Enactment of Main Street Fairness/Marketplace Equity Legislation
Oklahoma City, like all cities in Oklahoma, relies heavily on sales tax to support operations. As technology advances and internet shopping becomes more prevalent, the City is losing an estimated $15-18 million annually to electronic vendor and internet sales. The Streamlined Sales and Use Tax project has been in process for several years and has resulted in recent bills filed in both the House and Senate. H.R. 3179 is titled Marketplace Equity Act of 2011 and S. 1832 is the Marketplace Fairness Act. More
Funding for the expansion of the City’s investment in the Streetcar system and the regional Intermodal Transportation Hub
Oklahoma City is working toward enhancing public transportation options and further investment in the City’s core. From a regional perspective, a dialog to address transportation issues has been underway for several years, and pieces of that plan are beginning to come together. More
Support a long term extension of the federal surface transportation law
Funding for interstate construction continues to be a priority for the City. The I-40 Crosstown project has been a priority issue for the City since 1998. Construction of the new highway is complete, with the new I-40 alignment currently open. Further, significant progress has been achieved with secured funding in ODOT’s Eight Year Plan for teardown of the old I-40 bridge structure and construction of the new connection from downtown Oklahoma City to I-235 and I-40. More
Transit: greater flexibility and continued funding
Under the current FTA urban formula program (Section 5307) cities with populations over 200,000 may only spend grant funds on capital items. The American Public Transportation Association has recommended that public transportation systems in urbanized areas with a population of more than 200,000 which operate less than 100 buses in peak operation should be authorized to use Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 formula funds for operating purposes. More
Support for Tinker AFB
The Oklahoma City community has supported Tinker AFB since its inception in 1941, when it provided the initial 1,440 acres of land. The City has a good working relationship with Tinker, and with over 27,000 employees, it is an important part of the region. More
Funding for the American Indian Cultural Center
Federal funding is essential to the development of the American Indian Cultural Center, which is currently under construction. Fortunately, it has recently received a significant amount of funding from the State of Oklahoma, but federal participation is also needed. More
Support for Airport funding and FAA operations in Oklahoma City
Will Rogers World Airport (WRWA) is a vital resource to Oklahoma City and the region and is one of the largest small-hub commercial airports in the nation. More
Clean Air Act and EPA Standards: work with ACOG to monitor the new clean air act standards and keep the Oklahoma City region in compliance
Compliance standards at the federal level were reduced from .08 ppm to .075. These standards are expected to be lowered again to .070. We are working with ACOG and state agencies to monitor these changes and the metropolitan area’s compliance. Although the region has not been declared “out of compliance” through the formal process, readings for ozone exceeded the standard during the summer of 2011. More
Support for Economic Development and Grant Programs
Oklahoma City receives formula grants for CDBG and other economic development programs.
The City also competes for federal grants where appropriate. Often, the City seeks opportunities to leverage city funds with federal funds in order to complete or enhance projects that will benefit our citizens. More