Contingency plan

The MAPS 3 convention center budget was reduced when City Council voted to move $30 million from the convention center budget to a contingency fund.

News
Clifton Adcock
The Oklahoma City Council waded into a fight over $30 million that some say rightfully belongs in the convention center budget, while others say it should be set aside to move an OGE substation (pictured) situated near the future MAPS 3 park.

 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The gap trap

OKC budget could face a nearly $19 million gap by 2017.

News
Clifton Adcock
Oklahoma City could face an $18.7 million budget gap within the next five years, the City Council learned during its first budget workshop of the year.

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Keeping CASA

A drop in Oklahoma County funding poses challenges for an organization helping abused and neglected children.

News
Gina Dabney

The decision of CASA of Oklahoma County several years ago to leave the umbrella of county government and file as a nonprofit has prompted some uncertainty about its level of county funding.

 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Dark Crimes

How to kill 3,640 minutes of time wisely.

Thriller
Rod Lott
Mill Creek Entertainment’s budget pack of noir, Dark Crimes, strongly goes against the notion that films in the public domain are there because they aren't any good. That’s nonsense.

 

Friday, May 18, 2012

Get on the Sunday bus

Commentary
Lauren Branch
Oklahoma City is in the midst of a renaissance. When civic leaders talk about our city’s progress, you hear phrases like “world-class” and “big-league city.” The Thunder is driving toward a possible NBA championship. Olympic athletes are training on the Oklahoma River. A 50-story skyscraper just reshaped the city’s skyline.

 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Taxing measures

Potential changes in city code might streamline tax collections for delinquent businesses.

News
Clifton Adcock
Oklahoma City is looking for a new way to go after businesses with delinquent sales tax remittance.

 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Positive predicament

City leaders ponder what to do with an extra $1.3 million in the budget.

News
Clifton Adcock
The Oklahoma City Council is considering what to do with a projected extra $1.3 million in next year’s budget.

 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Term of art

City government launches a new office to serve as an arts and cultural liaison.

News
Clifton Adcock
The city of Oklahoma City has created a new arts and cultural affairs liaison to help coordinate public art projects.

 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Mileage may vary

While MAPS 3 promised 70 miles of new sidewalks, project officials say only about 25 miles can be built for the $6.8 million budget.

News
Clifton Adcock
Despite a promise of 70 miles of new sidewalks as part of the MAPS 3 program, Oklahoma City is now looking at constructing possibly less than 40 percent of that amount for the entire project.

 

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Counterpoint: Roads funding is critical

Commentary
Neal McCaleb
In 2005, when Oklahoma’s highways and bridges were literally crumbling, Oklahomans spoke loudly by soundly defeating State Question 723, a proposal which would have raised the fuel tax to 22 cents per gallon. The lesson learned was that in order to provide safe and cost-effective highways and bridges, the decades-long practice of systematically diverting transportation-generated revenues to other areas of government had to end, and infrastructure had to become a core priority.

 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012