#OKCBOXSCORE
Sales tax revenues rebounding
Oklahoma City heads into the 2017-18 fiscal year having posted sales tax growth for two consecutive months. The city’s consulting economist, Russell Evans of Oklahoma City University, had projected a return to year-over-year growth in monthly sales tax collections starting in late spring, and indications are that a rebound in the metro-area economy is beginning to occur.
The new fiscal year starts July 1.
Budget adopted
The city council adopted a record $1.4 billion budget for fiscal 2018. MAPS 3 spending for major projects — convention center, downtown park and streetcar — will accelerate as construction progresses in the coming year, but the city’s economic slump will continue to affect services. The general fund — the account for day-to-day expenses — is the same as it was four years ago despite a 5.3 percent population increase in that time.
The 2017-18 budget cuts 18 jobs and leaves police and fire positions frozen, meaning they remain in the budget but without funding, so they cannot be filled.
James designated presiding judge
The city council reappointed Judge Philippa C. James as presiding judge of the Municipal Court for a one-year term beginning July 1.
The court is expected to move into its new building next month.
By the numbers
• 52,990: Alarm calls triggering a response by Oklahoma City police in 2016; 98 percent were false alarms.
• 64 percent: Historically, the percentage of alarm calls to locations where owners have neglected to get an alarm permit, as required by city ordinance.
• $1,092,000: Unpaid fines and fees outstanding, for false alarms beyond limits set in the alarm ordinance.
Tweet of the week
“Coming soon: Reporter investigates Oklahoma County jail in new ‘Biding Time’ series.”
— @NewsOK. Look for the report beginning Sunday in The Oklahoman.
Streetcar construction
MAPS 3 streetcar construction is intensifying throughout downtown. For updates, follow @ williamcrum on Twitter and the weekly downtown area traffic advisory at http://okc.gov.
Present/absent
Mayor Mick Cornett and seven of the eight city council members attended last week’s meeting, which included public hearings on the 2017 generalobligation bond and sales tax proposals. Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer was away on personal business.
Airbnb to collect tax
The online home-sharing service Airbnb said it would begin collecting sales taxes on overnight stays in Oklahoma City. The city is working on a separate agreement to have Airbnb collect hotel-motel taxes. City officials say they’re unable to estimate how much tax revenue Airbnb bookings could produce. Putting Airbnb on an equal footing with traditional lodgings is important to local hotel operators.
The week ahead
The Oklahoma City Council meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 200 N Walker Ave.
• A public hearing is planned on a measure to toughen oversight of dogs found to be dangerous or menacing, including a registry. A dog attack that left a woman dead prompted a review.
• Another public hearing is planned on a measure intended to reduce the number of cats that wind up in the animal shelter and decrease the percentage of cats at the shelter that are euthanized.
Oklahoma City will sponsor a special event for residents needing to discard computers, tires, ammunition and prescription drugs, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at State Fair Park. The site is on the south side of the fairgrounds, east of the arena. Enter at Gate 5 (Gordon Cooper Boulevard).
Mayor Mick Cornett will lead the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ four-day annual meeting beginning Friday at the Fountainbleu Hotel in Miami Beach. Cornett is the first Oklahoma City mayor to serve as president of the mayors’ organization, a leading voice on urban affairs and topics including climate change.