More than 20 legislators from all over the State of Oklahoma were in Broken Arrow for the Capitol to Community Tour on Aug. 21 at the Broken Arrow Event Center.
The city was the second stop for a new statewide initiative introduced by Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, designed to strengthen the connection between lawmakers and the communities they represent.
Rep. Ross Ford and Mayor Debra Wimpee welcomed the lawmakers to Broken Arrow. During their day long visit, the lawmakers interacted with city leaders, school officials and students, members of the Broken Arrow Chamber, mental health professionals, and business leaders.
City Manager Michael Spurgeon provided the lawmakers with an overview of some of Broken Arrow's vital statistics.
- The city's current population is estimated at 121,000.
- The city maintains approximately 1,250 lane miles of road.
- The city is growing at a rate of close to two percent a year.
- Broken Arrow is one of the leading cities in Oklahoma for net migration from other states.
- Over 900 new housing unit permits were issued in 2024, and the city is on par for more than 600 in 2025.
Spurgeon said the City Council's daily focus is on accountability and maintaining a great quality of life for residents.
"One of the things that we spend a lot of time focused on is creating an environment that promotes private investment to help grow our economy," Spurgeon said.
In the last 10 years, the city's assessed value has increased from $700 million in 2015 to nearly $1.4 billion.
Spurgeon said the passage of SB701, which allows Northeastern State University Broken Arrow to offer four-year degree programs, will make a significant impact on the city, region, and state.
"I believe, and the Council believes, that through NSU, there's a path to prosperity through education in this state," Spurgeon said. "The more kids we can keep in the state, the more we can attract. The affordability of education is going to grow our state."
As a four-year institution, NSU-BA will increase the number of skilled workers and bring research and innovation to the community. And it will add additional cultural and social opportunities and improve on the already excellent quality of life that the city enjoys.
Spurgeon also participated in a three-person panel with Broken Arrow Public Schools Superintendent Chuck Perry and President and CEO James Bell of the Broken Arrow Chamber and Economic Development Corporation.
Perry said the Broken Arrow Public School District has 20,000 students, including one of the top 10 largest high schools in the nation, with 3,600 students. He discussed the district's various academies, including an Early College Academy with 400 students. More than 70 percent of the academy students graduate with an associate's degree.
Perry spoke about the partnership between the City of Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow Schools, and the Broken Arrow Chamber. He credited area businesses and the Chamber for providing workforce development opportunities for students.
"I cannot say enough about these two gentlemen and their teams," Perry said, referring to Spurgeon and Bell. "We've got a seat at the table as part of the bond issue. We've got to have a voice where roads and intersections are created and redone, because that impacts our traffic flows. We really appreciate the opportunity to work closely with them."
Following the panel discussion, the legislators took a tour of Vanguard Academy and heard from Broken Arrow students about the innovative educational opportunities that the STEM academy has afforded them.
The lawmakers also toured three Broken Arrow manufacturers—Arrowhead Winch, RISE Armament, and Zeeco and saw how innovative products created in Broken Arrow are impacting the world economy.
