Council approves micro survey on temporary sales tax to fund $52M sports-facility upgrades

Broken Arrow City Council on Sept. 16 authorized staff to launch a micro survey asking voters whether they would support a temporary 0.5-cent sales tax, lasting five years, to finance about $52 million in sports-facility improvements.

City Manager Michael Spurgeon and communications director Aaron McCullough presented the proposed survey and the reasoning behind a possible “eighth proposition” for the April 2026 ballot. Spurgeon told the council the measure would be structured as a temporary sales tax that would “sunset after 5 years” and — if voters approve it — the city would borrow funds, complete design work for multiple sites, bid the projects together, and target roughly a three-year timeline from voter approval to facility use. “In essence, you're looking about a 3 year window in order to from the time the voters approve it, maybe 3 and a half at the most,” Spurgeon said.

The draft survey described by staff would present voters with a single yes-or-no question about a one-half cent temporary sales tax dedicated to sports improvements, then collect basic demographics (age, voter registration status, whether respondents have children under 18). Staff said they planned to launch the survey the week after the meeting, run it for three weeks and present results to the council at its second October meeting.

Spurgeon and other staff framed the proposal as a way to accelerate upgrades across multiple city venues at once rather than phasing projects over many years through the general obligation bond program. Spurgeon said the work would aim to make Broken Arrow competitive for regional and national tournaments by adding turf, additional lighting, parking and circulation improvements, and by modernizing existing fields and internal roadways at complexes including Indian Springs.

Representatives of local user groups and sports organizations addressed the council during the public comment period. Brad Gordon, president of Broken Arrow Softball, said turf and other upgrades are necessary to keep tournaments in the city. Tammy Seal, representing Broken Arrow girls fast-pitch softball, told the council that rainouts and older facilities have prompted teams to seek tournaments elsewhere. Chad Lott of Broken Arrow Area Youth Sports and Kevin Lemaster of Broken Arrow Soccer emphasized that increased field lighting and turf would allow the city to host more games into the evening and attract out-of-area tournaments.

Councilors asked staff to ensure voters would see tangible benefits quickly if the tax passes; staff responded that design work would begin immediately after voter approval, with construction staged to minimize impact to league schedules. Staff stated the bond propositions discussed elsewhere in the package generally require simple-majority approval (50.1%) except drainage, which would require 60%, and said the proposed sports proposition would require a simple majority if placed on the ballot.

A council member moved and a second was made to allow staff to move forward with the survey; the motion passed on a roll call.

The survey is intended to gauge public appetite before the council decides whether to place the temporary sales-tax question on the April 2026 ballot. If the council places the item before voters and the measure passes, staff said the city intends to borrow the funds and proceed with design and bidding to complete the projects in a compressed timeframe so that voters who approved the tax would see improvements within a few years.