Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sales Tax to Fund Parks Initiative (March 2020)
| Oklahoma City Proposition | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date March 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Local sales tax | |
Status Defeated | |
| Type Initiative | Origin Citizens |
A sales tax increase for parks was on the ballot for Oklahoma City voters in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, on March 3, 2020.[1][2] It was defeated.
| A "yes" vote supported this citizen initiative to levy an additional 0.125% sales tax to fund city parks, thereby increasing the total sales tax rate in the city from 8.625% to 8.75%. |
| A "no" vote opposed this citizen initiative to levy an additional 0.125% sales tax to fund city parks, thereby leaving the total sales tax rate in the city at 8.625%. |
Overview
What was the OKC sales tax rate?
- See also: Other dedicated sales taxes in OKC
This measure would have increased the total sales tax rate in the city from 8.625% to 8.75%. It would have increased the city's local sales tax rate from 4.125% to 4.5%.[2]
The state sales tax rate in Oklahoma was 4.5% going into the election. The total Oklahoma City sales tax rate was 4.125% going into the election. This 4.125% tax included a 2.25% general purpose tax and three separate dedicated sales taxes. There were no county-wide or other local sales taxes in Oklahoma City. A 1% sales tax for transportation projects (named the Better Streets, Safer City program) was set to expire in April 2020 but was replaced by an eight-year 1% sales tax measure—MAPS 4—approved by voters in December 2019.[3][4]
The average total sales tax rate (state and local) in Oklahoma was, as of 2020, 8.77%. State law allowed additional local sales taxes of up to 6.5%, making the maximum total sales tax rate in the state 11%.[5]
How was tax revenue earmarked by the measure?
City officials estimated that the proposed 0.125% tax would raise $15 million per year in revenue. The initiative would have created the Oklahoma City Parks Tax Fund, into which all revenue from the tax would have been deposited. The fund could have been used for the following purposes in city parks:[2]
- the replacement of trees and plants, but not for mowing lawns;
- park programs, such as exercise classes, athletic leagues, and areas dedicated to pets;
- capital improvements for restrooms, athletic fields and equipment, and bleachers;
- other operational expenses for city parks.
How did the initiative get on the ballot?
- See also: Path to the ballot
The initiative was filed by former city council member Ed Shadid. Proponents collected more than the required 6,499 valid signatures required to qualify the measure for the ballot.[6]
Election results
|
Oklahoma City Proposition |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 50,339 | 47.20% | ||
|
|
56,302 | 52.80% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[1]
| “ |
The Ordinance levies an excise tax of one-eighth of one cent on the gross proceeds or gross receipts derived from all sales taxable under the sales tax laws of Oklahoma; specifies expenditures for OKC Parks as the limited purpose for which the tax shall be expended; prohibits expenditure of the tax to operate, maintain, improve or otherwise benefit directly or indirectly any OKC park operated in whole or in part by any private, non-governmental foundation or other similar private entity; establishes the OKC Parks Tax Fund; provides for administration of such fund; and provides for cumulative effect of such tax.[7] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the initiative is available here.
Support
Supporters
Arguments
“We’re being asked to give up basic services that are standard in other major metro areas. We’ve continued to bring hundreds of millions in MAPS projects online with no plan whatsoever to pay for operations and maintenance expenses. [...] Only one percent of our parks have restroom facilities. It’s ridiculous that when your child or grandchild is at a park and needs to use the restroom you have to leave. Study after study shows that widespread utilization of parks requires basic amenities like bathrooms.”[9]
White said, “You can’t cut police. You can’t cut fire. You can’t quit plugging pot holes. But you can reduce the mowing and cut back the programming. It is the first place the city goes.”[8]
Opposition
Carol Hefner, an OKC resident, said, "The crazy thing about it is, they’re giving us another package of parks. They’re going to appeal to our emotions and to the fact that the kids deserve this for our parks. If that was the case, then why was not put into the MAPS project that was just passed by the public at a very small voter turnout. [...] When it starts to add up, for every dollar that you spend, from your family, that’s into the hundreds of dollars a year for you. Please get out and send a message to our leadership that we cannot just continue to absorb all of these ideas of taxation."[6]
Background
The state sales tax rate in Oklahoma was, as of 2020, 4.5%. The local Oklahoma City sales tax rate was, as of 2020, 4.125% divided as follows:[10]
- A 2.25% tax with revenue going to the city's general fund.
- A 1% temporary transportation tax, which was replaced in April 2020 with the eight-year 1% MAPS 4 sales tax approved by voters in December 2019. The MAPS 4 tax measure earmarked about 14.3% of revenue for parks.
- A 0.75% sales tax for public safety services.
- A 0.125% sales tax for the OKC Zoo.
The public safety sales tax and the zoo sales tax were approved by voters in 1989 and 1990, respectively. Both tax measures were put on the ballot through citizen initiative signature petition drives.[10]
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a successful citizen initiative petition drive. The petition was filed by Former City Council Member Ed Shadid on September 6, 2019. On December 2, 2019, Shadid filed 7,977 signatures. On December 4, 2019, the city clerk determined that more than the required 6,499 signatures were valid.[2][6][1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Oklahoma City Elections, "OKC Parks Tax Fund Proposition Election," accessed January 27, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 OKC Website, "Parks Sales TAx Initiative News," December 17, 2019
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedMAPSFour - ↑ Sale-tax.com, "Oklahoma City, OK," accessed December 5, 2019
- ↑ Tax-Rates.org, "What is the 2020 Oklahoma Sales Tax Rate?" accessed December 10, 2019
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Fox 25, "Similarities found between proposed tax increase vote, already passed MAPS 4 project," January 2, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 News 9, "1/8 Sales Tax For OKC Parks To Go On March 3 Ballot," December 17, 2019
- ↑ NONDOC, "Shadid seeks new tax for parks, transit that could join MAPS 4 vote," June 20, 2019
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Oklahoma City Government, "Taxes," accessed February 9, 2020
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