Though some cities have already set elections, Tulsa County officials continue to say five-hundredths of a cent from everyone isn’t enough.
"The cities, Tulsa and some municipalities, got together and decided what their needs were without, really, county involvement, and I hopefully explained now that our needs are greater than anticipated," said Tulsa County Commissioner Ron Peters.
Peters spoke with Tulsa city councilors Thursday during the city’s Vision task force meeting. He gave them a list of $136 million in county capital needs.
"We've got $62 million needs in roads, $34 million [in] improvements for Expo Square," Peters said. "We need to keep Expo Square competitive. Shows like the Arabian that come here, other cities are offering up to $500,000 just to go with their city. They keep coming here because our facilities are top notch, and so that's our competitive edge."
The city and county are looking for projects they might share costs for. About 45 percent of the county’s capital funding is needed for road and bridge projects.
Peters said the cities’ current allocation leaves the county about $36 million short over 10 years. He said if funding isn’t found through Vision or cost sharing, property taxes will have to go up.
