.5 billion wish list.

But the proposed third penny sales tax extension and general obligation bond issue would only produce $800 million if voters approve the resolutions at the same time.

"All the needs are always going to outweigh whatever your revenues are, that's just the way it works," said Director of Engineering Services Paul Zachary

He said the city has no final list of street projects that need funding.

"No dollar values have been established yet, this is just the background of the need, but what they're looking at is a commitment to at least as much as what was in the previous Fix Our Streets program, so it's that or more," Zachary said.

Tulsa gets a little over three cents of the 8.517 percent sales tax collected in city. The first two pennies go toward salaries and supplies. The third penny pays for capital improvements, like city roads, facilities and infrastructure upgrades.

"We're in a process of trying to figure out where we want to spend your money," said Mayor Dewey Bartlett.

The city is holding public meetings, asking residents to rank city projects in order of spending importance and submit ideas they'd like to see in the funding package. The city hopes Tulsans see the need to improve streets and continue the third penny sales tax and bond issue for the next five years.

The city will use public comments to whittle its $1.5 billion wish list down to $800 million, then place it on the ballot for November.

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