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2021 School & Municipal General Election: BatesLine ballot card

Below are my thoughts on some of the races in the Oklahoma school board and municipal general election on April 6, 2021, along with links to candidate websites, social media profiles, and candidate forums for elections and bond issues on Tuesday's ballot in Tulsa County.

Posted by Michael Bates on April 6, 2021 7:00 PM

Oklahoma municipal elections, 2013

Municipalities across Oklahoma are holding city council elections today. Today is also runoff day for school board seats that weren't settled in February. Below are some of the local races. It's encouraging to see that so many of the elections are contested. In Skiatook, every single seat is on the...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 2, 2013 12:56 PM

Vision2: A better vision for Bixby, Jenks, and Sand Springs

Here's my second installment of fliers explaining why Vision2 hurts Tulsa County's municipalities and how these cities would be better off enacting a city sales tax to replace the Vision 2025 county sales tax when it expires on the last day of 2016. Specifically, this time, here's a better alternative...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 31, 2012 12:00 PM

Jenks and Owasso voters give higher taxes thumbs-down

Jenks and Owasso voters turned down property tax increases (general obligation bond issues) by overwhelming margins on Tuesday, while Broken Arrow school district voters approved a reallocation of an existing bond issue that involved no tax increase at all. According to KRMG News, the Owasso tax increase would have amounted...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 12, 2011 1:08 AM

Bond issues today: Broken Arrow schools, Cities of Owasso and Jenks

Voters in two Tulsa County municipalities and a school district will go to the polls today to vote on general obligation bond issues. General obligation bond issues are funded by a property tax increase -- the millage (tax rate) goes up by enough to cover debt service on the bonds....

Posted by Michael Bates on October 11, 2011 7:00 PM

Oklahoma municipal elections, school runoffs today, April 5, 2011

Oklahoma towns and cities with a statutory charter (which is to say, no charter at all; they are governed by the default provisions of Oklahoma Statutes Title 11) and some charter cities have elections today, Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Some school board seats will have a runoff, if none of...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 5, 2011 12:23 AM

Foreclosure looms over Jenks Riverwalk

Riverwalk Crossing in Jenks faces foreclosure: Court records show the American National Bank of Texas has started foreclosure proceedings against Colburn Electric, Jerry Gordon, and RWC Management. I'm skeptical that any riverfront development can duplicate the success of San Antonio's Paseo del Rio, with its combination of a natural bend...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 23, 2011 7:59 PM

Jenks sales tax fails

One of the many surprising results from Tuesday's election was the defeat of three out of four questions on the City of Jenks ballot. A bond issue for streets was approved, but a bond issue for city hall improvements and a 3/4-cent sales tax for fire trucks and water and...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 10, 2010 11:09 PM

TIF 201; Perry responds to "Realistic River Development"

Last week I wrote a primer on tax increment financing (TIF) districts. My column in this week's issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly is the advanced course: TIF districts as applied to Jenks' proposed billion-dollar River District development and a Branson Landing-type development on Tulsa's west bank. You can read all...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 12, 2007 11:10 PM