City and county officials are trying to reach a compromise between their two proposals for a 0.167-cent sales tax, they announced Thursday.
Mayor Dewey Bartlett and City Councilors David Patrick and G.T. Bynum have met privately several times this month with County Commissioner Karen Keith and Sheriff Stanley Glanz to discuss a deal that could include sharing the tax that both entities hope to capture, officials said.
"Our needs are your needs, and I'm just imploring you to think about a little give-and-take on this and allow us to be successful and you to be successful at the same time," Keith told the council during a committee meeting Thursday morning.
"The worst thing that could happen are to have both of these go down."
For nearly a year, city officials have been discussing temporarily extending the city's share of the county's former 4 to Fix tax to fund $66 million worth of projects in their nearly $920 million capital improvements package, which focuses on transportation and other capital needs.
Councilors hope to vote Aug. 22 to send the measure to city voters Nov. 12.
Tulsa County officials announced plans in July to ask for a countywide vote on the same day to enact a new permanent 0.167-cent tax so it can be used to fund a new juvenile justice center and additional pods at the Tulsa Jail.
If both taxes are approved, it would mean a tax increase countywide as well as for Tulsa residents, who would have approved two separate 0.167-cent initiatives.
Officials said Thursday that no compromise deal has been reached yet and that the negotiating group plans to continue meeting.
Ideas include splitting up the 0.167-cent tax, rather than having two 0.167-cent taxes; and having the city abandon its 0.167-cent tax in favor of asking city voters to extend Tulsa's third-penny sales tax for a longer period.
Councilors voiced opposition to both ideas Thursday, arguing that they have already agreed on most of the projects that would be funded in the city initiative.
The city, meanwhile, has sought public input through town hall meetings while the county seemingly has sought little public input, councilors argued.
"We've been working on this proposal for the last 9-10 months, and two weeks before we pass our ordinances and resolution, you're wanting us to totally change the landscape of our proposal," Councilor Karen Gilbert said.
Bynum added that "pulling $66 million in projects out of that after getting feedback from people would be very difficult."
Keith said she would "implore" the city to "back off a little bit," saying the county's needs are urgent and that county officials are "against the wall."
"The thing that concerns me is confusing the voters," Councilor Phil Lakin said. "Sometimes you end up with ballot initiates on there that are confusing to the voters so they vote no when they really wanted to vote yes.
"As you're imploring us to think of different options, I would just implore back to you and other commissioners to decide whether or not this is the right time."
County officials are in the midst of a petition drive to hold a special election Nov. 12 for their proposal.
For the election to be called, 5 percent of registered voters in Tulsa County at the time of the last general election, or approximately 17,777 voters, would have to sign the petition.
Keith said Thursday that the county is having little problem finding signatures.
Read more in Friday's Tulsa World.
Local Politics
City voters on Nov. 12 will consider separate ballot propositions to extend 1.1 percent in sales taxes up to seven years for $563.7 million in roadwork and other capital improvements projects and to issue $355 million in general obligation bonds mainly for nonarterial roadwork.
Mayor Dewey Bartlett and former Mayor Kathy Taylor have eight weeks to make their cases before voters go to the polls Nov. 12.
