By John Dobberstein, Editor
City officials have begun the process of pitching the 2026 general obligation bond packs that voters will decide next April that will decide the fate of road infrastructure and quality-of-life projects across Broken Arrow.
The city has yet to release the full list of projects for the GO Bond, which will likely total more than $400 million, but more details about the draft package are expected soon.
With Broken Arrow’s population growing at about 1.5% per year, many roads are carrying more traffic than they can handle or were designed for, which is a consistent complaint among residents and concern for city planners. Residents have also clamored for more park space.
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City Manager Michael Spurgeon recently said to widen a road from two to three lanes is $7 million per mile, without a bridge. The cost to go from two to five lanes is $10 million in 2025 money. The cost to turn an intersection from a non-fully functioning intersection without a turn lane to an intersection with a turn lane or two left turn lanes is between $3 million and $4 million, he said.
Building a fire station will cost between $9 million to $11 million by the time it is ready to start construction.
“We’re talking about Warren Buffett money here,” Spurgeon said at a recent City Council meeting.
Although Broken Arrow has a history of supporting bond elections, city officials aren’t taking anything for granted.
“Oklahoma is the only state that funds its cities through sales tax, so most people do not understand the reason why bond packages are so important to cities,” said Broken Arrow Mayor Debra Wimpee said.
Spurgeon said all available sales tax for operations is dedicated to public safety. The $7 million or $8 million the City receives in the Capital Improvement Programs will fund smaller capital projects, such as purchasing trucks and vehicles for the city departments and basic items.
“If we don’t have the bond package and voters don’t approve this, then it becomes very challenging to maintain the streets that we have, and the aging city utilities. The ripple effect would be negative in every single aspect,” Spurgeon said.
The city said there will be public forums, meet and greets, and various other opportunities for the public to engage in the bond conversation.
“Our voters have always shown a propensity to support bond packages but there is no better time in history for transparency and communication about why these are important,” Spurgeon said.
Spurgeon’s office will be sending letters out to citizens by way of the utility bills as part of the education initiative.
The first one will provide an update on the bond process. It will be a general overview of where the city stands on 2018 bond projects.
There were 88 projects in the 2018 bond package, and 75% of the projects have been completed or are in the process of construction or in some phase of the cycle, Spurgeon said.
A second letter will go out to the citizens in July. It will announce the dates and locations for the public forums that will be scheduled around Labor Day. It will also provide an update on the City Council’s actions in June.
A third letter will discuss what happened at the public forums regarding the Council’s project selection process. The fourth letter in early January or February 2026 will announce the final package the City Council will include in the bond.
Spurgeon is asking citizens to fill out the Parks and Recreation survey that is live until March 31. The City is considering building a community center in South Broken Arrow and weighing the costs of adding splash features.
“The estimated cost to do the splashing features is around $19-$20 million,” Spurgeon said. “We’re looking at whether the community would support a community center at Elam Park without splash features,” Spurgeon said. “I’m sure we’ll get some good responses and give the Council good information to make that decision.”
Spurgeon says these types of surveys are essential to the bond process. Data from the surveys will be used in decision-making when it comes time for the Council to decide which projects to include in the bond package.
Another possible bond proposition is a new South Broken Arrow library in partnership with the Tulsa City-County Library. The South Broken Arrow Library is one of the most used libraries in the entire Tulsa City-County Library system.
In March, the City Council received a bond book listing all the potential projects under consideration for inclusion in the April 2026 General Obligation Bond. For the next month they will be reviewing all of the proposed projects before they take a month-long break from the bond to work on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
Once the budget is approved, the City Council will review each proposed project over three or four meetings. The user groups that have requested funding from the bond project will have an opportunity to present their need before the governing body for consideration.
“In the first meeting, I know all of you are going to want to hear from the community groups,” Spurgeon said. “I want them to hear from you and you from them. I want you to engage with them.”
The second and third meetings will explore the propositions, such as Transportation, Public Safety, City Facilities, Parks/Recreation, Stormwater, and possibly a separate package with the Tulsa City-County Library. Spurgeon hopes to determine the propositions by the third week of June.
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