April 2018
Governor signs education budget bill
Gov. Mary Fallin signed the common education budget bill and measures giving state employees and education staff a raise in early April. Fallin signed several bills that will generate additional revenue, including HB 3375, which allows ball and dice casino gaming and will generate an estimated $24 million a year; and HB 1019XX, which enforces online sales tax collection and will generate an estimated $20 million a year. The common education funding bill, House Bill 3705, provides a $2.9 billion appropriation for K-12 public education. It represents a 19.7 percent increase over the $2.4 billion common education for the current fiscal year. The bulk of the funding will go for teacher pay raises of about $6,100 per teacher.
Pennwell sold to London-based Clarion Events
London-based Clarion Events bought Pennwell Corp., their first in the North American market. Pennwell is a privately held events and business-to-business media and marketing company based in Tulsa. The company employs 550 people who organize more than 40 events around the world. The company also has 130 media properties and provides content and integrated marketing solutions for many different industries.
Two downtown housing projects approved
The Tulsa Development Authority recently awarded low-interest $500,000 loans to two downtown housing projects. The authority approved contracts for an $8 million mixed-use development called Hartford Crossing. The plans call for retail on the first floor and 55 residential units. The second loan goes to a redevelopment of a 13-story structure called the Adams Building. The Adams Building will hold 60 residential units and will also include first-floor retail.
Grant money to upgrade Tulsa Transit buses
The Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority is planning to replace many of its diesel-fueled city buses with a federal grant. The award is for $4.2 million, which will be used to purchase compressed natural gas buses to replace older buses. Tulsa is one of many cities getting the funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration.
State general revenue continues growth
March tax revenues continued an upward trend. Collections for the month totaled $405.5 million, or 5.6 percent above projections. The month was also a 15.2 percent jump above the same month last year. General revenue for the first nine months of fiscal year 2018, which ends June 30, are 3.7 percent above projections and 13.4 percent more than the same period last year.
Vision Tulsa tax adding more police and fire personnel
Tulsa has continued to add police officers and firefighters at an increased pace since voters passed the Vision Tulsa sales tax package two years ago. The package included a dedicated public safety tax to add 160 police officers, 70 firefighters and 16 employees at the 911 center. TPD now has 786 sworn officers and an authorized force of 853. The fire department has 705 firefighters and an authorized strength of 742.
Oral Roberts University breaks ground on new housing project
Oral Roberts University broke ground on its first new residential building in more than 40 years. The school has had nearly a decade of student growth. The new dormitories will have separate towers for male and female students and will connect with lobbies in the middle. The building is projected to cost about $10 million. Other new construction on the campus includes the Armand Hammer Alumni-Student Center, the ONEOK Sports Complex and the Global Learning Center.
Osage Nation opening Innovation Center
The Osage Nation is rebranding and repurposing the former Tulsa Downtown Airpark into Skyway36 to take advantage of emerging technologies in unmanned aerial systems. The tribe is actively recruiting tenants representing a diverse group of industries. The business park offers a 2,600-foot-long airstrip, an 11,000-square-foot hangar, 50,000 square feet of newly renovated office space as well as classrooms, a fabrication center and research lab. The tribe purchased the 400-acre property 10 years ago for development opportunities.
Cherokee Nation creates $2.2 billion impact in region
The Cherokee Nation recently touted their 30-year growth period into an economic powerhouse in northeast Oklahoma, announcing a study that showed an economic impact in the region of $2.2 billion. The Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation Businesses have a combined annual budget of about $2 billion. The Cherokees are the nation’s largest tribe with 360,000 members.
Tulsa Public Schools see increase in graduation rate
Tulsa Public Schools announced an overall 4.4 percent increase in graduation rates for the 2017 school year. TPS administrators attribute their success to an emphasis on identifying at-risk students early and working with them to help clear behavioral or academic hurdles.
Wind energy grew by 13 percent statewide
Oklahoma is among four states in the nation where wind generated at least 30 percent of the electricity inside its borders in 2017, according to a report by the American Wind Energy Association. The states include Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and South Dakota. The report also showed Oklahoma ranks second in the nation for its 7,495 megawatts of electrical capacity.
