Tulsa City Council Turns Down Sales Tax Increase Plan

By Emory Bryan, The News on 6

TULSA, OK -- The Tulsa City Council voted down an additional one cent sales tax to support public safety and parks Thursday night.

Councilor Jack Henderson suggested the tax and defined how to divide it, but he was unable to get support from his fellow councilors.

Read the proposal

Henderson's plan would have created a sales tax to be divided among fire, police and parks. Forty percent of the amount would be dedicated to the police department, 30 percent for the fire department, and 30 percent for the parks department.

If the councilors had approved the measure, it would have been placed on a ballot for voters this fall, and if approved, would have taken effect January 1, 2011.

An additional penny sales tax would raise approximately $60 million dollars each year.

In addition to the opposition from council, Mayor Dewey Bartlett opposed the additional sales tax.