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Muskogee council calls July election for 0.5% CIP sales tax, adds polling-place list
Summary
Council approved a resolution and ordinance calling a July 2025 special election on a proposed 0.5% sales tax to fund capital projects, and amended documents to include polling places. The measure appears on the ballot as Ordinance 42‑63‑A.
Muskogee — The Muskogee City Council approved a resolution and an accompanying ordinance April 28 to place a proposed one-half of 1 percent excise (sales) tax before voters in a special election in July 2025.
The resolution (No. 3029) calls the special election; the ordinance (No. 42‑63‑A) sets the proposed tax’s effective dates (Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2033) and lists the capital projects the revenue would fund, including street maintenance, library rehabilitation, downtown revitalization, Hatbox upgrades, public-works facility rehabilitation, city hall work, civic center HVAC and a $2 million contract to construct a berm to protect the port and wastewater infrastructure.
City staff said the ordinance and the resolution were amended on the dais to include the jurisdiction’s polling-place list; the council also noted two precincts were closed because they had no registered voters. City staff recommended approval and described the ordinance as the formal step to put the measure before registered city voters.
Why it matters: The proposed sales tax would replace an expiring capital improvement program (CIP) revenue stream and, if approved by voters, would fund infrastructure projects city officials say are priorities for safety and economic development.
Public comment on the item emphasized transparency. Resident Ron Dean urged the council to publish a full accounting of how the prior CIP funds were spent — vendor lists, amounts and project-level details — before asking voters to approve a new measure. “One of the easiest ways to give confidence to the public before they go to the ballot is to show them how the $24 million from the past CIP was used,” Dean told the council.
City staff responded that the ordinance and resolution called the election and that project details appear in the ordinance background; staff also distributed an amended resolution to include the polling places supplied by the county.
Council action and votes: The council unanimously approved the resolution calling the election and the ordinance (42‑63‑A) authorizing the 0.5% excise tax; roll-call votes were recorded as unanimous. The ordinance sets the proposed tax to begin Oct. 1, 2025, if voters approve. The resolution adds polling locations and notes that Precincts 40 and 45 are closed because they contain no registered voters.
Next steps: The city will publish election materials and the polling-place list, and proceed with the July special election. Council members indicated a willingness to accelerate publication of the prior CIP expenditure details to address community requests for transparency.
