Stan Geiger

Where Does All the Money Go?

According to a recent report in the Tulsa World, Tulsa's elected officials say we need to bump city utility rates, and bump them again next year, and the year after that, and the year...

The reason is, they claim, we haven't been spending enough on maintaining water and sewer infrastructure, and flood water mitigation, and stuff like that. They say we are headed for problems if we don't spend more.

Okay, so, according to our "leaders," the tax money isn't going to the things mentioned above.

Very clearly, the tax money isn't going to streets and bridges. You don't need a politician to tell you that. Just get in a car and take a drive.

Even though Mayor Kat Taylor spent a million dollars on TV ads promising more cops, we have fewer now than when she took office.

Earlier today, I went to my mom's house, picked her and my sister up, and we all went to Village Inn for a bit of breakfast. After that, mom and I drove sis to the airport so she could catch a flight back to Chicago. From there I drove mom back to her house. Then I drove back to my pad. I would estimate I covered about 35 miles, and the only cop I saw was sitting in a cruiser blocking Delaware Avenue because some of TU's newly-planted trees had blown over in the morning storm.

It has become a game in my family: Whenever we drive around town, we count the number of cops we see. Most generally, we see none. That's a pathetic fact in a city this size.

Obviously, the tax money isn't going to law enforcement.

The City of Tulsa has an annual budget that approaches $600 million. That's an average of about $50 million per month.

My question: If the money isn't going to things that should be priorities for any city, just where in the hell is it going?

I'll have an answer to my question before I support any tax increase, period. And, in my view, every citizen of this town should have the same attitude.

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