FAQ

WHY DOES THE CITY OF SKIATOOK NEED TO BUILD NEW PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES?

Modern, built-for-purpose public safety facilities are critical to better serve our current and future citizens and businesses in an emergency. Our police and fire departments are at capacity, and their current buildings cannot accommodate additional personnel, modern technology, or even current equipment – limiting their ability to meet the needs of our community in the future.


HOW LONG HAS THE CITY BEEN CONSIDERING NEW PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES?

This project has been under discussion and in pre-planning stages for several years, because as need has become increasingly evident. Administration changes and COVID uncertainty held it up for several years, but it simply cannot wait any longer.


IS IT POSSIBLE TO REPAIR AND RENOVATE EXISITNG PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDINGS, INSTEAD OF BUILDING NEW FACILTIES?

Any repairs or renovation projects we undertake to improve our current public safety buildings are a temporary band-aid to real, growing health and safety concerns, and will not be enough to bring some areas of our existing facilities up to code.


WHY CAN’T WE REARRANGE THE EXISTING BUDGET TO BUILD A NEW FACILITY?

Skiatook’s general fund budget is mostly composed of local sales tax and utility fees, and that fund must support the existing operating expenses of the City, including public works and public safety operations. There is no existing source of revenue that can be dedicated solely to building new police and fire stations.


WHY DID THE CITY OF SKIATOOK CHOOSE TO PURSUE A SALES TAX?

The benefit of One Safe Skiatook is that everyone shopping in Skiatook – and therefore relying on our public safety - funds these necessary improvements, not just property owners. Other revenue sources would place the burden on those who own homes and businesses in Skiatook only.


DO WE HAVE THE HIGHEST TAX RATE IN THE STATE?

No. Skiatook actually has one of the lowest city sales tax rates in the metro at 3.5%. If One Safe Skiatook were approved by voters, our tax rates overall would still be right in line with other communities across the metro.
Compare with other communities


What is Skiatook's current sales tax rate?

If One Safe Skiatook is approved, what will the sales tax rate be?

How much money, per year, is One Safe Skiatook projected to bring in for the City?

If approved, One Safe Skiatook is projected to bring in $1.4 million annually.


HOW WILL THE REVENUE GENERATED BE USED BY THE CITY?

If approved by voters, the One Safe Skiatook sales tax revenue funded can only be used for public safety, including building and maintaining new, modern police and fire stations, buying equipment and the ongoing operation of the police and fire services, and will be earmarked accordingly. Revenue collected cannot be used for non-public safety purposes.


HOW LONG WILL ONE SAFE SKIATOOK, IF PASSED BY VOTERS, LAST?

One Safe Skiatook does not have an end date. It is designed to be an ongoing funding source for public safety efforts.


WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T PASS ONE SAFE SKIATOOK?

If One Safe Skiatook is not approved by voters, nothing will happen in the immediate future. Our police and fire departments will continue to operate in their current facilities and do their best for our community, despite the operational challenges of the current situation.

However, retrofitting the existing buildings is not a permanent solution and is not possible in some areas of the existing facilities. The time will come when building new facilities is the City’s only choice remaining, and the City will have to create a revenue source for these projects, possibly under less than ideal circumstances.


WHY DOES THE ONE SAFE SKIATOOK BALLOT LANGUAGE REFERENCE DEBT, AND WHAT DEBT IS IT REFERRING TO?

To accelerate construction of the public safety facilities, the City may – at the Council’s direction – choose to issue debt to accomplish these projects. That debt would then be backed by the revenues generated from the sales tax.

One Safe Skiatook cannot be used to back debt for purposes other than those on the ballot (i.e., public safety). Without that language on the ballot, the city could not use those funds to incur debt to accomplish the projects without waiting many, many years for revenue to accrue.


COULD THE CITY OF SKIATOOK USE THE “RAINY DAY” FUND TO PAY FOR THESE PROJECTS INSTEAD?

There isn’t enough money in this surplus fund to build a new police and new fire station and maintain 20% of the annual budget required in the event of an emergency.


WHAT IS CONSIDERED A PUBLIC SAFETY EXPENDITURE?

While it’s true that a portion of the city’s existing tax revenue is dedicated to public safety expenditures, it is much broader than simply police or fire. Other public safety expenditures include dispatch, emergency management, EMS, animal control, traffic light control systems, cameras, message board signs, storm sirens, notification systems, and other related types of equipment.


Why does the sales tax ordinance say it cannot be repealed while debt is attached to it?

If approved, One Safe Skiatook will fund two new police and fire stations in Skiatook and it is likely the City will take on debt to build these new facilities. Should the City take on debt, there must be some way to pay it back; that is why the ordinance currently states the tax cannot be repealed while debt is attached to it.

In response to questions asked from the public, Skiatook City Council approved a resolution that states their intention to consider removing that section of the ordinance if the initiative is passed.
See the full resolution here.


Won't it be less expensive to shop in Owasso if this passes?

No, for most families in most situations, it won't be.

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?

New to Skiatook, or finally old enough to vote? Make sure your vote is heard this August by registering to vote. Your last day to register is July 29, 2022.

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