Interim city manager updates council on City Center Complex, sales tax and parks

Interim City Manager Randy Yens gave the Edmond City Council an operational update on May 27 that covered recent sales and use tax trends, progress on the City Center Complex construction and park facility changes.

Yens said the monthly report covers March sales (reported in April, collected in May). "Sales tax was down for the month by 3.17%. On the flip side of that, use tax was up almost 14%. Year to date sales and use collections are down overall, 0.66% versus last year," he said. He noted lodging tax is up 6.1%, exceeding $1,000,000 with one month remaining in the fiscal year.

Yens provided a construction update on the City Center Complex, which he described as a $44,000,000 project funded from the CIP sales tax. He said the new City Hall will contain about 60,000 square feet of office space, the new municipal court building nearly 14,000 square feet, and a 216-space parking garage. He reported that certificates of occupancy have been issued for both floors of City Hall and staff areas of the Quartz Building, punch-list work is underway, furniture and interior signage are moving forward, landscaping has been delayed by weather and the council should be able to hold public meetings in the new building in July including the July 14 city council meeting.

Yens also reported park updates: two splash pads at Barnett Field and Ted Anderson Park opened earlier this year and Pelican Bay opened the previous weekend. He said Pelican Bay will close after the 2025 swim season for a planned renovation; the project is out to bid and work is expected to start after the swim season with a target reopening in 2026. Planned Pelican Bay improvements include new decks, spray features, a child slide, new pool gutters, refreshed restrooms and a new pool liner intended to extend the facility's life by 25 years.

The report was informational; the council did not take formal action on the construction or parks updates at the meeting.