State Collections For April Down
For the first time in nearly a year, tax collections were down last month in Oklahoma.
The latest gross receipts report from the state treasury shows a decrease in tax collections for the first time since June 2022.
That means the state collected less tax money over the previous 12 months than it had the 12 months before that.
That’s largely due to a big drop in oil and gas production revenue. The state saw an almost 34 percent drop in oil and gas production taxes year-over-year. Personal income tax revenues also fell.
Meanwhile combined sales and use taxes actually increased by almost 5 percent - that includes sales tax and use tax receipts which are collected on out-of-state purchases.
The state treasury also reports the state’s unemployment rate remains unchanged since February at 3% and the overall economy seems relatively stable.
OKC Animal Shelter Reopening
The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter is reopening after being closed for several weeks due to canine illnesses.
The shelter says it will reopen only for adoptions May 12-14.
During that time, the shelter will not be accepting animals.
Normal operations will resume Monday, May 15.
The shelter has been closed for nearly seven weeks to contain and treat a contagious upper respiratory infection that killed five dogs and infected hundreds of others.
OKC Settles Lawsuit Over Stolen Water
Oklahoma City and the city’s Water Utilities Trust have reached a settlement in their suit against an oil company for stealing water and harming protected lands at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge.
The City filed a lawsuit saying Revolution Resources and contractor Select Energy Services had built water lines from the North Canadian River to a drilling site at the Wiley Post Airport in Bethany, even though the city had rejected their permit application.
The city says the companies damaged the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge and took water intended for emergency drought relief last summer.
In the original suit, the city requested compensation for at least $75,000 worth of damages. A judge refused Revolution’s request to dismiss the suit and have the city reimburse the company’s legal fees.
Revolution offered to settle last month. The Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously to approve the settlement for almost $250,000.
Hannah McKenzie Act Advances Through The Legislature
A bill aims to regulate opioid substitution treatment programs is advancing through the Legislature.
Republican Rep. Rick West’s House Bill 2686 passed its fourth reading unanimously on Wednesday.
The Hannah McKenzie Act would require opioid substitution treatment programs to comply with federal requirements, including providing drug abuse testing services that are directly observed by an employee of the treatment program.
Hannah McKenzie was a young woman from West’s district who died of a methadone overdose in 2017.
Methadone is a common drug used in opioid substitution treatment programs to treat opioid dependency, but it can be fatal if taken in improper amounts.
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