Officials Weigh Sales Tax to Fund New Oklahoma County Jail Amid Budget Shortfall
Oklahoma County officials are considering how to pay for a new jail, including a potential county-wide sales tax. The jail will cost more than double what was initially budgeted.
Commissioners say Oklahoma County voters approved a bond issue two years ago to build the jail, but the funds won’t cover the cost.
Officials say the facility will need up to 2,400 hundred beds but only have the money for 700. They’re exploring all options: a county sales tax, increased property taxes, federal funding and a possible "public-private" partnership.
Commissioner Myles Davidson says elected officials must come together and fund the new jail now. Or the feds will come in and force a change.
“Or we do nothing and allow the DOJ to come in and then we will see the largest increase in ad valorem taxes in Oklahoma County history, and probably in state history. We all know that DOJ building a jail is going to be a lot more expensive," said Davidson.
And commissioners want to avoid that.
AG Opposes Hydro-Electric Plant on Kiamichi River
State Attorney General Gentner Drummond is urging federal regulators to deny an application for a hydro-electric power plant on the Kiamichi River in southeastern Oklahoma.
Drummond says Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation wants to build the plant by using condemnation to acquire private property.
In addition, Drummond says the project appears to be inconsistent with the State’s Water Settlement Agreement with the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations that's intended to preserve the flow of the river and protect the region.
New Partnership Seeks To Tackle Oklahoma’s Veterinarian Shortage
A new partnership is aiming to address Oklahoma’s large animal veterinarian shortage.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has partnered with the Farm Journal Foundation to assess the lack of access to large animal veterinarians across the state.
JanLee Rowlett is the Deputy Commissioner at the department.
She said this has been an ongoing problem for years.
Rowlett said within the next 10 to 15 years, she hopes to see more veterinarians in the workforce.
“We feel it particularly here in Oklahoma because we’re such a livestock dependent state. We have so much industry that revolves around that sector, especially in ag, so our rural areas definitely feel the effects the most,” Rowlett said.
Agriculture stakeholders will be assessing areas most impacted before coming up with solutions.
The collected data will be reviewed in October.
New Report Shows Oklahoma City Commuters Lost 52 Hours to Traffic in 2022
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute released its annual urban mobility report earlier this summer. More on how traffic delays have hit Oklahoma commuters:
It takes a while to crunch all those numbers, so the new study covers traffic data from 2022.
That year, the average Oklahoma City commuter lost 52 hours to traffic congestion. That doesn’t mean they spent 52 hours in their car — it means they spent 52 extra hours in their car than they would have if they didn’t get stuck in unexpected traffic.
Up the turnpike in Tulsa, that number is 41. The study also looked at Norman, where commuters spent 42 extra hours in traffic that year, and Lawton, where they lost just 6.
It may be trite, but that time is money — in OKC, traffic delays cost more than $1 billion in lost productivity. All OKC commuters combined consumed nearly 400,000 extra gallons of fuel, leading to a whopping 162,000 tons of extra CO2 emissions.
Fall Allergy Season Hits Hard in Oklahoma
If you have sniffles, you’re not alone. Doctors say fall allergy season is in full swing, worsened by this year’s hot summer.
Doctors at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center say that early blooming of ragweed and pollen is triggering severe symptoms for many.
Over-the-counter treatments can help, as well as prescription options.
Doctors say symptoms should improve by November once colder weather arrives.
Oklahoma City ranks fifth worst in the nation for allergies.
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