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Broken Arrow sets April 7 vote on $415 million general obligation bond package
Summary
Broken Arrow officials called an April 7 election on a $415 million general obligation bond that would fund eight propositions — transportation, public safety, parks, public buildings, stormwater/drainage, a $4 million library allocation and a five-year half-cent sales tax if approved.
The Broken Arrow City Council has formally called an April 7, 2026 election on a $415,000,000 general obligation bond package that the council will present to voters, city communications director Aaron McCullough said following the council's Jan. 6 meeting. "The city council officially called for the election on April 7," McCullough said during the council recap.
Vice Mayor Johnny Parks, who reviewed the ballot propositions, said the package was developed after legal review and citizen input and includes eight propositions. "$415,000,000, bond issued and getting it ready to send off to the state for, for our election in in April 7," Parks said, summarizing the total amount and the preparation steps.
Why it matters: The package groups a set of projects voters will approve or reject as separate propositions. Key allocations cited by council leaders include: - Proposition 1 (transportation): Parks said transportation typically comprises roughly half of the bond and is expected to fund streets, roads and intersection projects. - Proposition 2 (public safety): Funding for police, fire trucks and fire stations. - Proposition 3 (quality of life/parks): Planned investments include a major project at Elam Park in the city's southwest. - Proposition 4 (public buildings): Renovation and maintenance of city-owned facilities and some nonprofit-owned facilities the city supports. - Propositions 5–6 (stormwater/drainage): Multiple localized stormwater and drainage improvements. - Proposition 7 (library): Parks said the council committed $4,000,000 to the library and described plans for an innovation or "playmaker" space to serve children and community programs. - Proposition 8 (temporary sales tax): A half-cent city sales tax, presented as a five-year measure, would be a point-of-sale tax if voters approve it.
On the temporary sales tax, McCullough said the council took a formal step to codify the time limit into city law. "The council codified it. And if the voters passed proposition 8, it would go into effect on 07/01/2026 and it would expire on 06/30/2031," McCullough said, noting the sunset is now reflected in city ordinance language enacted by the council.
The council and staff emphasized local economic benefits tied to sports and recreation venues that would receive bond funding. McCullough cited a recent tournament he said involved 313 teams across five states and generated an estimated $3,000,000 in economic impact for a single weekend, saying visitor spending helps support projects funded by the proposed sales tax.
Public information: McCullough said the city will publish detailed project lists for each proposition on the city website later in the week for residents to review. He directed listeners to the city's agendas and meetings page for archived video and full meeting materials.
Next steps: The bond package will be on the April 7 ballot. If voters approve the sales-tax proposition, the city ordinance codifying the sunset would place the start date at July 1, 2026, and end date at June 30, 2031. The council will provide project-level details online as staff finalizes the lists.
