logo
Login Subscribe
Google Play App Store
  • News
    • Obituaries
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
  • Sports
  • E-edition
  • Calendar
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertisers
    • Form Submission
    • About Us
    • News
      • Obituaries
      • Lifestyle
      • Opinions
    • Sports
    • E-edition
    • Calendar
    • Archives
    • Contact
      • Contact Us
      • Advertisers
      • Form Submission
      • About Us
A: Main, news
November 27, 2024
Streets to be voted on Feb. 12
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR

Eufaula voters will decide in a special election on Feb. 12, 2025 whether they want their streets fixed in a capital improvement project.

At a special meeting on Thursday, Nov. 21 the city council agreed to ask voters to increase the city sales tax by 1 cent in order to raise $8.5 million for the project.

They decided they would have a special election on a date in which there are no other issues on the ballot.

“They felt it would be better for this subject to be a stand alone issue all by itself. It’s that important,”Jones said.

The council debated whether to raise the tax 1 or ½ cent for the streets.

City Manager Jeb Jones said a ½ cent tax would only raise about $4.5 million, just enough money to overlay the selected streets, not enough to rebuild any.

“Everyone on the council felt like 1 percent is the way to go because of the quantity of work we need to do,”Jones said. “It will give us the big- gest bang for the buck.”

The city’s 1-cent additional tax would also increase the income from a usage tax that the city voted in several years ago. The usage tax is collected on sales at distant locations by a person living in Eufaula – for example if a person buys something online at Amazon, Amazon charges the tax and sends it to the city.

When the usage tax ordinance was enacted, it was agreed to spend the added income on recreation and economic development.

If voters agree in February to the tax hike, the city can create an $8.5 million loan package, move forward with engineering and create a final work plan.

“The engineers’ assessment will determine where the project will start,’’Jones said.

If passed, the tax will be in effect for 15 years. The street project is expected to be finished in two years.

Jones said the streets are in bad shape, just like the water and sewer lines were when work began on them.

If voters decide on a i/ 2– cent sales tax, there would not be much improvement to the streets.

“It would basically be an overlay, only,” he said. “No rebuilding, just cover cracks and pot holes.”

Some streets need to be replaced, drainage repaired, base fixed.

“Your road is only as good as what is underneath,’’Jones said.

A 1-cent sales tax would bump Eufaula’s tax from 3.5 cents to 4.5 cents, making it one of the highest in the area. The current sales tax in Checotah and Henryetta is 4 percent; Durant, 4.375 percent; in Warner, 5 percent. The tax in McAlester is 3.75 percent.

“It goes back to, you can equate it just like the water and sewer systems, which were in such bad shape,’’Jones said. “It’s where we’re at and what we have to do to get it done.”

It must pass by a simple majority – 50 percent, plus 1.

If the resolution is approved by voters, the new tax would begin on July 1, 2025, the first day of the next quarter.

The city would begin seeing the money from the increase in September 2025.

Jones said the council hasn’t decided exactly which streets would be affected. The variable will be how many streets are overlaid and which streets are reconstructed. “Based on a mixture of overlaying and reconstruction, I would estimate 10 to 11 miles of streets would be worked on,” Jones said.

There are 41.75 miles of streets in Eufaula.

Background supplied by Jones On September 9, 2019, the City Council adopted Strategic Pillars, which called for identifying additional funding sources for infrastructure improvements and beginning to address major roadway improvements.

During discussions that followed the initiation of our water and sewer improvements, it was decided to delay any discussions or improvement planning for future councils at a time when the water and sewer improvements had moved forward far enough to warrant making it possible to revisit this discussion.

I feel that we have reached that point in time to resume those discussions. I see the discussion as defining what streets will be addressed, deciding what level of improvements the identified streets require, and what level of funding will be required to accomplish the desired results.

There are three basic funding sources for street improvements: 1) Grants, which are limited and generally tailored towards state, tribal, or large government entities. 2) General Obligation Bonds, which require a vote of the municipal population, and the cost burden rests on property owners, and 3) Sales Tax, which requires a vote of the municipal population but spreads the cost burden across residents and non-residents alike through retail transactions.

I have provided you with estimated financial projections related to a 1-cent sales tax increase that would generate approximately $8.5 million and a GO Bond estimate using $2.7 million in revenue, but which can be scaled to $8.5 million for comparison purposes.

We have two potential timelines that could be followed to secure the necessary funding for street improvements.

Braving the festival, honoring a friend
A: Main, news
Braving the festival, honoring a friend
By LENORE BECHTEL 
September 3, 2025
Every Labor Day weekend since moving to Oklahoma, I thought about going to the Dusk to Dawn Blues Festival. But the idea of a yard party running from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. was intimidating—and I could neve...
A: Main, news
Man injured diving into shallow water
September 3, 2025
A 22-year-old Yukon man was injured when he dove from a pontoon boat into shallow water at Lake Eufaula, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Patrick Tanner reportedly stopped his vessel to swim ...
A: Main, news
Man found dead in yard; possible suspect investigated
September 3, 2025
WARNER – Warner Police responded to a call early Saturday morning about a dead man laying outside of a residence in the area of Fifth and Third streets. The deceased has been identified as 51-year-old...
A: Main, news
Wellness Day for seniors Sept. 16
September 3, 2025
Heritage Home Care’s fifth annual Senior Wellness Day will be held Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 126 N. 1st St. (now Bridges Street), which is the former location of Family Dollar. The e...
A: Main, news
Looking ahead: Firm to help guide the way
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 3, 2025
What will Eufaula look like in 50 years? Without a plan, it’s anybody’s guess. But the City Council has taken steps to remove at least some of the guesswork. At a special meeting Friday, Aug. 29, the ...
Wine and Art Festival extravaganza Saturday
A: Main, news
Wine and Art Festival extravaganza Saturday
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 3, 2025
What: Vision Eufaula Wine & Art Festival When: Saturday Sept. 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Where: 150 N. Front St. Information: 405-248-2992 or visit visioneufaula.org The fourth annual Wine and Art Festival ...
ePaper
google_play
app_store
Editor Picks
5 in race for state school superintendent
news
5 in race for state school superintendent
By Jennifer Palmer Oklahoma Watch 
September 3, 2025
So far, five candidates are running to lead Oklahoma’s public education system as state superintendent in 2026. Former Tulsa school board members Jennettie Marshall, a Democrat, and Jerry Griffin, an ...
DOC Director stepping down
news
DOC Director stepping down
By KEATON ROSS OKLAHOMA WATCH 
September 3, 2025
Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Steven Harpe, one of the highest paid officials in state government, will step down on Sept. 30 to take a private sector job. “I’m extremely proud of my tim...
news
Class of ’65 reunion set for Sept. 12
September 3, 2025
Graduates of the Eufaula High School Class of 1965 will get together from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept 12, at the Legacy on Main Street, 224 N. Main St. Graduates of the classes of ’64 and ’66 are...
A site out of this world
news
A site out of this world
By MIKE BARNES 
September 3, 2025
In Eufaula, a town where gossip can outpace the mail, a story is slowly gaining momentum. It isn’t about the latest fishing tournament or Friday night football, but about a cosmic visitor called 3I/ A...
Rest, reflections, and farewells
commentary
Rest, reflections, and farewells
By JOE DORMAN OICA CEO 
September 3, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY – I hope your Labor Day weekend was full of relaxation. I schedule a vacation each year with friends to get away over this holiday which allows me to “charge up the batteries” for upcomi...
Facebook

THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL
100 N. 2nd Street
Eufaula, OK 74432

(918) 689-2191

This site complies with ADA requirements

© 2023 THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy