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Oklahoma will have to decide fate of $698 million set aside for failed Panasonic deal

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Oklahoma will have to decide fate of 8 million set aside for failed Panasonic deal






















Oklahoma should resolve destiny of $698 million put aside for failed Panasonic deal | Oklahoma | cnhinews.com

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Board of Regents to discuss Cameron University president search

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Oklahoma Board of Regents to discuss Cameron University president search


OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) – Cameron University administrators attended the regularly scheduled University Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, Jan. 30.

It’s taking place at the University of Oklahoma’s Robert M. Bird Library along with administrators from OU, and Rogers State.

Current actions proposed include the possible discussion and voting in of a new Cameron University president

Interviews, discussions, and considerations will be made during an executive session that will not be open for public viewing.

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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 board approves proposal requiring parents disclose immigration status when enrolling children in school

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Oklahoma board approves proposal requiring parents disclose immigration status when enrolling children in school


The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Tuesday to approved a new administrative rule proposed by State Superintendent Ryan Walters that would require parents to disclose their children’s immigration status when enrolling them in school.

The rule states that when parents or legal guardians enroll their children in school, they must “provide proof of United States citizenship at the time of enrollment.” This proof can be demonstrated through documents such as a valid permanent resident card, US passport, or US birth certificate, among others.

At the board meeting, Walters clarified “There’s nothing in this rule that stops a child [without valid immigration status] from accessing a school.” Rather, the rule is for “data gathering.”  When asked about whether this information would be shared voluntarily by the Oklahoma Department of Education (DOE), Walters explained that if the DOE is asked for the information by law enforcement or other government officials will they provide it.

The National Immigration Law Center previously urged board members to reject the proposal over concerns related to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment:

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All children have a constitutional right to equal access to education regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. Requiring school districts to collect information about immigration status illegally chills access to this opportunity, interfering with their ability to focus on their core mission: to educate children and give all students the ability to grow, thrive, and participate fully in our democracy.

This new administrative rule comes amid the start of President Donald Trump’s administration, which has initiated several policies aiming to crack down on illegal immigration. In one of Trump’s numerous executive orders, he declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border. Trump also issued an executive order restricting birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens, which has since been blocked by a federal judge.

The Oklahoma proposal awaits final approvals from the governor and state legislature.



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