Oklahoma City extends sales tax winning streak

Oklahoma City's sales taxrevenue for the January reporting period is up 7.8 percent from the same time last year, exceeding budget planners' projections.

Revenue from sales tax is on a nine-month winning streak, after an extended decline.

The city received $36.9 million from the Oklahoma Tax Commission this week after accounting for interest earned and deducting the state agency's processing fee.

The January budget target was for 3 percent growth. With revenue exceeding budget targets for most of the fiscal year, general fund receipts are now $3.6 million ahead of projections.

"This is a very positive check for the city and shows that the local economy is doing better than we had anticipated," said Doug Dowler, Oklahoma City's budget director.

The January reporting period is for the last two weeks of November and first two weeks of December, covering much of the holiday shopping season.

Sales tax accounts for 53 percent of the general fund budget, is the city's singlelargest revenue source, and was projected to bring in $212.2 million this year.

A 1-cent sales tax financed MAPS 3 and was extended last year by voters for 27 months to rehab streets. Collections for MAPS for streets began Jan. 1, when MAPS 3 expired.

Dowler said the MAPS 3 sales tax brought in $9.5 million in the January reporting period.

Originally projected to raise $777 million when it was approved by voters in 2009, MAPS 3 has brought in $796.2 million so far, Dowler said.

MAPS 3 future

Final MAPS 3 receipts will be reported in February and should total about $800 million.

With upward of $450 million or more still to spend, MAPS 3 will be around another four or more years.

Construction is under way on two of the biggest projects, the streetcar and downtown park. At least two more senior health and wellness centers will be built, each costing around $12.5 million.

Construction is expected to begin this year on the nearly $300 million convention center, the most expensive MAPS 3 project. That construction contract will be in the neighborhood of $200 million.

A convention center parking garage will be financed with $9 million from MAPS 3, while enhancements sought from MAPS 3 by the Boathouse Foundation total $10 million.

MAPS 3 built the Boathouse District's whitewater park and financed other Oklahoma River projects.

General fund

Sixty-five percent of general fund revenue is devoted to police and fire protection, which will benefit from the sales tax increase that took effect this month.

February sales tax will include revenue from the quarter-cent increase approved by voters in September, at the same time they approved MAPS for streets and a 10-year list of bond projects.

The quarter-cent is expected to bring in $260 million in the next 10 years for public safety services.

The city council will be voting to restore funding for 69 public safety positions that have been "frozen" and to authorize funding for an additional 81 police officers and 39 firefighters.

To get started, the council is to vote next week on a public safety budget amendment.

January's sales tax check was the third-largest ever received, Dowler said. February 2015 was the largest and February 2016 was second-largest, he said.