Councilor Seeks to Annex Fairgrounds

[Double A]

Should Tulsa annex the fairgrounds? Take the poll:

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5480

[South_Tulsan]

Maybe, but that's not where they are going.

[jne]

My vote is 'No' as long as Bell's is being mentioned in the discussion.  I think it is sad, sad, sad to lose Bell's. It has so much Nostalgia and kids from out of town want to come with their folks to events because of Bell's (causing these visitors to spend more moolahh as well)  Long story short - Robby Bell is going to lose the family farm because he is not a farmer. We simply cannot subsidize a failing venture.  If he really thinks he can improve/maintain the park and make enough money to be self-sufficient, then lets see his plan!  He's not going to get away with just getting the media to help him pluck the heartstrings of nostalgic Tulsans.  If he can sell himself to some other sucker, let him.  The whole thing is just a darn shame.

[Trams]

Taylor cautious on annexing fairgrounds
By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
12/6/2006

The mayor wants a careful financial analysis with a decision based on revenue.
Mayor Kathy Taylor said Tuesday that whether the city should annex the Tulsa County fairgrounds is a business decision, and politics and emotions will not be part of it.

"This is not the city versus the county," she told city councilors in their weekly committee meetings. "This is about finding out what is the best economical decision for Tulsa."

Taylor pledged a complete financial analysis, with the coop eration of county officials, to determine whether annexation would be profitable for the city.

"We have to determine whether the revenue generated would make up for the cost of providing services," she said. "We don't want to take on something that will cost us money."

Councilor Roscoe Turner suggested last month that the city look at annexing the 260-acre fairgrounds so it could charge its 3 percent sales-tax rate.

Annexation would not change the ownership or management by Tulsa County. But it would obligate the city to provide police service and charge a cheaper in-city water rate.

City Budget Director Pat Connelly has said annexation almost certainly would  

have a positive impact on revenue, but finance officials need time to crunch all the numbers.

A second public hearing on the possible annexation of the fairgrounds will be held during the council's 6 p.m. Thursday meeting.

Taylor praised councilors for bringing up the issue, noting that the fairgrounds, which has undergone recent renovations, is attracting more major events than ever before.

"We should look at every means of bringing more tax dollars to the city," she said.

Taylor also told the councilors she would send them letters asking that they not pass resolutions placing additional demands on city resources without first conducting a financial analysis and then identifying from where the funding should come.

"Our budget is so tight," she said. "We have employee raises to pay for, and health costs are going up. If we find new things to spend money on, it has to come from somewhere."

Taylor last month placed a moratorium on certain city purchases because of financial concerns.

The mayor and the councilors are working to identify additional revenue sources to supplement the fluctuating sales-tax revenue stream.

The city has requested a study in the state Legislature of other methods of funding that could help municipalities.

Brian Barber 581-8322
brian.barber@tulsaworld.com

[rwarn17588]

I think the city's going to annex the fairgrounds.  It'll crunch the numbers, and it'll find overwhelming benefits to doing so.

As it stands right now, I don't see any compelling reason to NOT annex the fairgrounds.

At first, I thought Roscoe Turner was insane for suggesting this idea because I thought the fair board would fight it and go to court for a protracted battle. But since then, it's apparent nothing like this would happen. I was wrong.

[jne]

quote:
Annexation would not change the ownership or management by Tulsa County. But it would obligate the city to provide police service and charge a cheaper in-city water rate.

City Budget Director Pat Connelly has said annexation almost certainly would  

have a positive impact on revenue, but finance officials need time to crunch all the numbers.

This is the key info

[MH2010]

I think it will happen also.

[shadows]

Having known Bob Bell and dealt with him years ago when he was making a little train which after completion he Installed the track at the 6800 block of East Admiral Place.  He was working two jobs and putting the children rides together in a little frame garage in his spare time.  I talked with him when he was trying to negotiate a lease with the fair board.  In the early days of the operation once he had moved to the fair grounds he was that thin person in white coveralls stained with grease as he inspected and kept the rides up.   If there ever was a grass root's operation, without the use of taxpayers money being spend trying to bring industry to Tulsa, the county commissioners should rethink their decision to order this industry out of the city.  

Councilor Turner, who I have dealt with when he was a city employee, realizes that the moving of Bell does not stop the teen age violence but it will move into other parts of the city.  His district already has enough of it.  The cost of control would be less if confined to the fair grounds than scattered out over the city.

His idea of annexing the grounds would need a court ruling as the city is subservient to the county whereas the county is subservient to the state.  The county is established by constitution and the city is chartered by the state.  Athens annexed Greece and Rome annexed Italy in the city-state arena of the past evolution of governments.  The silver tongued legal's, I am sure can in the shadow annexing could annex all the land of Oklahoma and collect a city tax from everyone.  We gave it to the Indians then we said that was a mistake and took it back.

I do not believe the removal of Bell's from the city is the wish of the majority of the people.  Some where there in a motive in the backgrounds to remove this grass root's operation from public lands to be used only a very short time out of the year for parking.