TULSA — It was pretty clear from the moment results started coming in Tuesday that Tulsa voters were going to approve an $814 million spending package designed to help the city catch up on badly-needed maintenance at several facilities, as well as beef up the police and fire fleets and continue to work on other infrastructure.
Opponents had argued that the proposals had not been fully vetted, that voters hadn’t had time to really dig into them and that details were lacking on several of the proposed projects.
However, the current mayor and several of his predecessors came out strongly in favor of IOT3, as did eight of nine city councilors - and a clear majority of voters across the city.
The plan was initially revealed to the public in March by Mayor G.T. Bynum, and though the total spending involved went up over the intervening months, it was argued that several public meetings, along with regular council meetings and information posted online, gave voters ample opportunity to look over the proposals and lodge any objections.
Among the facilities that will benefit from the funding are the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, the Cox Convention Center, a police and fire headquarters building, and the Gilcrease Museum.
The fire and police departments will also be able to beef up their aging vehicle fleets.
Proposition One covers streets, bridges and transportation systems.
Prop Two addresses community facilities, while Prop Three put money into public safety.
Prop Four extends the sales tax which allows the city to pay off the bonds issued to cover the cost of the projects.
Catoosa and Owasso also easily passed bond issues.