2017 GoBond Package News

[Plutonic Panda]

Was wondering if we have any posters that might know something about this that hasn't been announced yet.

Did the last GoBond actually pass and go into action in 2007 or was it just proposed that year?

I would like to assume or at least hope this GoBond will be a bit bigger than the last. Not sure if that will be the case, but even if it was the same 800 or so million is still a lot of money and I wanted to know if they are going to hold any public forums on this so there can be some public participation. I have no idea how the last GoBond proposal went about as I wasn't following city development like I do now.

Honestly in a perfect world it would be nice to see about a billion for parks, streets, police. . . same thing as last time and then another billion for a new mass transit package. But I doubt that will happen so I wonder how much should be split up. I'd say about as far as transit goes I'd put 60% for roads and 40% for mass transit. I know this may not please mass transit advocates, but I doubt the general public is ready to accept mass transit at this time.

A few primary projects I would like to see included goes as followed:

* Widening and reconstruction of May, Western, and Penn to six lanes in a lot of places and either reconstructed to four in others with new landscaping and possibly sections of the roads go on a road diet in and around the core. One such place I would like to see this is May Ave. with the stretch between NW23rd and 10th narrowed to one lane each way during rush hour with a BRT or light rail line that gets priority during that time. Now I understand not all of these roads would be completely redone, but the obvious stretches that include the most traffic and the most important parts which could be determined by the city or people. I'd give about 200-300 lane miles to these streets. These would be the most important as they are the veins and lifeline of OKC.

*Classen-NW Expressway BRT line

*Complete reconstruction of NW 23rd St. and a street car line along it connecting the State Capitol to it

*Other streetcar expansions including directly connecting the Capitol & Innovation district to the core, a Capitol Hill connection, and a Midtown connection with a spur going to the Paseo.

*A 235 cap(while I'm not particularly fond of caps in general, I do tend to think this could be of a benefit to downtown)

*BRT down Western with a dedicated lane in some places

*Sidewalk 360 plan which would improve or ensure there is a fully function sidewalk along every street within the I-44, I235, and I-40 ring.

*highway beautification

*Memorial road corridor improvement which would widen the Memorial road service lanes to 6 lanes with texas turnarounds at all lights.

*Adventure district rail line

*Envision 240 funds

*complete re-envisioning of Classen including new round-a-bouts, dutch bike lanes(with a greenway connecting to the river), reconstructed in cement, new landscaping and sidewalks added

*Shields complete redo with a possible BRT or rail line to Moore

*monorail from downtown to the fairgrounds including the revamp of the fairgrounds monorail

*fairgrounds remodel(new exhibit halls, new formula one racetrack with grandstand, space needle remodel etc)

*Reno Ave. reconstruct from west of May to Rockwell. This would include a new linear park which would be very long with dedicated space set aside for a future transit connection to El Reno and Yukon

*as far as parks I'm not exactly sure which ones need it the worst but I definitely have noticed the southside parks lack some TLC and Oliver could be a really cool park.

*Though this is a pipe dream, I'd also like to see partial funding working with ODOT to convert NW39th into a limited access divided highway that is six lanes with 6 lanes of service road, below grade, that is capped through downtown Bethany(possibly reduced or no service lanes in Downtown Bethany), and connected to the Kilpatrick. I realize there are some environmental issues with the area around Lake Overholser, but those can be worked around. Keep in mind, I know this is a pipe dream right now. I have no doubt that is going to happen down the road when traffic really starts getting bad, but it would be nice to see the two cities and ODOT plan ahead by at least securing ROW and implementing a plan. I see something like that happening in the late 2020's.

*Other arterial improvements NW36 St, Martin Luther King Rd. improvements, NW and SW Grand BLVD., 44th St., May by OCCC, SE 89th, SW 29th, NW 10th, Linwood, NW 63rd, and Wilshire.

These are just wish list items of mine and I know a lot of those won't happen, but it would be nice. I know there are going to be several who will disagree with me on a lot of those, but I'm sure one thing we can agree on is we don't need endless four lanes roads built out in the middle of nowhere. I hope they focus this one more on mass transit and improving existing roads. Highway beautification is also a big one I'd like to see them shell out around 5-15 million on.

If I had to pick my favorites I'd say NW 23rd Reconstruct(no streetcar but ROW for a future one), Classen reconstruct with dutch protected bike lanes(greenway to the river), BRT down Classen to NW Expressway, streetcar expansions to Midtown, Paseo, Innovation District & Capitol Hill. . . NW 63rd reconstruct, MLK Reconstruct with new memorials and special art, Memorial Road reconstruct and reconfigure, May Ave. improvements, Western Improvements, SW Grand improvements, and Envision 240 funding. I'm not sure if you could make that work in a billion dollar budget, but if you can't I can still narrow it down from there.

If anyone has anything else to share please do. I'd also like to know if there are going to be any public input meetings and when those might happen.

I'm guessing the things like Classen corridor improvements and BRT are obviously going to be included in the future GoBond package.

[HOT ROD]

im definitely in favor of using the GO bonds to lay more streetcar track in the inner city. We don't necessarily need more cars right away, we could extend the reach of the system by just laying more track (and doing some double track sections).

[traxx]

We're talking about Go Bond medicated powder, right?

[OKCRT]

We're talking about Go Bond medicated powder, right?

Gold Bond is where you pave the streets in , yes you guessed it.

[Celebrator]

Was at a public meeting tonight with city officials about the upcoming G.O. bond in 2017 and they will be doing lots of forums in the upcoming months to allow people to share their ideas for what they would like to see included. City representatives estimated it would be $300-800 million this time. Bond time frame is unknown at this time...somewhere between 5-10 years. Vote would likely be Sept or Nov. 2017. All projects from the 2007 bond are scheduled to be completed or at least under construction by 2020.

[HOT ROD]

hm, good point about the 2017 GO Bond projects. Does anybody have a list?

We should track those just like we do the MAPS projects, so we can watch our city grow and improve but also provide awareness where possible.

[Plutonic Panda]

Was at a public meeting tonight with city officials about the upcoming G.O. bond in 2017 and they will be doing lots of forums in the upcoming months to allow people to share their ideas for what they would like to see included. City representatives estimated it would be $300-800 million this time. Bond time frame is unknown at this time...somewhere between 5-10 years. Vote would likely be Sept or Nov. 2017. All projects from the 2007 bond are scheduled to be completed or at least under construction by 2020.

That is good to hear I guess. I was kind of hoping it would be a bit larger than the previous one/

I saw a post from Ed Shadid that disclosed about how Paycom was getting like 1.7 million dollars for job incentives and what better fund to take that from than than the GoBond.

[bchris02]

The top two things in my wish list.

1. Street reconstruction, improved streetscaping, and placemaking in Bricktown, similar to what was done in the Plaza district and Western Avenue
2. Fill in sidewalk gaps and add street lights in the Paseo and Jefferson Park

[baralheia]

Top thing I would like to see is more sidewalks along as many streets as possible within a 5-6mi radius of the center of downtown; this would cover the city primarily within the boundaries of I-44 to the north, I-35 to the east, I-240 to the south, and I-44 to the west. It may be too expensive to retrofit existing neighborhood streets, but all major streets should have a sidewalk.

The I-240 corridor is doing pretty well right now, but I would love to see some funds go toward diversifying the existing environment and attracting new business, as well as beautification, repair, and maintenance of the existing city-owned physical plant. There are a ton of roads that need resurfacing, a ton of concrete walls that could at the very least use a splash of paint, and a ton of lights burnt out or otherwise inoperative under the overpasses and along city streets.

I really like the idea of overhauling 23rd St and adding a streetcar line. If that line stretched from (very roughly) Overholser to I-35, along with a wye somewhere in there to connect it to the new downtown loop, that could impact and benefit a LOT of people. That's a roughly 10-mile line, though, which would probably be expensive enough not to happen, but it would be very nice.

Don't forget that mass transit items will soon be handled by the upcoming Regional Transit Authority... ACOG's got the RTA task force going with representatives from several cities that signed on for this thing, and once they get the district boundaries figured out, then there will eventually be a vote of residents within those boundaries to launch the actual RTA. This will most likely occur within the next 3 years - and possibly sooner.

[David]

One idea that someone was pushing at the Maps4Neighborhoods event that I went to was to build sidewalks with a focus on school proximity.

[Plutonic Panda]

They are having a meeting on May 24th regarding this

https://www.facebook.com/events/1681054695492437/

[LakeEffect]

They are having a meeting on May 24th regarding this

https://www.facebook.com/events/1681054695492437/

They? Ed Shadid is hosting it...

[bradh]

Ah good ol community organizer Ed Shadid.

My number one wish list, once the Boulevard opens, reduce Reno through Bricktown (train track to train track) to two lanes and convert the existing outside lanes to street parking, along with a reduced speed limit. Since the Boulevard wasn't made for anything other than moving cars, allow Reno to be better than it currently is.

[HangryHippo]

Ah good ol community organizer Ed Shadid.

My number one wish list, once the Boulevard opens, reduce Reno through Bricktown (train track to train track) to two lanes and convert the existing outside lanes to street parking, along with a reduced speed limit. Since the Boulevard wasn't made for anything other than moving cars, allow Reno to be better than it currently is.

Great idea.

[benjico]

I'd like to see more drinking fountains in city parks and along the river trails. And sidewalks in the urban core. Lots and lots of sidewalks.

[Plutonic Panda]

http://journalrecord.com/2016/05/24/...issue-finance/

[Pete]

OKC contemplates size of next bond issue
By: Brian Brus The Journal Record May 24, 2016 0

OKLAHOMA CITY – City Hall officials are already trying to determine how much money Oklahoma City will need over the next 10 years for capital improvements on bridges, parks, libraries and other infrastructure projects.

The target proposed at a town hall meeting Tuesday night fell between $350 million and $850 million. The range is wide because Finance Director Craig Freeman and other staff members have to provide City Council members with flexible options during a difficult economic downturn, City Manager Jim Couch said. Ultimately, they’ll have to ask residents to authorize general obligation bond debt that will be paid back with property taxes.

Refining the numbers into something palatable is a challenge – especially when competing with other regional tax issues – but it’s also unavoidable, Couch said. General obligation bond funds are primary budget resources that the city taps into each year, albeit in small chunks.

In March, for example, City Hall issued $89.5 million in bond debt from a total of $835.5 million that voters authorized in 2007. That issuance left just $184.7 million to spend, which means it’s almost time to refill the pool.

Couch said that the staff must determine not only which projects are most likely to need funding over several years, but also how many property tax mills the public can afford to carry. The current rate is 16 mills, which has been maintained for decades.

A single mill produces about $5.5 million in revenue annually in Oklahoma City, Freeman said. On a more individualized level, 16 mills on a $150,000 home assessment would cost a property $248 per year while 18 mills would cost $279.

“I don’t mean to sound flippant, but it’s really not as hard as you might think. City surveys always say roads are the number one priority,” he said. “When you look at the 10 propositions we had last time, I assume it’s going to be very similar again. We probably won’t get any new fire stations, but we’ll probably fix some up. We’ll have traffic improvements and drainage improvements and I assume we’ll have some additional buses and a parks proposition.”

Couch said he’s cautiously optimistic that voters will approve the question when it’s put on a ballot, even though many of them are also faced with costly expenses at the county jail and in public school districts.

[Plutonic Panda]

http://www.koco.com/article/emu-who-...-chase/7123309

https://okc.gov/residents/2017-bond-election\\

Survey here: https://okc.gov/residents/2017-bond-...esident-survey

[shawnw]

Just an FYI, went to a presentation with city speakers on Thursday night at a city facility. Yes, the citizen survey can be done online. But there's also a neighborhood survey that cannot be done online. You can download/complete/mail it in though, and you should. Or you can take it to the Neighborhood Alliance and they will turn it in for you. You can also ask them any kinds of questions you might have and they can answer.

[HangryHippo]

Just an FYI, went to a presentation with city speakers on Thursday night at a city facility. Yes, the citizen survey can be done online. But there's also a neighborhood survey that cannot be done online. You can download/complete/mail it in though, and you should. Or you can take it to the Neighborhood Alliance and they will turn it in for you. You can also ask them any kinds of questions you might have and they can answer.

Where is the neighborhood survey to download?

[shawnw]

https://okc.gov/home/showdocument?id=5853

[Plutonic Panda]

http://m.newsok.com/article/5530791?...g_list=article

I am glad they are focusing on roads but i would to see at least row for light-rail in the south side and adventure district rail line.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited for the streetcar, but when the city gets bigger, I'd love to see it bury the streetcar and light-rail on dedicated tracks say she big city more than a street car does sharing a lane with cars. Plus I'm not a fan of rail having at grade crossing with streets.

If the right of way could be acquired with 2017GoBond for both light-rail to the south side connecting to Will Rodgers Airport and the adventure district line aaaaannnnnddd dare I say Norman though that might be overstepping it a bit, maybe it could be constructed as part of MAPS4.

[David]

Provide feedback and learn more about the 2017 Bond Election at citywide workshops

Interactive workshops scheduled throughout Oklahoma City in January and February will provide the latest chance to learn more about OKC’s 2017 Bond Election and share your priorities.

An Oklahoma City Council member will make remarks at each come-and-go workshop.

The City Council and staff are working on project lists for the election, which is set for Sept. 12. Public feedback is among the information the Council considers when building project lists for the ballot.

The workshops

The workshops will include information about community needs and benefits for project areas, remarks by a Council member Ward and ways to provide feedback.

You can drop in anytime during the come-and-go workshops.

Standing displays at each workshop with information, maps and more will be accompanied by a booklet with more details to take home. Staff members will be available for questions and comments.

Staff members can also guide residents on using the OKC Connect smartphone app as a way to give feedback about project priorities in specific places. App users can press the black “Submit a Request” button, then scroll down to select “2017 GO Bond Input.”

Everyone is invited to attend any of the workshops. The information at each one will be the same, regardless of where it is.

They start in late January with the first at Bishop McGuinness High School on 1/19. The details and location for each can be found at the link.

[warreng88]

Mulling over mills: OKC’s 2017 GO bonds could top $1 billion

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record December 13, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – City Council members weighed the value of a small increase in property taxes against the city’s capital needs Tuesday as they prepared a bond issue that could be worth more than $1 billion.

“We’ve shown a willingness to invest in ourselves,” Councilman Pete White said. “We don’t rely on the federal government for funding. We do it ourselves.

“We talk often about looking for other sources of revenue because we stand on a one-legged stool of sales tax,” he said. “… If we don’t add to the ad valorem, we’re cutting our own nose off to spite our face.”

The general obligation bond issue will come up for a citywide vote in 2017. It is a regular feature of municipal government in Oklahoma, necessary for funding projects such as street repairs, police station buildings and rainwater drainage systems for several years at a time. The last GO bond issue in 2007 totaled $835.5 million.

In addition to deciding how much money City Hall needs, the City Council must figure out how quickly residents can afford to pay back the debt to investors via property tax collections. In Oklahoma, the annual tax bill property owners receive from the county assessor’s office represents the total of all property taxes levied by the county, city, local school districts and other special districts. Property tax levies are defined in units called mills: $1 for each $1,000 of assessed value, or $0.001 per $1.

Voters must approve new debt, however; City Council members cannot hike tax rates on their own. That’s where Tuesday’s discussion centered after a thorough background presentation by city staff.

Finance Director Craig Freeman said the 2017 GO bond program will need to fall between $400 million and $1.4 billion, depending on the term of the bonds and the property tax rate. A simple matrix of possible combinations of those factors places the smaller figure at 16 mills repaid over five years and the larger figure at 20 mills over 10 years.

Freeman advised against 20 mills because the repayment demand would put the city’s credit rating at higher risk with bond assessment agencies. None of the City Council members disagreed.

Several were open to a smaller increase, however, often referring to the rate as a percentage. City Hall’s targeted levy level for many years has been an average of 16 mills. White said such a cautious approach has caused numerous work delays and aggravated residents. On the other hand, he said, the public has overwhelmingly approved the previous bond issues.

“We just can’t artificially hold ad valorem taxes where they are and expect to keep up with the growth that’s happening,” he said. “We ought to seriously look at raising it to 18 percent.”

Councilman James Greiner confirmed with City Manager Jim Couch that the City Council could increase the levy by a single mill instead of two. Larry McAtee and Mark Stonecipher expressed concern that voters would support any upward change at all.

If the millage rate increased by two points, a typical home assessed at $150,000 in Oklahoma County would see an increase in annual property tax from $1,777 at 16 mills to $1,808 at 18 mills, a 2-percent overall increase.

Regardless of the financing details, Oklahoma City needs to invest more in its streets, traffic control systems and bridges, according to resident surveys. Those projects are followed by drainage, parks, police, fire, libraries, other facilities, economic development, and sidewalks. The draft list for the bond proposition totals $1.86 billion, comprising 850 projects. A final list, with more public feedback, will be submitted to the council in the spring.

[bradh]

I fully support a 2% increase