Shadid wants to eliminate zoo funding?

[ljbab728]

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-coun...dline_politics

[Spartan]

It sounds like someone in the Dark Tower is taking another stab at Shadid, this time, trying to blow his comments into something much bigger. Families like the zoo.

This will be an intriguing debate, Shadid has an excellent point. This is his best point: Arguing over how much excess funding to give the zoo, rather than arguing over how much excess funding to give to systemically stressed core services like public safety and public transit..

I think Shadid has picked a winner, even if the Dark Tower is going to pull a, "calls to Shadid for comment were not answered" ploy.

[ljbab728]

How is a dedicated sales tax considered to be excess funding? I saw nothing "dark" about the article. I'm sure he knew his comments would be controversial. I see no reason to give him a pass for everything he says just because he's "Ed Shadid" and trying to be the fly in the ointment for the City Council. Even the widow of his deceased reporter cousin, Anthony, is none too pleased with all of his comments.

This isn't related to this thead but is worth mentioning.

http://gawker.com/anthony-shadid/

I do not approve of and will not be a part of any public discussion of Anthony's passing. It does nothing but sadden Anthony's children to have to endure repeated public discussion of the circumstances of their father's death.

While I approve of many of his ideas, I think he is somewhat of a publicity seeker who doesn't concern himself too much with consequences.

[Spartan]

It's hard to justify a dedicated zoo sales tax in light of being unable to provide basic public transit service and public safety becoming an actual issue. PS has a dedicated sales tax, and is probably over-funded on replacement equipment and vehicles, but seriously under-manned. Not being able to provide bus service on all days of the week is also a major issue. P180 was a wreck and we need to find ways to fund 2-way conversions, a desperately needed EKG redesign, in addition to the rail quiet zone, the AICC fiasco, some roadway to the AICC if it ever opens, rescuing the boulevard, the convention center hotel, convention center budget over-runs, an operations funding mechanism for the MAPS3 projects (especially the senior centers), a downtown retail subsidy, and who knows what else that needs funding somehow. I also hope we can get to the regional rail transit system that talk is starting to heat up around, realizing the time is right for us to act for ourselves.

A zoo tax. So that instead of sleeping on concrete, exotic animals have grass to sleep on. Throw that under the bus.

[poe]

I say leave it alone.

[Bellaboo]

I say leave it alone.

The people overwhelmingly voted FOR this 20 years ago, just so the zoo would have a reliable source of income. Ed, don't be messing with what the people voted YES for.

[HangryHippo]

I agree. I like Shadid, but our zoo is excellent and has been supported by the votes of the people. Leave it alone.

[Just the facts]

It's hard to justify a dedicated zoo sales tax in light of being unable to provide basic public transit service and public safety becoming an actual issue.

650 sq miles of services. Want to solve the problem? Fix that first.

[CaptDave]

It's hard to justify a dedicated zoo sales tax in light of being unable to provide basic public transit service and public safety becoming an actual issue. PS has a dedicated sales tax, and is probably over-funded on replacement equipment and vehicles, but seriously under-manned. Not being able to provide bus service on all days of the week is also a major issue. P180 was a wreck and we need to find ways to fund 2-way conversions, a desperately needed EKG redesign, in addition to the rail quiet zone, the AICC fiasco, some roadway to the AICC if it ever opens, rescuing the boulevard, the convention center hotel, convention center budget over-runs, an operations funding mechanism for the MAPS3 projects (especially the senior centers), a downtown retail subsidy, and who knows what else that needs funding somehow. I also hope we can get to the regional rail transit system that talk is starting to heat up around, realizing the time is right for us to act for ourselves.

A zoo tax. So that instead of sleeping on concrete, exotic animals have grass to sleep on. Throw that under the bus.

It is no more difficult to justify than basketball arenas, baseball fields, and nearly anything else in MAPS. The zoo tax was a choice by OKC citizens and has actually yielded pretty good results. You can't say that about many "improvements" undertaken by OKC.

I would like to know in what context Mr Shadid made this statement. I get the feeling he was merely illustrating a larger point and his comment has been misconstrued a bit.

(I voted in favor of all the previous MAPS initiatives by the way.)

[ljbab728]

I would like to know in what context Mr Shadid made this statement. I get the feeling he was merely illustrating a larger point and his comment has been misconstrued a bit.

Since, according to the article, he hasn't responded to requests to elaborate, it may be a while before we find out for sure.

[Urban Pioneer]

I think Shadid has picked a winner,

I hope he doesn't follow your political advice. lol I watched that Council meeting and I think that while his comments were limited to only a couple sentences, they could easily be construed in any direction.

I believe that the Zoo Tax is a exemplary example where a great public service is being performed and a great example of how such stable funding could enable better Police or Transit service.

[adaniel]

To significantly tamper with something that was overwhelmingly approved by voters (like the zoo sales tax was) sets a very bad precedent for a city that has seen its fortunes rise by delivering on tax pledges.

I would be interested to see in what context he said these things. I would take Shadid as smarter than this.

[king183]

Removing the dedicated sales tax would be a horrendous idea, and I hope that's not what Shadid intended to suggest or propose. If Shadid is, in fact, advocating removal of the tax, I would be extremely disappointed in him. That source of funding is vital for the zoo. Anyone who remembers what our zoo look like just 15 years ago know the wonders it has done for the zoo, the animals, and our city. Removing the tax would be a disaster for all three.

[onthestrip]

The zoo is kind of like the metro library system. The libraries get a decent chunk of our property tax and I've always wondered why they got so much. For some reason I want to say $70ish dollars of my property tax bill went to the library system. Whether its good or bad, it's been interesting to see the last few years all other city services/departments cut back while the zoo and metro library system have more money than they know what to do with.

[OkieDave]

What is curious his comments were I think like 2 weeks ago and focused as much or more on the funding of the Fairgrounds (6/11 of the 5.5% motel tax). The Zoo tax started in 1989, I think it is reasonable to revisit every 5-23 years. Seems like someone is stirring the pot. I like elected leaders looking at options and asking questions. Sacred cows maybe don't always stay sacred.

[kevinpate]

Sacred cows maybe don't always stay sacred.

One man's sacred moo is another man's solution to hunger. Just as neither may be entirely right, is either truly wrong?

[Larry OKC]

I would like clarification on the remarks but on the surface, what is wrong about having the voters revisit this and other supposedly dedicated taxes? Yes, it was overwhelmingly passed by voters decades ago now, but does that mean that it should continue or that voters now want it to continue? Priorities can and do change for time, especially when you are talking about decades. This tax amounts to very little in the grand scheme of the overall City Budget so to divert it for other purposes would be ill advised. But is Shadid advocating redirecting the tax or questioning if surplus funds from other areas need to go to the Zoo since it has a dedicated tax? The yearly diversion of multi-millions from another dedicated tax to the General Fund has been happening for several years now (as evidenced by the OKC Budget Reports over at OKC.gov).

[Urban Pioneer]

It is very bad politics to even talk about the Zoo tax. If you think an intellectual argument will resonate on this issue and not turn into a Shadid versus the Animals political debate, then your badly mistaken. It obviously already is. I'm glad that he is talking about permanent solutions to public transit and other funding needs, but leave the animals out of the discussion.

[Bellaboo]

If I remember correctly, the zoo tax is 1/8 of a cent....? If this is the case, he probably needs to look else where for funding sources.

[Larry OKC]

Yep from OKC.gov

...Of that 3.875, the general fund of the City receives 2.00 cents (two-thirds of which goes to public safety), public safety receives an additional 0.75 cents, and the Zoo receives 0.125 (1/8th). These taxes were each approved by votes of the people, and do not have an end date. One cent on every dollar now goes to MAPS 3. Unlike the other taxes, the MAPS tax is temporary.

[Just the facts]

So out of the total 3.875 cents publc safety gets 54% - and that isn't enough?

[Hutch]

I watched the discussion on City Council. From my perspective, it seemed like Ed was simply trying to make the point that there's a permanent dedicated funding source for the Zoo, so why can't we have one for transit. It was a good point to make. I don't think he was seriously suggesting eliminating the Zoo's funding to pay for it. He knows it will take a lot more than that to fund an effective regional transit system.

Just as an FYI, the Governance-Finance Committee of ACOG's 2009-2010 Regional Transit Dialogue prepared a final report that provided an excellent model for creating a regional transit district and funding a regional transit system. Here' a link to that report:

2009 RTD Governance-Finance Committee Final Report

See pages 19-22 for the recommended layout of the district and page 53 to see the annual amount of funding that would be available for the transit system based on various permanent sales tax dedications for the district. As one example, a 3/4-cent sales tax from the district would generate more than $100 million annualy for a regional transit system based on 2009 sales tax revenues. That's how we're going to be able to build a great regional transit system. Not by taking a pittance from the Zoo. Ed knows that.

[BoulderSooner]

So out of the total 3.875 cents publc safety gets 54% - and that isn't enough?

this

[OkieDave]

Hutch, great point, if everyone would just actually watch what he said and the context they will probably not come away thinking Shadid is anti-zoo.

[CaptDave]

I watched the discussion on City Council. From my perspective, it seemed like Ed was simply trying to make the point that there's a permanent dedicated funding source for the Zoo, so why can't we have one for transit. It was a good point to make. I don't think he was seriously suggesting eliminating the Zoo's funding to pay for it. He knows it will take a lot more than that to fund an effective regional transit system.

THIS makes much more sense than what the Daily Oklahoman article leads the reader to believe. I had a hunch it was something like this based on what I have heard Mr Shadid say in previous meetings.

Finally, why NOT fund a regional transit authority / system in this manner? It makes perfect sense and is commonly done with great success. But that discussion belongs in another thread.....