Stan Geiger

TCC Tax Vote: Most Recent in a Series

Tomorrow, Tulsa County voters are faced with saying yea or nay on a tax hike proposal for Tulsa Community College. I took a walk through my mind, wondering how many tax hike votes this makes for Tulsans, going back to, say, the year 2000.

If I'm a little off, forgive me. I'm just pulling things out of my memory. But I think I'll get close enough for scratch.

I believe there was a city vote in 2000 for a "vision-type" sales tax increase. It failed. I believe it was 2003 that the county-wide Vision 2025 passed.

I believe there have been two votes to renew the city's added-penny sales tax for capital improvements. They both passed---even though the tax seems to provide little for Tulsa streets.

I believe there have been two votes for "4 to Fix the County." Both passed. Okay, so we have new livestock barns at the fairgrounds. I'm thrilled.

We faced a property tax increase vote to build a new library downtown. That failed.

We faced a statewide vote to hike the state's motor fuel tax. That failed.

We faced a vote to raise the county sales tax for Arkansas River development. That failed.

Now we face a property tax increase proposed to raise money for a junior college.

By my count, tomorrow will mark the 10th time in 8 years that Tulsans have been called to the polls because politicians and/or whatever have called for a tax increase. We're averaging more than one a year.

Some folks would argue the extension votes don't count as tax increases. I disagree. If a tax is voted in for a finite term and that term runs out then the tax is voted in again, it's a tax increase.

Our "leaders," it seems, never run out of excuses to push for tax hikes. If one proposal goes down to defeat, it is quickly replaced by another. Certainly that has been the history of this decade.

I put the tally at 5 passers and 4 losers. Tomorrow's vote, hopefully, will even the score.

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