County Commission to vote Monday on adding Vision2 proposal to November ballot
BY KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer
Thursday, August 09, 2012
8/09/12 at 2:34 PM
Related story: Vision2 supporters to voice proposal to Tulsa County Commission
Tulsa County commissioners will vote Monday on whether to call a Nov. 6 election on a new Vision 2025 proposal.
The commissioners made their decision Thursday morning after hearing a presentation from Rich Brierre, executive director of the Indian Nations Council of Governments, on the 13-year, $747.9 million package.
The proposed extension would start when the current tax expires, Jan. 1, 2017, and last through Dec. 31, 2029.
The commission will also vote on a resolution Monday outlining the proposed county projects, including:
$38 million for a juvenile justice center
$25 million for roads
$12 million for Expo Square
$10 million for levee improvements
$7 million for parks and recreational facilities
The first element of the Vision2 plan is about $386 million for economic development - improvements on key industrial sites at Tulsa International Airport and a $50 million closing fund to offer final incentives to companies considering locating in the area.
A second $361.9 million package would go to quality-of-life improvements to be selected by the county and each of its cities.
Manufacturing facilities inside the airport complex account for more than 11,000 jobs. American Airlines alone has an annual payroll of $580 million a year, Walker said.
Maintaining those jobs will require substantial improvements to three city-owned buildings that house facilities for American Airlines, Spirit Aero Systems and IC Bus, backers of the campaign said.
Some $122 million of the economic development money is slated for facility and infrastructure requirements, including heating and air-conditioning, roof maintenance, electrical upgrades, equipment upgrades and many other improvements.
Another $132.4 million would be spent on upgrading and replacing airport industrial facilities, including a $60 million next generation engine test cell for Boeing 787 airplanes and several other improvements.
The economic development issue also would set aside $50 million to be used for incentives for employers planning to locate in the Tulsa area.
The second half of the proposed package would be used on a variety of public works projects with the money divided between the county and local cities on the basis of population.
Cities would divide about $257.92 million proportionately by population with another $104 million going to Tulsa County. The county's money includes $12 million in bonding costs for the entire package.
According to current estimates, the cities would receive the following sales-tax revenue over the course of the Vision2 project:
Tulsa $157.92 million
Bixby $11.3 million
Broken Arrow $44.1 million
Collinsville $3.1 million
Glenpool $5.9 million
Jenks $9.3 million
Owasso $14.4 million
Sand Springs $10.1 million
Skiatook $1.2 million
Sperry $600,000
Tulsa County $92 million
Bonding costs, interest $12 million
Associated Images:
County Commissioners listen to a presentation by Rich Brierre, executive director of the Indian Nations Council of Governments about the Vision 2 proposal at the Tulsa County Administration Building, Thursday. CHRISTOPHER SMITH/ Tulsa World
|
