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 said 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," Davidson said.
And commissioners want to avoid that.
Oklahoma To Receive Nearly $60 Million For Literacy Improvement Programs
State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced federal funding is coming for student literacy programs and teacher training.
Walters wants to use Tulsa's programs as a model.
At a news conference, Walters said the federal grant secures nearly $60 million over five years for school districts throughout the state.
The grant comes after Tulsa Public Schools has implemented science of reading training for its teachers and used data to track literacy rates.
“It allows us to implement some of these great programs we’ve seen here in Tulsa statewide. Struggling districts that have had issues in literacy and reading, we’re now going to help them stand up some of these premiere programs,” Walters said.
Walters first charged TPS with increasing their literacy rates last year.
He said 25 school districts can apply for the grant money.
A U.S. Department of Education review revealed more than half of 52 financial management indicators surveyed at four Oklahoma school districts needed immediate action.
Walters claimed the audit reviewed districts’ performance from 2021 to 2022, while he was state secretary of education.
OSDH Plans to Expand Maternal, Child Home Visit Program
The State Department of Health has received nearly $8 million in federal funding to expand its maternal, infant and early childhood home visiting services.
The agency is among 56 awardees receiving support for pregnant women and parents with children up to kindergarten age.
The Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program allows local organizations to provide home visits from nurses, social workers and other health care workers to help families with prenatal care and postpartum support.
It also supports things like breastfeeding, safe sleep, early language development and developmental screening.
During the 2023 fiscal year, Oklahoma’s home-visiting program supported nearly 2,000 participants in Comanche, Oklahoma and Tulsa counties.
Vice President Kamala Harris said this new grant funding from the Department of Health and Human Services will help improve health outcomes, child development and access to resources across the U.S.
Oklahoma Drought Conditions Intensify As Summer Ends
It’s been 94 days since the City of Mangum received at least a quarter-inch of rain in a single day.
Drought is worsening in Oklahoma, especially in the southwest, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet.
Conditions have intensified in the last two months. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows southwestern Oklahoma in extreme drought.
Oklahoma’s State Climatologist Gary McManus said there’s a rain shortfall in other parts of the state, too.
Although drier weather is the norm in July and August, McManus said some areas are 6-8 inches below their normal rainfall amounts for the last 90 days, which is not typical.
“So when we take that as a whole, and then we add the excessive temperatures we've had, that's why we've had the, I would say, quasi-explosive drought development,” McManus said.
Western Oklahoma is usually drier, especially further north in the state, but he said this year, the panhandle and northwest Oklahoma experienced some of the heaviest rainfalls.
He said the southwest part of the state could be in an exceptional drought, the most severe drought classification on the drought monitor, if it does not get rain.
He said until the state gets more rain, people should use conservation practices and be aware of wildfire danger.
“Mythology here in Oklahoma, or lore, I would say that right around the state fair time, in mid-September, we would get a big rainfall and a big cold front,” McManus said. “But we also have that La Niña that's still expected to form. We're still waiting on the latest outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center next week.
“It's just taking a lot longer than what they expected.”
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