Broken Arrow voters are deciding whether it’s worth spending half a cent more in sales tax and keeping its property tax level to pay for more than 100 city projects.
Eight propositions will be on the April 7 ballot, asking for $415 million in general obligation bonds and a .5% temporary sales tax increase. The bonds would be repaid by revenue from property taxes. But property taxes would remain the same if the package passes because these bonds would replace retiring ones from previous initiatives.
The price of Broken Arrow’s 62% growth since 1997 has been bond debt. Since then, the city has passed eight bond packages worth about $478 million for nearly 265 major infrastructure projects. Those include widening two-lane roads to five lanes, building fire stations, adding community centers and improving the stormwater drainage system…