If you have lots of time on your hand, its a pretty interesting read.

http://www.okc.gov/FY14proposedbudget.pdf

It looks like everyone pretty much agrees on adding more police officers. From the Oklahoman: Oklahoma City would add 40 police officers under record $1 billion budget | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-would-add-40-cops-under-record-1-billion-budget/article/3804902)

Some interesting nuggets:

The overall budget increased about 5% from last year.

MAP3 tax should collect around $108 million this year and spend $50 million. The total fund balance should be $218 million.

Hotel/Motel Tax is up big, around 14% YTD.

Something a bit concerning: Sales tax collections declined 4.2% last month (although they declined statewide by even more). Definitely something to keep an eye on.

Interesting since reportedly, departments were asked to cut budgets by 1% (think fire & police wee 1/2%)????

On the bottom of page 12 I saw this
 Sports Facilities Improvements – A 15-month, one cent sales tax to fund improvements at the Chesapeake Energy Arena and build a new NBA practice facility;

Where is this going to be located?

^
Already built at Britton and Broadway. That looks like it is just referencing the Ford Center tax that expired in early 2010, which then became the MAPS3 tax.

Oh, well thanks for the info. :)

It's not unheard of to see department spending go down but the overall budget go up. It's usually an indication of a shift towards more major capital outlay expenditures. I haven't looked at the budget yet so I can't say for sure.
Thats what struck me as odd...but that may explain it

Don't think this was the article I was thinking of but it mentioned Couch saying the same thing…
Digital publications, newspaper, magazine and book - Npaper BETA (http://npaper-wehaa.com/oklahoma-gazette/2013/01/23/s1/#?page=8&article=1790816)

Cop to it, Oklahoma Gazette, 01-23-2013

However, he is currently calling for a 1 percent cut to most municipal departments because expenditures are projected to slightly outpace revenue.


Even though the last I saw on it, revenue has been up by multi-millions for several months/years over projections

If you have lots of time on your hand, its a pretty interesting read.

http://www.okc.gov/FY14proposedbudget.pdf

It looks like everyone pretty much agrees on adding more police officers. From the Oklahoman: Oklahoma City would add 40 police officers under record $1 billion budget | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-would-add-40-cops-under-record-1-billion-budget/article/3804902)

Some interesting nuggets:

The overall budget increased about 5% from last year.

MAP3 tax should collect around $108 million this year and spend $50 million. The total fund balance should be $218 million.

Hotel/Motel Tax is up big, around 14% YTD.

Something a bit concerning: Sales tax collections declined 4.2% last month (although they declined statewide by even more). Definitely something to keep an eye on.

If it collects $108MM why is it not spending $108MM this year??

The cost of inflation is really eating into this. Somebody needs a lesson in debt-financing.. :x

If it collects $108MM why is it not spending $108MM this year??

The cost of inflation is really eating into this. Somebody needs a lesson in debt-financing.. :x

That makes zero sense. Plans still need to be drawn up, land and ROW still needs to be bought, RFPs need to be let, etc. Why would you spend just to spend in some attempt to avoid inflation, which is something like 2 percent a year? Plus, its very likely this trust is in an interest bearing account.

That makes zero sense. Plans still need to be drawn up, land and ROW still needs to be bought, RFPs need to be let, etc. Why would you spend just to spend in some attempt to avoid inflation, which is something like 2 percent a year? Plus, its very likely this trust is in an interest bearing account.

this x1000

Cut Spartan some slack - he just went to work for the Supply side and probably gets a big dose of this kind of logic from his company's management team. It is amazing how we can prove the growth model doesn't work but if someone changes a few words all of a sudden people think the growth model is a good idea.

If it collects $108MM why is it not spending $108MM this year??

The cost of inflation is really eating into this. Somebody needs a lesson in debt-financing.. :x
The COuncil approved/adopted proposed spending much more but when it came down to it, spent significantly less (IIRC it was only $12 million last year), even though Couch was quoted as saying they hadn't spent "dollar one" on MAPS 3 yet. Leads one to conclude that MAPS 3 is waaaaay behind schedule. Just like every MAPS has been

The COuncil approved/adopted proposed spending much more but when it came down to it, spent significantly less (IIRC it was only $12 million last year), even though Couch was quoted as saying they hadn't spent "dollar one" on MAPS 3 yet. Leads one to conclude that MAPS 3 is waaaaay behind schedule. Just like every MAPS has been

again why don't you look at the schedule

BoulderSooner: Good question, may need to ask the City Manager & the Council that...they are the ones that proposed and adopted the budget & approved the timelines. But again, these are the same folks that everything is going according to plan, everything is on time and on budget etc. Have we learned nothing from MAPS, MAPS 4 Kids, the Arena improvements, Project 180, multiple bond issues? Guess not. LOL

I have looked at the schedule

Boulder: So what is your conclusion?

maps 3 is not "waaaaay behind schedule"

Boulder: What brings you to that conclusion? Every MAPS (MAPS, MAPS 4 Kids, Aena improvements etc) have been years behind. What makes you think MAPS 3 will be any different? We are how many years into the tax collection portion? How do you explain the City Manager proposing and the Council adopting spending multi-millions more during the year than what was actually spent if not for delays?

Boulder: What brings you to that conclusion? Every MAPS (MAPS, MAPS 4 Kids, Aena improvements etc) have been years behind. What makes you think MAPS 3 will be any different? We are how many years into the tax collection portion? How do you explain the City Manager proposing and the Council adopting spending multi-millions more during the year than what was actually spent if not for delays?

so because other maps ended up behind schedule .. maps 3 is "waaaaay behind" right now?

Boulder: based on history and they way they are NOT spending the money they said they were going to, yes, that is a logical conclusion. Please refute (you didn't answer the question as to what brought you to your conclusion that it isn't). Redefining the timeline or the budget to fit the current situation does NOT mean projects are within budget or built on time.

go look at the schedule and tell me what is behind

http://www.okc.gov/maps3/graphics/timeline.jpg

http://www.okc.gov/maps3/maps3timeline.html

BTW, someone might want to move these posts to the Maps3 thread

Double post

go look at the schedule and tell me what is behind
Again, please explain why the City Manager proposed and the Council adopted spending multi-millions more than what was actually spent for 2012? What else would explain money not being spent other than projects being behind schedule. How many times have we heard from various City staff that everything was fine with a particular project (on time & on budget), then suddenly, we don't have the money to finish it, items get cut and are months if not years behind schedule? Numerous.