Bixby voters will decide Aug. 25 whether to approve four separate general obligation bond propositions totaling $77.5 million. The proposals cover public safety, roads, parks and wastewater infrastructure. Each proposition will appear separately on the ballot, so voters can approve or reject each one on its own.
City officials have promoted the package under the theme “Prepare, Protect, Progress” and say the bonds can be issued without increasing Bixby’s current property tax rate. General obligation bonds are repaid through property taxes, and Bixby’s financial statements show several existing bond obligations reaching their final payments. The city is asking voters to authorize new debt as older debt is paid off. City officials say approval would maintain the current ad valorem tax rate.
If the proposals fail, the ad valorem rate would decrease as existing bond obligations are retired, resulting in lower property taxes.
PROPOSITION 1 — PUBLIC SAFETY
Proposition 1 would fund a new fire station in south Bixby, an Emergency Operations Center and the city’s first municipally owned animal shelter.
The city says growth in southern Bixby has increased demand for fire and emergency medical services. The new station would be intended to improve response times and provide better fire and EMS coverage. The Emergency Operations Center would give Bixby a backup location for 911 dispatch and a central place to coordinate police, fire and EMS during tornadoes, floods or other major emergencies.
Bixby currently contracts with outside providers for animal shelter services and has used three providers during the past four years. Police Chief and Interim City Manager Todd Blish has said transporting stray animals outside the city takes animal control officers away from Bixby and requires residents to travel elsewhere to retrieve impounded pets. He estimated a basic shelter could cost between $1 million and $2 million. If the proposition fails, the city says it will continue contracting for shelter services.
PROPOSITION 2 — ROADS
Proposition 2 would fund several road widening and resurfacing projects.
The proposal would widen 101st Street from Memorial Drive to Mingo Road to five lanes and widen Mingo Road from 111th Street to 131st Street to three lanes. Resurfacing projects are planned for Harvard Avenue between 141st and 151st streets, 161st Street between Sheridan Road and Yale Avenue, and Sheridan Road between 161st and 171st streets.
The city says it used a road analysis study to choose priority projects and that the work is intended to improve traffic flow and emergency access.
Bixby also acknowledges that many neighborhoods contributing to current congestion were approved before the city strengthened its requirements for developers. During the past 18 months, the City Council has required developers to be responsible for more improvements to streets leading into new neighborhoods.
The city says those requirements cannot be applied retroactively to developments that were already approved. That leaves some of the existing road needs for the city and voters to address.
PROPOSITION 3 — PARKS
Proposition 3 would fund improvements at Bentley Park Sports Complex.
The proposal calls for paved parking to replace grass overflow areas and additional field lighting. The city says growing use of the complex has created congestion and that limited lighting restricts some activities to daylight hours.
Additional lighting would allow more evening play, while paved parking would improve access during busy events. City officials say the improvements could also allow Bixby to host more teams and events.
Voters can approve or reject the Bentley Park proposition separately from the public safety, road and wastewater proposals.
PROPOSITION 4 — WASTEWATER
Proposition 4 would address wastewater capacity.
The city says its existing wastewater facility is nearing capacity and that additional infrastructure is needed to support continued development and handle periods of peak demand. The city estimates the proposed project could reduce the load on the existing system by 30 to 55 percent.
Public Works Director Dylan Warner told KJRH that the city faces a choice between making a connection to another wastewater system or expanding Bixby’s existing treatment facility. Warner said the connection option would be roughly three times cheaper than expanding the facility.
As Bixby adds homes and businesses, more customers are using the sewer system. The city says additional wastewater capacity is needed to allow future development without putting more pressure on the existing facility.
The bond election also comes after several months of leadership changes at Bixby City Hall. Former City Manager Joey Wiedel was suspended following a May arrest, Mayor Brad Girard resigned days later and Assistant City Manager Kim Coody’s employment ended in June. Blish has continued serving as police chief while also acting as interim city manager. The City Council appointed Bobby Schultz mayor in July.
Bixby held three public meetings on the proposals between July and August. On Aug. 25, voters will decide each proposition separately.
House District 9 runoff
The House District 9 Republican runoff election on August 25 is for an open seat as incumbent Mark Lepak is now term-limited and unable to run for re-election.
After the primary election eliminated Republican candidate Debbie Long who won 23.9 percent of the vote, newcomers Scotty Stokes and Crystal Campbell are in the runoff. Stokes won 42.6 percent of the vote and Campbell came in with 33.5 percent in the Primary.
The winner of the Runoff will face the lone Democrat candidate Andrea Biscardi on November 3rd in the general election.
House District 9 includes both Tulsa and Rogers Counties.
Stokes, 57, is a retired Tulsa Fire Captain and Paramedic. He was awarded Tulsa Firefighter of the Year twice. He is currently the Director of Emergency Management for Rogers County (2013 – present). In 1999 he founded the Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp and was the Director for 20 years. The camp was for Oklahoma children who have suffered major burns and traumatic injuries.
According to his campaign website, scottystokes.com there are three main issues he intends to emphasize.
Support for families:
- Defend Parental rights
- Improve public education.
- Reduce the tax burden, oppose higher taxes
- . Support small business and rural economies
- Protect agriculture
Stronger, Safer Communities
- Support first responders and the military.
- Improving disaster response, recovery, preparedness and mitigation
- Tough on crime
Defend Conservative Values
- Standing up for life, religious liberty and Constitutional freedoms
- Resist federal overreach and keep Oklahoma independent
- Transparency and Accountability in government
Stokes has said that the state should not try to reinvent the wheel, but rather look at what other states have done successfully and apply that to Oklahoma.
Campbell, 50, is the former primary field representative for Sen. Markwayne Mullin in Northeast Oklahoma. Her other professional experience is as a property developer. She has also worked on community boards and with community projects. She is married and mother to five children.
She has four major areas of emphasis.
She would like to lower taxes and see responsible spending, and budgeting by the state. She says that if the state is flourishing, people should pay less in taxes, but wants to insure the state can meet its obligations. She would like to see more diversity in Oklahoma’s economy to keep the economy from fluctuations and depending so much on the oil and gas industry.
Campbell wants Oklahoma to have strong schools and school choice, where every family can choose the schools that best fit their child’s needs. She believes that parents are the key components for a child to succeed. That children need more interaction with teachers and people instead of computers.
Campbell wants to back law enforcement and protect public safety. She says she will support the people who keep our community’s safe.
The last component needed is Infrastructure, growth and a stong local economy. Campbell supports improving roads and infrastructure, and wants to strengthen water and utility systems. She believes that water systems will be very important for the future.
Campbell believes there needs to be guardrails on AI and the legislature should be considering what guardrails there should be. Recent campaigns have used AI images unresponsibly.