On June 4, 2009, a majority of the City Councilors approved the assessment roll for the downtown baseball stadium. I believed that the assessment was illegal and I still do. The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office agreed with me. It's illegal because it's a flat assessment rate for every piece of property inside the IDL. Oklahoma law requires that the assessment bear a relationship to the benefit that a piece of property will receive.
Mayor Taylor and the Stadium Trust believe that all downtown property will receive a benefit from the ballpark. They're probably right. But, a piece of property that's a mile away from the ballpark will receive less benefit than a piece of property that's across the street. A warehouse will receive less benefit than a bar or a restaurant.
The law says that the assessment must bear a relationship to the benefit that the property receives. The way this assessment is set up, its the same rate for every piece of property, no matter where it is or what the nature of the business is.
I had been saying that I thought that was illegal for a year. The Oklahoma Attorney General's office agreed with me.
I made a speech at the June 4th meeting, explaining why the assessment is illegal and why I had to vote against it, even though I think the ballpark is a good idea. I have always been in favor of the downtown ballpark. But, this assessment is illegal.
Steve Rommerman, who writes a good blog on local politics at http://www.roemermanonrecord.com/, shot some video of the meeting and has posted my speech on YouTube.com.
The speech is about 16 minutes long and is broken into two parts. If you’re interested in watching it, here are the links. Many thanks to Steve for shooting it and making it available.
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjpwmmrOOHg
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOKGAWMTvkw&feature=related
Tulsa is a diverse city with a bright future. But we need leaders who can represent people with diverse interests and bring all parties to the negotiating table. Rick is that type of leader. He was a Tulsa Police Officer, a carpenter, worked for a downtown bank, worked in radio for 17 years, was a college professor for 14 years, and has been a practicing attorney for 16 years. Let's re-elect Rick to represent District 2 on the Tulsa City Council.
Rick, Tammy and Brandon Westcott
What's On Your Mind?
About Rick
- Rick Westcott
- Rick Westcott grew up in Tulsa, in a blue-collar family, west of downtown along Charles Page Blvd. His mother has lived in the same house since 1959, and Rick represents the same district that he has lived in for more than 20 years. Rick knows his community, and that means he knows how to better represent his constituents at City Hall.
