Tulsa County Republican Party Committee last week censured two Tulsa County commissioners who set an election in November on extending an existing county-wide sales tax.
Republican commissioners Fred Perry and John Smaligo joined with Commissioner Karen Keith, a Democrat, on Aug. 13 to put to voters an extension of the 0.6% sales tax. The tax, which was first levied at the beginning of 2004, would expire at the end of 2016 unless the extension to 2029 is approved.
Tulsa County Republican Chairman J.B. Alexander said all but three of the 80 precinct chairs and party officials on the committee voted to censure the two commissioners.
The Republican committee adopted a resolution opposing the tax extension because "government intervention into private businesses as demonstrated in the GM bailout is wrong and not the best use of tax dollars."
County officials said the 0.6% tax would generate $750 million over the 13-year extension.
The new Vision2 plan devotes $386.9 million to economic development, including $254 million of upgrades and improvements to aircraft maintenance facilities and equipment at Tulsa International Airport.
Tulsa County and 10 cities in it would share $361.9 million of capital improvement funding.
