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Improve Our Tulsa 2 election today

I'm hearing from many people that they plan to vote against at least one of the three propositions, for a variety of reasons: Because it's daft to invest another $427 million in a financially unsustainable growth paradigm. Because, for the first time in the nearly 40-year-history of Tulsa's "Third Penny" sales tax for capital improvements, none of the money will go toward basic infrastructure.

Posted by Michael Bates on November 12, 2019 7:00 PM

State Question 801: Giving local school districts flexibility in use of bond funds

State Question 801, proposed by the state legislature, would add 14 words and delete one word from Article 10, Section 10, of the Oklahoma Constitution. Those few words open up a world of flexibility for taxpayers in local school districts to direct their property taxes where most needed. Currently, while...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 3, 2018 2:29 AM

2018 Oklahoma state questions: Links to the legislation

I'll be on 1170 KFAQ this morning (Monday, October 22, 2018) at 8 a.m. with Pat Campbell to discuss the state questions on Oklahoma's November 2018 general election ballot. Tune into 1170 on your AM dial, or listen live on the internet. (UPDATE: Here is a link to my discussion...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 22, 2018 12:34 AM

Oklahoma Election 2014: FOR State Questions 769, 770, 771

Three questions will be on every ballot in Oklahoma next Tuesday. Two have to do with property taxes; one has to do with whether state officials may also serve in the National Guard and Reserves. None of these questions are controversial, but because they involve amendments to the State Constitution,...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 28, 2014 8:13 PM

Tulsa County Property Taxation: Introductory and advanced

Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel, recently re-elected to a fourth four-year term, provides a wealth of information on ad valorem property taxation in Oklahoma. For some time now, he has posted slide presentations online, under Statistics and Analysis, that cover basic and advanced property taxation topics and are chock-full of...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 18, 2014 5:39 PM

Montereau v. Ken Yazel: Leashing elected officials through deprivation of legal counsel

NOTE: Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel was on 1170 KFAQ with Pat Campbell and Eddie Huff at 7:35 a.m. Tuesday. UPDATE 2014/06/25: In an 8-1 decision today (Winchester dissenting), the Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned the Court of Civil Appealsand remanded the property tax appeals to be considered on their merits....

Posted by Michael Bates on June 24, 2014 12:03 AM

Oklahoma Election 2012: Yes on State Question 766

How in the world can you fairly assess the value of intangible property? And if you can't fairly assess it, how in the world can you fairly tax it? That's why Oklahomans should welcome the opportunity to approve SQ 766 and abolish this arbitrary tax which has only been tolerable...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 2, 2012 2:11 AM

Oklahoma Election 2012: No on State Question 758

There are six state questions on the November 6, 2012, general election ballot in Oklahoma. All of them are constitutional amendments, requiring a vote of the people, and all of them are legislative referenda -- questions initiated by the legislature, rather than by initiative petition. The state election board has...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 31, 2012 8:05 PM

Excise board rubber-stamps property tax hikes

While Oklahoma voters have closed off most avenues for tax hikes without a vote, there remains one loophole: the sinking fund. As Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel explains in the news release below, each taxing entity (a city, for example) presents the county excise board an estimate of the property...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 22, 2011 11:12 PM

That sinking (fund) feeling; will Bartlett Jr get a slush fund?

UPDATE 2011/04/04, 11:00 pm: HB 1992 did not come up for a vote today; it is on the Senate calendar for April 5. There's still time to call or email your state senator. My state senator, Gary Stanislawski, told me he plans to vote against HB 1992. UPDATE: HB 1992...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 4, 2011 12:52 AM

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) 201: Advanced concepts and case studies

An edited version of this column appeared in the November 7, 2007, issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly. The published version is available online courtesy of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Here is my blog entry linking to the original column. Posted online September 9, 2017. TIF 201: Advanced concepts and...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 7, 2007 10:04 PM

Tax Increment Financing (TIF): The Basics

An edited version of this column appeared in the October 31, 2007, issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly. The published version is available online courtesy of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Posted online September 9, 2017. Infrequently Asked Questions about Tax Increment Financing: The Basics By Michael D. Bates What's all...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 31, 2007 9:50 PM