1/8 Sales Tax For OKC Parks To Go On March 3 Ballot

A one-eighth penny sales tax for parks will be on the March 3 ballot for Oklahoma City residents. The permanent tax will provide roughly $14 million a year for maintenance at just about every city park. Supporters compared it to the one-eighth of a cent t

Tuesday, December 17th 2019, 7:32 pm

By: Karl Torp

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A one-eighth penny sales tax for parks will be on the March 3 ballot for Oklahoma City residents.

The permanent tax will provide roughly $14 million a year for maintenance at just about every city park.

Supporters compared it to the one-eighth of a cent tax for the OKC Zoo- which residents already pay for which has led to zoo improvements.

Former City Council Member Pete White will be the face of the campaign moving forward.

He said in an economic downturn- parks are always cut first.

“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,” said White, who served on City Council for nearly 20 years.

Enough signatures were gathered to get the issue on the ballot.

Today, OKC City Council approved the Super Tuesday March 3 ballot slot.

Karl Torp

Karl Torp anchors our weekend evening newscasts. He couldn't be more excited to call the "Sooner State" home.

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