Water bills up, sales tax down
Tulsa utility rates are going up while sales tax revenues are dropping.
As Mayor Dewey Bartlett replaced Kathy Taylor, the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority sent out notices that utility bills are rising at least 5 percent - maybe more for some customers.
TMUA claims that water rates and stormwater rates have been hiked 3 percent while sewer rates jumped 10 percent. The increases took effect in the December billing cycle.
Utility rates were raised more than once under Taylor, who increased every fee in the city as she expanded the city’s annual spending.
One source within the Bartlett administration said “Taylor left quite a mess” and “it will take awhile to clean it up.”
While Tulsans pay more for city services, a drop in projected sales tax revenues could lead to more employee furloughs and cutbacks in service.
Bartlett told city officials to plan for more cutbacks of between $5.1-10.2 million, with police cuts expected to be $1.7-3.4 million and fire department cuts to be $1.2-2.5 million.
In her last budget, Taylor proposed eight unpaid furlough days for more than 4,000 city employees - including policemen and firefighters - to offset her proposed spending. That budget was approved by the former city council and the furloughs - which included the additional closing of city offices - have already started.
Tulsa’s sales tax check this month was 14.5 percent lower than this time last year. City financial experts miscalculated projections and the recent fiscal year budget apparently will come up short.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission sent Tulsa a check for $15,794,465, compared to $18,476,382 in December of 2008. That’s a drop of almost $3 million in one month.
City financial experts said they would never have predicted that sales tax would drop for nine months in a row but they have.
And the end may not be in sight.
City Clerk Mike Kier and his financial team have gone back to work to try to predict revenue for the rest of the fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.
During this fiscal year, Tulsa has received $97 million, compared to $109 million for the same period last year.
Taylor originally wanted to spend $578 million in the general fund budget. That was trimmed to $561 million but that much apparently won’t come in. Bartlett is already searching for items to cut.
Taylor laid off 37 employees - including 21 policemen - but she got the Obama Administration to break its rules on “stimulus” funds. Instead of hiring new policemen, Tulsa can use that money to retain officers. Eighteen officers were rehired under that plan.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission reported that sales from September 16-30 and estimated sales from October 1-15 statewide would be $101,037,136 for 505 cities and towns. That reflected a decrease of $12,910,775 from the $113,947,911 distributed in November last year. The use tax disbursement of $7,844,249 was distributed between 357 cities and towns statewide. In county returns, 74 counties shared in a $20,003,597 sales tax disbursement. The use tax disbursement of $1,488,166 was distributed between 67 counties.
November Sales Tax Collections
Tulsa (-$2,681,917)
2009 - $15,794,465 2008 - $18,476,382
Broken Arrow (-$362,251)
2009 - $2,163,862.05 2008 - $2,526,113.77
Bixby (-$149,512)
2009 - $483,480.94 2008 - $632,992.41
Owasso (-$136,805)
2009 - $1,222,181.35 2008 - $1,358,986.71
Jenks (-$80,319)
2009 - $272,205.37 2008 - $352,524.71
Skiatook (-$32,042)
2009 - $180,066.24 2008 - $212,108.34
Glenpool (-$7,915)
2009 - $361,455.08 2008 - $369,370.23
Catoosa (-$1,360)
2009 - $242,460.65 2008 - $243,820.41
Sperry (+$636)
2009 - $14,367.99 2008 - $13,731.02