adaniel
08-19-2012, 07:43 PM
I'm always following development news up the turnpike. I always have like T-town, but reading their recent proposal for the renewal of the Vision 20205 tax has me wondering what's going on in the 918.
The following article is from the Tulsa World (btw there is a paywall):
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=717&articleid=20120810_16_A1_ULNSeo547283
A couple of questions for our Tulsa-based posters:
Why on earth is this being rushed like this? The proposal comes out now for a November election for a tax that isn't expiring for another 5 years. Heck, I thought MAPs 3 was a bit rushed, but at least the tax was expiring a few months before it was voted upon.
Nearly $100 million just in bond costs and interest? Yikes!
Paying sales tax money to finish Gilcrease Expressway. That is 100% responsibility of ODOT. Plus, I've been on the Gilcrease to go to the airport and its not like traffic was bursting at the seams.
Nearly a quarter billion spent just on the upgrading hangars at the airport. I guess I can understand that given how hugely important aerospace is to the Tulsa economy, but wow that seems like a lot of money to what amounts to be corporate welfare. Especially given the precarious state American Airlines is in. They should really wait to see what they are going to do with their Tulsa workforce first.
My biggest concern is that this in general just really amounts to a laundry list of little things. No one big thing, on the scale of the BOK Center for example, that everyone can rally around. True you have to provide some small projects to "grease the wheel" of the electorate (i.e. the senior wellness centers in MAPs 3). But voters like big and bold. Little things like this scream BORING--there is simply no fundamental improvement in the community by expanding a half used freeway--and in a conservative place like Oklahoma opens one up to attacks by the anti-tax crowd.
I hope I'm wrong, but I feel like Tulsa is about to blow it just when their downtown area is really starting to hit its stride.
The following article is from the Tulsa World (btw there is a paywall):
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=717&articleid=20120810_16_A1_ULNSeo547283
A couple of questions for our Tulsa-based posters:
Why on earth is this being rushed like this? The proposal comes out now for a November election for a tax that isn't expiring for another 5 years. Heck, I thought MAPs 3 was a bit rushed, but at least the tax was expiring a few months before it was voted upon.
Nearly $100 million just in bond costs and interest? Yikes!
Paying sales tax money to finish Gilcrease Expressway. That is 100% responsibility of ODOT. Plus, I've been on the Gilcrease to go to the airport and its not like traffic was bursting at the seams.
Nearly a quarter billion spent just on the upgrading hangars at the airport. I guess I can understand that given how hugely important aerospace is to the Tulsa economy, but wow that seems like a lot of money to what amounts to be corporate welfare. Especially given the precarious state American Airlines is in. They should really wait to see what they are going to do with their Tulsa workforce first.
My biggest concern is that this in general just really amounts to a laundry list of little things. No one big thing, on the scale of the BOK Center for example, that everyone can rally around. True you have to provide some small projects to "grease the wheel" of the electorate (i.e. the senior wellness centers in MAPs 3). But voters like big and bold. Little things like this scream BORING--there is simply no fundamental improvement in the community by expanding a half used freeway--and in a conservative place like Oklahoma opens one up to attacks by the anti-tax crowd.
I hope I'm wrong, but I feel like Tulsa is about to blow it just when their downtown area is really starting to hit its stride.