At its Dec. 16 meeting, the Broken Arrow City Council advanced a $415,000,000 bond package to be placed before voters in April, City of Broken Arrow communications staff said. "We advanced it with a vote of the city council," Lisa Jones said on the city's City Council Rewind program.

Councilor Justin Green, who described the package as the product of "the last year and a half" of work with staff, a citizen advisory committee and public meetings, said the total borrowing capacity is based on the community's net assessed value and “is not looking to raise any of our current taxes.” He said the package is structured as eight propositions so voters can choose which parts to approve.

The largest single allocation is Proposition 1, which directs $205,000,000 (49.6% of the package) toward transportation projects, including street maintenance, sidewalk improvements and intersection upgrades. Green said those funds would support widening lane miles and improving connectivity for drivers, riders and transit users; he referenced Broken Arrow Transit as part of the multi-modal goals.

Proposition 2 would provide $56,000,000 (13.5%) for public safety, with Green noting investments for police, fire and emergency management. Proposition 3 allocates $74,000,000 (17.6%) to quality-of-life projects — parks, trails, community centers and arts programming — and Proposition 4 sets aside $65,000,000 (15.7%) for public facilities the city owns or partners on, such as the senior center, Arch 302 and the military history museum. Green cited the senior center’s membership of "over 3,000 members" as an example of facility demand.

Smaller propositions address water management and local services: Proposition 5 proposes $6,000,000 (1.5%) for stormwater projects and Proposition 6 provides $5,000,000 (1.2%) for drainage work; council materials and the hosts cited recent heavy rains and drainage failures as drivers for these allocations. Proposition 7 would contribute $4,000,000 toward a partnership with the Tulsa City-County Library to build a new South Broken Arrow branch, which hosts said sees high usage and provides internet and community services.

Proposition 8 is a sports-facilities measure intended to maintain and upgrade local fields and tournament facilities that drive sports tourism; Green said the measure "would raise sales tax by a half a percent" if voters approve it, with the city arguing visitors and tournament participants would help pay for improvements and that revenue would accelerate project timelines.

The hosts noted the council considered more than 40 items at the meeting; for full agendas and minutes the city directs residents to the government section of its website. The council advanced the bond package for placement on the April ballot; vote counts for the advancement were not provided in the program.

The next regular City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m.