Sixty-eight percent of Broken Arrow residents support a half-cent temporary sales tax to fund improvements to the city's aging sports facilities, according to a survey conducted in late September through mid-October.
More than 3,300 people responded to the Potential 8th Proposition to Fund Improvements at Sports Complexes survey conducted by Polco, a nationally recognized pollster who specializes in civic engagement.
The proposed sales tax increase would end after five years. According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents support it, while 32 percent oppose it. Of those who responded to the survey, 88 percent indicated that they are registered voters.
The survey aimed to collect information about voters' priorities regarding public improvement projects. It's the seventh survey conducted to gather citizen feedback over the past two years as the City Council prepares to decide which projects to include in the 2026 General Obligation Bond package.
Of the seven surveys thus far, the Public Sports Facilities Survey received the third most responses at 3,304.
The General Obligation Bond Election is tentatively scheduled for April 7, 2026. It will likely have seven propositions for voters to consider.
The Bond Package will include approximately $400 million in capital improvement projects— Transportation, Public Safety, Parks and Recreation, Public Facilities, Stormwater Drainage, and a possible partnership with the Tulsa City-County Library System for a new library in south Broken Arrow.
However, additional improvements beyond the approximate $400 million that the General Obligation Bond will generate are needed. Therefore, a temporary sales tax is under consideration as an eighth proposition to fund the necessary upgrades to the sports facilities.
Improvements are needed to the Broken Arrow facilities that serve youth and adult organizations involved in athletic programs such as soccer, fast-pitch softball, baseball, football, and lacrosse. Additionally, the Indian Springs Sports Complex requires general enhancements, including upgrades to its roadways, parking lots, and lighting.
Proposition 8 would include approximately $52 million in facility upgrades to the city's athletic facilities. In addition to providing a better field of play for area athletes, these improvements help drive support for the local economy. Improved facilities offer more opportunities for sports organizations to host regional tournaments, which will drive support of local restaurants, hotels, shopping, and small businesses in Broken Arrow.
“I think one of the great things about this is if it were to pass, these projects could be started immediately, and the people who actually voted for it, their kids would hopefully be able to play on those fields,” said Mayor Debra Wimpee. “Otherwise, it could be 10 years before the improvements would go into effect."
City Manager Michael Spurgeon agreed, stating that the quick turnaround is something each City Councilor requires even to consider a temporary tax increase.
“Every single Council member said that if we’re going to do this, we’re going to move immediately so the kids of the parents would be able to utilize the facilities,” Spurgeon said. “So that to me is something that’s going to be inherent in the question, should Council agree to go forward. That we will begin design, and once we get the design done, we will work with the user groups and begin the construction process as soon as possible.”
The difference in the timeline as to when projects can actually begin depends in part on the type of tax used to fund the project. For example, funds approved by voters for General Obligation Bond capital improvement projects, which are funded through property tax collections, are secured over a series of years.
In the case of the 2026 GO Bond, a bond sale would occur annually over 10 years to secure the total amount of the bond initiative, which is expected to be approximately $400 million.
Those GO Bond funds are spread out to cover projects in all propositions of the Bond initiative, which will likely include the aforementioned seven propositions and more than 100 projects.
If, however, the proposition to fund the public sports facilities appears on the ballot in April and is approved by voters, the city would not wait for the full collection of the half-cent sales tax during the temporary increase period.
Instead, the city would take out a loan to immediately begin working on the engineering of the improvements, allowing the voters’ children to experience sooner what their parents voted to support.
Fifty-four percent of the respondents indicated they have children aged 17 or under in their households. Those who have children indicated support for the proposition by a margin of 78 percent compared to 22 percent who oppose it.
However, those without children in the home also supported the proposition, with 56 percent in favor of it compared to 44 percent who opposed it.
Every age group responded in support of the proposition to fund the improvement of public facilities.
To view the survey findings in full, go to Community Surveys on the city's website.
