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Council to change tax ordinance to enable Gilcrease demolition

Back at the beginning of March, we reported that Gilcrease Museum would not be renovated and expanded, as Tulsa voters were promised in April 2016, but would instead be demolished and rebuilt as a smaller facility, with the help of funding from the University of Tulsa and other donors. The...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 22, 2020 2:18 AM

Even billionaires deserve scrutiny and skepticism from the media

There are those who worry about the influence of the wealthy on federal politics but are quite blasé about the influence of the wealthy on local politics. That slobbery, smooching sound you heard Saturday was Wayne Greene's column in the Saturday, December 31, 2016, Tulsa World, telling all of us...

Posted by Michael Bates on January 2, 2017 10:39 AM

Budget-busting Vision Tulsa: "We should have thought through better"

The City Council and the Mayor didn't need to put Vision Tulsa on a special April ballot. The Vision 2025 tax doesn't expire until December 31. They had plenty of time to perform due diligence, get solid estimates, consider consequences and hidden costs, but they wanted it on a low-turnout...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 12, 2016 12:49 AM

Sales Tax Overview Committee chairman voices accountability concerns about Vision Tulsa projects

Most of the projects in Vision Tulsa Prop 3 amount to "Here, have a pile of money." Instead of building a specific facility that will belong to the City of Tulsa or updating existing city-owned facilities, the City will write a check to some other institution to do with as...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 6, 2016 2:53 PM

Vision Tulsa, sheriff special election: BatesLine ballot card

Here are my recommended votes in the Tulsa County special election on April 5, 2016, for the unexpired term for Tulsa County Sheriff and county and municipal sales tax propositions. Links lead to more detailed information or earlier blog entries. (This entry may change as I decide to add...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 5, 2016 7:00 PM

Vision Tulsa and Tulsa County, April 5, 2016, election in a nutshell

Tomorrow, April 5, 2016, voters across Tulsa County have a special election for sheriff and will also vote on the county's sales tax proposal (1/20th of a cent for 15 years) for capital projects. Here's what the white countywide ballot will look like. Voters in several Tulsa County municipalities will...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 4, 2016 5:57 PM

Vision Tulsa: Fisheries biologist damns dams' impact on fish and fishing

Fisheries biologist Chris Whisenhunt with a sauger he caught in the Arkansas River beneath the 96th Street (Jenks) bridge, an area that would be affected by the proposed south Tulsa / Jenks dam. Tulsa fisheries biologist Chris Whisenhunt has some concerns about the dam's effect on fish and fishing....

Posted by Michael Bates on April 4, 2016 1:20 AM

Dam hazards: Ohio cities removing low-water dams

It's very typical of Tulsa to embrace an urban development fad just as other cities are rethinking and reversing course. (Case in point: No sooner did we close off Main Street for a pedestrian mall than other cities began noticing that pedestrian malls killed retail businesses and started reopening pedestrianized...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 4, 2016 12:23 AM

Vision 2025's broken promise: Economic development

We were promised in 2003 that if we passed Vision 2025, our economy would grow so much that we'd have enough additional revenue to pave streets and hire more police officers and re-open our closed city pools. If Vision 2025 made our economy grow, why are we now being asked to increase our permanent operating sales tax rate by 17.25% (from 2% to 2.345%) to fund basic police and fire coverage and street maintenance? Why are we demolishing rec centers and pools?

Posted by Michael Bates on March 31, 2016 10:33 PM

Vision Tulsa: Northside payola projects

North Tulsa residents are among the most skeptical of visionary sales taxes. They know that they will bear a heavy share of the costs, but they are doubtful of seeing any benefits. They'll pay extra sales taxes on the basics of life -- food, clothing, electricity, natural gas --...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 29, 2016 8:27 PM

Arkansas River retrospective

Over the last 13 years, I've written quite a bit about the Arkansas River and proposals for damming and remodeling it, and about what Tulsans really are seeking when they ask for water in the river. Recently I resurrected several of my Urban Tulsa Weekly columns and my 2007...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 29, 2016 6:00 PM

Vague Vision Tulsa: Payola Project for common schools

Among the many flaws in the Vision Tulsa dam tax proposal (on the April 5, 2016, ballot) are what I've decided to call the Payola Projects -- projects that involve giving a chunk of money to various institutions in hopes of winning their constituents' votes for the dam tax. A...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 28, 2016 8:32 PM

Vision Tulsa, Helmerich Park, and strip malls along the Arkansas River

Vision Tulsa Vote Yes ads claim (dishonestly) that approval of the Vision Tulsa Dam Tax hike on April 5, 2016, will prevent future strip malls from being built along the river. In fact, nothing in the Vision Tulsa propositions address development standards. Moreover, the City Council has the power...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 27, 2016 8:55 PM

Muscogee (Creek) Nation to Tulsa: No money for Jenks dam

Here is a timeline of statements made by Muscogee (Creek) Nation (MCN) elected officials regarding their financial involvement in the low-water dam. When you clear away the wish-casting statements being made by city officials, you'll notice that there aren't any MCN officials offering money to the project. Instead, MCN officials...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 23, 2016 12:19 AM

Dead Dam Vision: Fox23's spiked story

Last week, a local TV station spiked a well-researched news story about funding problems for the proposed south Tulsa / Jenks low-water dam and the awareness of Tulsa elected officials of the problem before they voted to put the proposal on the ballot. The story's sudden withdrawal hints at pressure...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 19, 2016 9:09 PM

Vision Tulsa squeezes out "Third Penny" for streets; Dollars for dams instead

If you take time to read the Vision Tulsa ballot resolutions and ordinances that define the new city sales tax rate and control how the new city sales taxes will be spent, the barrage of changing tax rates and effective dates may make your head swim. That's why I put...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 7, 2016 10:22 PM