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Oklahoma County inches closer to a county sales tax election to help pay for new jail

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Oklahoma County inches closer to a county sales tax election to help pay for new jail


A public safety sales tax election in Oklahoma County to help pay for a new jail is closer after the Board of County Commissioners voted Wednesday to receive the unanimous recommendation of the Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board.

The commissioners did not act on the recommendation. Neither a tax special election date, nor other details have been developed.

It would not be the first-ever Oklahoma County sales tax, as previously reported. The county had a temporary 1% rate from Nov. 1, 1987, to Oct. 31, 1988, also for the jail, said David Francis, business registration manager and city/county services manager for the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

More work on jail financing needs to be done before commissioners take up another sales tax, said Myles Davidson, chairman of the board and District 3 commissioner.

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“While there wasn’t an actionable item to send a sales tax referendum to the people, I expect the discussion to move forward soon,” he said. “My office is actively researching and developing a proposal to ensure we find the best path to fund the much-needed jail.

“It’s critical that we explore all options to address this issue in a responsible and effective manner for our county.”

A glance at financing for a new Oklahoma County jail

The Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board guides how Oklahoma County bond revenues are spent. The tax would partially bridge the huge gap between the $260 million bond issue approved by voters in 2022 for a new jail and the estimated $700 million or more that officials have said it will actually take.

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That cost is in addition to the $44.4 million set aside for a Behavioral Care Center at the jail complex, paid for with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. Flintco LLC began work at 1901 E Grand Blvd., the jail site, earlier this month.

County officials continue research and negotiations with investment banks Raymond James Financial Inc., Morgan Stanley and Jefferies LLC regarding a possible “public-private partnership” with Oklahoma County that officials said could raise $450 million toward the jail.

Activists again assail OK County commissioners over jail issues

Before the commissioners voted, they took criticism, as usual, from detractors.

Mark Faulk, a regular critic, again denounced the plans for the jail and the commissioners themselves.

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Jed Green, a candidate for the open District 1 seat vacated by Carrie Blumert when she quit last fall, said the state Legislature needs to step in and help pay for the jail.

Michael Washington, an activist who regularly harangues the commissioners, grew furious when not allowed to speak because he arrived too late to sign up to participate in the public comment period.

Activist: ‘Fix the Jail’ campaign in 2022 was a scheme

Faulk, alluding to the boulders the city of Oklahoma City has placed under a Western Avenue bridge to stop homeless people from gathering or camping, and calling it “hostile architecture,” said, “I would posit that building a bigger jail is the most hostile architecture of all.”

The commissioners and others promoting the jail have gone back on their word, said Faulk, with People’s Council for Justice Reform. They boasted in the lead-up to the 2022 bond election that a jail could be built from the bond proceeds with no new taxes.

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The Fix the Jail campaign was a ruse with its pledge of a “new jail, no new taxes,” he said.

“Now we all knew that was a lie. We knew at the time that y’all didn’t have the money to build a jail,” Faulk said, reading aloud pledges against raising taxes made by commissioners and business leaders who were pushing the bond election.

Candidate: Oklahoma County leaders have ‘credibility issues’ on new jail financing

“Obvious credibility issues with what this (the way the new jail is being funded) is going to look like,” said Green, an independent who is running for the District 1 seat. The special primary election will be Feb. 11. Because an independent is in the race, the special general election will be April 1.

Green, a political consultant and founder of Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action, faces Democrat Sara Bana, a Midwest City Council member; Democratic state Rep. Jason Lowe of Oklahoma City; and Democratic former state lawmaker Anastasia A. Pittman.

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“When I hire a contractor,” Green said, “I give them money, they come back at a certain point of completion, I give them more money, they come back and they say we’ve … done nothing but we need more money, I might be calling the attorney general for fraud.

“I’m not saying that’s what happened here, but in the minds of the average Oklahoma County voters, that’s what we’re seeing. If the county voters feel that something has been jammed through (they are likely to oppose it).

Enraged activist calls OK County commissioners names and makes racism accusation

The flamboyant Washington, who has lambasted the commissioners for years, often waving his hat and launching outbursts like a lively preacher, was incensed when he missed the 9 a.m. deadline for signing up to speak at the speakers podium.

He spoke anyway, calling Davidson, who recently took over as chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, “the new idiot in town” and a “puppy,” and accused him of treating the First Amendment like “a piece of dog meat.”

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“What’s this little boy’s name? Son, what you need to do … your mama ought to be ashamed of herself (for giving birth to Davidson),” Washington said.

He continued to walk around the board room, yelling at the commissioners as they concluded business, then interrupting when the commissioners opened the meeting of Public Building Authority.

Washington, who is Black, accused Davidson, or all the commissioners — it wasn’t clear — of being “white supremacists.”

“That’s what you are. You know, man. Don’t try to pretend you’re not,” he yelled.

Staff writer Richard Mize covers Oklahoma County government and the city of Edmond. He previously covered housing, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com, starting in 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com.

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Oklahoma

Bryce Thompson’s 25 points lift Oklahoma State to high-scoring win over UCF

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Bryce Thompson’s 25 points lift Oklahoma State to high-scoring win over UCF


STILLWATER, Okla. — Bryce Thompson scored 14 of his career-high 25 points in the second half and Oklahoma State beat UCF 104-95 despite 34 points from Keyshawn Hall on Wednesday night.

Thompson made 10 of 15 shots in leading the Cowboys (13-13, 5-10 Big 12). Abou Ousmane added 17 points despite sitting out much of the second half before fouling out. Arturo Dean scored 16 points, Khalil Brantley 15 and Marchelus Avery 10.

Hall made 9 of 20 shots and was 14 of 17 from the line. Darius Johnson added 23 points — 19 in the second half — and Mikey Williams 14 for the Knights (13-13, 4-11), who lost their seventh straight. They were without starting big man Moustapha Thiam, out with an illness.

Johnson drove for consecutive baskets to get UCF within five with five minutes to go but the Cowboys scored the next six points, four from Thompson, in going on to take the win.

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The Cowboys led by as many as 19 in the first half before going into the break ahead 53-40 after outscoring the Knights 20-0 off 15 turnovers.

UCF made 31 of 38 free throws and Oklahoma State 28 of 35.

Oklahoma State beat UCF for the first time in four all-time meetings. They play again on March 5. Oklahoma State is at No. 23 Kansas on Saturday while UCF is home against Utah on Sunday.

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    ESPN’s Jay Bilas features Texas Tech, Texas A&M in top 10 of latest rankings
    North Texas rolls past Tulsa behind highlight reel performance from Moulaye Sissoko

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.



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Oklahoma Legislature needs long-range plan to bridge education gaps | Opinion

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Oklahoma Legislature needs long-range plan to bridge education gaps | Opinion


Oklahoma issued an all-time high of 4,676 emergency certifications for the 2023-24 school year. That is in stark contrast to the 32 emergency certifications issued for the 2011-12 school year.

In addition, schools are also increasingly hiring adjunct teachers who have no certification whatsoever. Alternative and emergency teaching certifications require a bachelor’s degree. This allows schools to hire individuals with only a high school diploma full time as adjunct teachers.

When Oklahoma had the notorious distinction of having some of the worst bridges in the nation, the Legislature created a special long-range plan for funding. Twenty years after its adoption, Oklahoma has made significant improvements to the state’s highway infrastructure due to an increase to its annual budget of more than $400 million.

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Why hasn’t the Legislature created a similar long-range plan for improving its funding for education? Don’t all students deserve to have a qualified teacher?

Perhaps the answer is that most of the money expended for highways goes to private contractors who have an incentive and the resources to make campaign contributions to legislators, whereas education funding goes to public entities, which cannot.

What the state needs is something like the Education Reform Act of 1990. It increased state funding to reduce class sizes, establish minimum teacher salaries, provide for teacher assistants, competency testing, college ready courses, and mandatory professional development. Senate Bill 201 by Sen. Adam Pugh is a good start and has already passed the Senate Education Committee.

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Over three decades ago, Oklahoma City discovered that being a low tax, low regulation state wasn’t enough to attract business. To improve its standing, it passed MAPS. It’s time the state came to the realization that it needs to make a major advance in our education system if we are serious about bringing business to the state.

McGoodwin is a former deputy director of the Office of State Finance, now the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES).



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One Player No. 2 Florida Gators Must Stop to Beat Oklahoma Sooners

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One Player No. 2 Florida Gators Must Stop to Beat Oklahoma Sooners


The Florida Gators take on the Oklahoma Sooners tonight at 7 p.m. EST in Gainesville. They can place another brick in the wall of success that 2024-25 brought to campus. With a win, the Gators notch their fifth season of 10 or more conference wins since 2016. That milestone in the loaded SEC means a great deal.

Standing in their way? The Sooners. Specifically, standout freshman guard Jeremiah Fears. Containing him is the key to securing the victory. Now, how should UF go about that?

Let Him Shoot in Front of the Arc

While Fears does score 15.2 points per game, possessing a reliable jumper is not a part of the plan. Now, that doesn’t mean he will not shoot. With 28 shots over the last two games, you can see the absolute last of reticence in that aspect of his game. 

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However, connecting on 28.5% from the floor in those two games, means that Fears currently sits in a shooting funk. For a good shooter, that becomes an issue. Worse, for a high-volume shooter that already struggled with consistency, no light exists at the end of the metaphorical tunnel. 

Yet, making 42% of his threes over the last five games means Florida should attack the arc but take their chances with the mid-range game.

Force Bad Decisions

Make no mistake, Fears loves to shoot the ball. At the same time he is the Sooners’ best facilitator, averaging 3.8 assists per contest. Now, here is where his aggressiveness comes back to bite him. Film shows bad/late/forced passes. 

Fears tries to push the ball through smaller openings that even the most skilled passer would attempt to avoid. Florida, with their length all over the court, can clog passing lanes leading to transition baskets. The freshman Sooner will give opponents the ball 3.7 times a night. 

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Yes, Fears’ assist-to-turnover ratio is virtually 1:1, which absolutely makes him susceptible to giveaways.

Overview

Jeremiah Fears can score without a doubt. Yet the Gators will find the Sooners in a desperate time and space. OU dropped nine of their last twelve, and any hopes for a decent NCAA tournament seed continue to slip away. 

Florida should easily emerge from the game as the clear winner, but they need to exercise caution because teams with nothing to lose can play out of their minds.

Stop Jeremiah Fears, and the Gators should pick up their 10th SEC win of the season.

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