Enid Parks Plan Voting Results
The Parks Plan is failing and looks like it will not pass.
Unofficial Results: 24 of 24 Precincts
Proposition 1: 1396 Yes - 4717 No
Proposition 2: 1400 Yes - 4731 No
We will post the results as soon as we see them on our Facebook Page and Twitter Page. We will also post the results on this page but may not get them posted as quickly as the other two. You can follow the proposition results on this Election Page as well.
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Enid voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, March 5th to vote on what many of us are calling the Enid Parks Project. Enid Buzz has been trying to gather as much info as possible to make an informed vote and to help inform you all. What we see is a lack of participation, rumors, off topic rants, distrust and inaccurate information.
We believe everyone is in support of improving and keeping our current parks in working condition. If this was nothing more than funding our current parks and creating a parks department there probably wouldn't much discussion at all. It's the addition of the Community Park, its location, the full cost of the project and the funding sources that have people riding the fence.
We are not experts on this plan but we will share what we think we know so that you can make an honest determination if the "Quality of Life" tax increase is for you. We have listened to the live presentation twice and asked questions. We have seen the videos, read the literature and attended the public meeting. We hope this is a look at the plan without the spin. If we've gotten something grossly inaccurate please let us know and we will acknowledge a correction.
Some people are asking why the project can't be scaled down. The fact is it was. The original proposal to the city was for $79 million. The city scaled it back to $50 million. Could it be scaled back more? Yes, but to make it worthwhile you've got to spend some money. People are also asking why we can't take care of the parks we already have before doing this new project. The answer is that there is very little money and no department set aside for parks now. That is the reason this city council has decided to change things. This vote would create a department and funds to fix our current parks.
Many of the people that are against the plan have their own personal reasons and do not trust the city government. Here are a few things to think about that might be playing into your decision.
OFF TOPIC DISCUSSIONS:
WATER: As far as we know Enid has a water distribution problem more than a lack of water problem, although there is a drought and water needs to be conserved. Additional wells are being created and better distribution is about complete with the construction of two new water towers. The recent water pressure issue was an act of God which knocked out electricity to the wells. It was quickly fixed and new generators were purchased. The city is addressing the water issues and the parks plan will not change that either way. Water problems are going on nationwide not only in Enid. The parks plan does look at water conservation and water reuse in its design. But don't forget that we were asked to conserve water last summer which does beg the question of whether creating a new water park is wise or not.
ROADS: Fixing 100% of the roads 100% of the time is virtually impossible. The City of Enid has a street repair budget and system in place for fixing the roads. No city that we are aware of spends 100% of its budget on street repair. You spend what is in the budget and that is it. Voting no on the parks plan will not get your road fixed any faster. If you have road issues you should contact your city council person and complain. They in turn should give you an estimate as to when your street will be repaired. If you want more money budgeted for roads tell your council person. If they won't change the budget you should run for office and find out exactly how road repair is done and how much it costs.
RENAISSANCE/GATEWAY PROJECT: There has been a lot of confusion about the downtown project. We believe voters were confused due to the lack of specifics in the proposal. From articles we've gone back and read, the City of Enid asked voters to decide on a bond issue of $20 million that would have paid for half of the cost of the Gateway Project. The city said that if the voters approved the bond they would match that $20 million with $20 million they already had. The city of Enid did not explain very well that they would spend the matching funds whether the ballot passed or not. We think some voters felt that if there weren't any funds to match there wouldn't be a project. This left those voters confused when the city renamed the project and went ahead with it anyway.
In truth, the ballot was not whether the project would be done, it was only how much would be spent and how it would be funded. Again, this was not explained well publicly and we understand the frustration the voters have with the city. But! That is in the past. We have all got to get passed that vote and move forward. Hopefully the city will explain things better in the future and maybe the citizens will begin to trust again. This vote could be the turning point.
EVENT CENTER: The Event Center is downtown and controlled by the city of Enid. The Expo Center is north of town and is controlled by the county. They are not the same thing. The Expo Center does not sit empty. They have reported to have up to 300 events a year out there. If you posted the events as we do you'd see that there is way more going on out there than most people even know. The downtown Event Center will not sit empty. It is already being booked as is Convention Hall. Contact Steve Barnes at the Expo Center and Keller Taylor at the Event Center for more information about their bookings and schedules. Many of you assume things just because someone says it is so. We've called these guys and asked them how busy they are, and they are busy. It only takes a phone call to find out about many of these rumors floating around town.
THE PARKS PROJECT:
PLAN:
PRO: We do not believe the City of Enid is trying to do anything other than improve the quality of life for Enid residents. The city has done numerous studies, polls, focus groups, public meetings, surveys and has hired professionals to provide sound advice on this project. Other cities have gone through the same process and are seeing improvements to their cities due to these new sports complexes. Studies show that a better quality of life attracts more business and higher paid employees. The city was presented with a guideline to accomplish their goals. The city has tried to get the public involved.
CON: There are no specifics in the plan that include exact costs and details. Everything presented is conceptual (from Whitney Box: Not having detailed plans and scope of work. While we would like to have all of this in place, it is virtually impossible without spending tax payers money without knowing if there is going to be a project. The prudent thing to do at this point is to wait until passage before spending any money on any of these projects. We also want as much community involvement as possible when designing these parks. We want the public that is directly invested in each park to tell us what they want. We have a list of needs from the consultants, but we also want to meet the needs of the people.). Costs are estimated. It will take a tax increase to pay for. The size and scope of the water feature at 30th and Randolph is one of the largest plan aspects not yet designed, along with improvements to the trail system. The bulk of the plan will take 4-5 years to complete.
FUNDING:
PRO: If the projects were to stay on budget this is an affordable way to pay for park and recreational improvements. For the sales tax issue it would raise our sales tax from 8.35 to 8.85 so every time you spend a hundred dollars it would add an additional 50 cents. Asking for a tax increase now will be partly paid for by the influx of extra workers flooding the Enid area due to the oil boom. The sales tax revenue would allow the city to fund improvements not covered by the general obligation bonds such as trails and replacement of Champlin Pool.
The property tax issue would be a continuation of the bridge bond tax initiated 5 years ago. The homeowner whose home is valued at $100, 000 would pay 8.41 a month the first year and at year three it goes to 7.30 and over the 20 year life it averages about 5.20 a month.
The city could free up as much as an additional $4 million per year in general funds to spend on street repairs if the parks plan is approved by voters.
CON: This is a tax increase. Both parts are tax increases. Extending a bond that would otherwise go away is in reality a new tax. Many people are on fixed incomes and every penny counts. Temporary taxes never seem to be temporary, there is always another project to spend that money on when the prior project is completed. Everything in this plan cannot be done immediately and some things will need to wait for the sales taxes to come in. Due to the price of the downtown project going into cost overruns many believe this could happen on the parks project (from Whitney Box: Like any tax issue to extend either tax it would have to come from a vote of the public, we cannot just extend the time period when the COE wants to. We also have been very conservative in our estimates and incorporated for inflation and contingency costs in 11.2% of the project to assist with the project staying in budget.).
COMMUNITY PARK:
PRO: Community Park is within viewing distance of visitors driving into town from the east. The new park could bring renewed development on the east side of town. This would replace the existing parks of South Govt. Springs. It would add soccer, softball and football fields. When the project is complete it would be one central location for many sports complexes now divided all over town. The city would make money from visiting teams on all tournaments. The aquatic area would replace Champlin pool which has outlived its intended life span. It is only about a 4 mile drive from anywhere in town.
CON: It sounds like this was pretty much the only location available meaning there was no other choice. The amount of land needed was not available anywhere in town and other locations outside of town were not available for purchase. The aquatic center and skate park are not within walking or bike riding distance for many kids in town (from Whitney Box: When determining moving the Skate Park from its current location, we had multiple meetings with the kids/adults that use the Skate Park and all were in favor of moving the location and in favor of the proposed location.). It is not centrally located. The amount asked for to build the Community Park is not enough to complete everything proposed. It would have to be done in phases and other forms of revenue would be needed to build the additional pieces. The largest development in the bond plan would be the new park at 30th and Randolph at a cost of $13.4 million.
CURRENT PARKS:
PRO: The plan sets aside $5 million to establish a parks and recreation department and provide for parks maintenance. Current parks would be brought up to ADA standards. Equipment would be added for two different age groups at most all parks. Some parks would move and new ones would be created in areas where they are lacking. The money would improve areas at Crosslin, the soccer complex and Kellet ball fields. We currently do not have enough fields for the number of games needed. The plan would increase the city’s trail system from the existing three miles to a total of more than 12 miles. New restrooms!!!
CON: Although the plan sets aside $5 million to establish a parks and recreation department and provide for parks maintenance there are no specifics on how the city’s expanded parks system and the parks and recreation department would be financed after that $5 million is spent. If the parks do not pay for themselves in the future we'll need more money in our budget to pay for them.
THE VOTE:
PRO: The vote is split into two parts, one for the continuation of the bond and the other for a higher sales tax. You can vote no on one and yes on the other.
Proposition 1 is more vague in its project spending and has no requirements. It would raise Enid’s combined sales tax rate from 8.35 percent to 8.85 percent. It would raise $20 million.
If the more specific Proposition 2 is approved, $21 million of the $30 million would be split between construction of two new city parks and upgrades to existing neighborhood parks, according to the city proposition. The $21 million would meet the statutory requirement that at least 70 percent of city bonds be earmarked for specific projects.
CON: The vote could be split and only a portion of the amount needed will be raised. The city would then decide which parts to complete and which to ignore depending on which part passes. If the entire proposal fails, any ongoing parks maintenance would have to be funded by taking funds away from other city projects.
THE AFTERMATH:
Does Enid need a parks department and upgraded park equipment? Yes, without a doubt. Would this Quality of Life proposal be a selling point to any new business or family looking to move to Enid? Of course. Is this the right plan at the right time? Not sure.
If the proposal passes we get upgraded parks, new parks and additional recreational facilities. If it fails there is a chance it could be addressed again with new input and changes to cost and scope. Either way Enid has got to address the parks situation. Citizens have gathered together in the Indian Hills area and raised money to buy new equipment for Champlin Park. This could also be done in other areas to help defer costs on citizens that do not have kids or live in areas with parks. Volunteer groups could also help maintain the parks but of course that would take a large number of volunteers and with the participation history in Enid it most likely couldn't be done.
We feel that if this proposal fails it should only be the beginning of looking at our parks system. If Enid wants to grow, look good and have a better quality of life, then something will need to be done about making parks more important in the city budget. It won't be free so be prepared for some type of cost down the road to accomplish this task. The city has looked at the problem, knows there's a problem and this is their solution to the problem. They've hired people to do the studies and this is what they were told would work. You are now being asked to vote on whether this is the right plan.
From the feedback we are hearing this vote could go either way so each and every vote will most likely count. Whether you are for or against you should get out and show your support or lack of. This is an expensive proposal and will have a lasting impact on Enid for decades to come. Please vote wisely. Voting takes place from 7am to 7pm at your area voting location. Please have ID with you.
If you find glaring errors or we've really goofed on some facts please let us know ASAP and we'll get it corrected. Send info to buzz@enidbuzz.com.
MORE INFORMATION:
The City of Enid Quality of Life web page
The final draft of the plan
The City of Enid Question and Answers
SAMPLE BALLOT:
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