Annexation Of Tulsa County Fairgrounds Delayed

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor takes action to delay the annexation of the Tulsa County Fairgrounds. Her decision to veto the current annexation plan comes with the understanding it will go forward, later.

Wednesday, May 9th 2007, 7:37 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor takes action to delay the annexation of the Tulsa County Fairgrounds. Her decision to veto the current annexation plan comes with the understanding it will go forward, later. The mayor brokered a deal with a county commissioner that would give both sides some of what they want, while allowing the annexation. The News On 6's Emory Bryan reports, the bottom line is the city would collect sales tax from the fairgrounds, just not right away.

It's Tulsa County's most popular attraction and the city doesn't make a dime off it, at least directly. The mayor says she wants the fairgrounds annexed, but not with only a few months notice.

"The councilors that voted for annexation were right, it's just that we need a longer time to transition into that," Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor said.

Mayor Taylor and County Commissioner Randi Miller have an agreement to delay the annexation, but not kill it.

"It's just a compromise to allow us to make it a smooth transition," said Tulsa County Commissioner Randi miller.

The compromise on the fairgrounds annexation means the annexation will be delayed until January 2009. The city will gain authority to control zoning at the fairgrounds, and the county will pay the city a fire protection fee.
The county will retain the authority for permits and inspections at the fairgrounds, and the county will begin financially supporting the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The agreement between the head of the county commission and the mayor depends on approval from the fair board and the city council, but regardless, unless the council could get the votes to override the mayor's veto, the annexation won't happen for another year and a half.

Mayor Taylor said she wants the annexation so the city can have some control of the use of the land, while not damaging the operation of the fairgrounds.

"We want to ensure that there is no additional regulatory burden on the people who use the fairgrounds and that will be easy to do, it's what happened at LaFortune park and the city annexed that long ago," Taylor said.

The mayor says it's still unclear how much tax money the city will gain from annexing the fairgrounds, but she's confident it will be more than enough to cover the cost of police protection.

Watch the video: Mayor Takes Action To Delay Annexation Of The Tulsa County Fairgrounds

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