Edmond Life and Leisure - September 25, 2025

Renewal of city sales tax vote in November

City Council voted during its September 8th regular meeting to place two questions on the ballot for the Tuesday, November 18 election, giving residents a chance to vote on the renewal of two 10-year taxes: the one-cent general fund sales tax and the ½-cent Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) sales tax.

Let me clear up any possible confusion. First, this is not a tax increase. It is a renewal of two taxes that already exist folks. Second, this is not a “special” election. It is an election already scheduled by the governor. Having it at this time gives a great advantage to the city on not footing the bill for the entire election. I would call that an effective use of taxpayer’s funds right out of the chute.

Proposition one is a renewal for a one-cent general fund sales tax that has been approved every 10 years by voters since 1977. The one-cent sales tax is critical funding for the City of Edmond’s General Fund budget used for operating city government. It serves thirty-two budget divisions, with two-thirds going to police and fire.

Proposition 2 is a renewal for a ½-cent CIP sales tax that was approved by voters in 2016 for capital improvement projects. The ½-cent CIP sales tax would be dedicated to fund road improvements to improve driving conditions and move traffic more efficiently through the city. The number one complaint residents have in Edmond is the traffic issues. I maintain that traffic is good. Trust me, you do not want to live in a town that has no traffic, and you can blow cannons off in their downtown area and never hit a person.

Voting to renew these sales tax propositions will not raise the current rate – it will continue the current sales tax rate of 8.25 percent sales tax which does not all go to the city bank accounts. Here is the breakdown of 8.25 percent.

Sales tax is the primary method the City of Edmond uses to fund important services and quality of life initiatives in Edmond. Of the current 8.25 percent current sales tax rate in Edmond, 4.5 percent goes directly to the state and 3.75 percent comes to the City. In the metro area, Edmond’s

sales tax rate ranks the lowest with most other communities at or above 8.5 percent.

Let me be more specific. Running at 8.5 percent is Moore, Bethany, Mustang and Nichols Hills. Over that percentage is Oklahoma City, Choctaw, Norman and Yukon. Right at 9.0 percent is Del City, Guthrie and the Village. Over 9 percent is Midwest City, and the winner is Piedmont at around 9.75 percent. Heck, the streets must be lined with gold in Piedmont.

Folks picked Edmond to live in over these other communities not because of the lower sales tax. In fact, many are surprised to find out we have a lower tax rate. However, we have a much better quality of life than all these other communities, no offense intended to our sister communities in central Oklahoma. The only conclusion you can draw is that our city government operates smarter and more efficiently than the rest.

Sales taxes enable our city to pay for personnel, equipment, infrastructure, and other operational costs associated with services. In Oklahoma, this is vital revenue as operational costs cannot be funded by property tax. Our sales tax dollars fund most of the basic services of city government. Police and fire response, maintenance of roads and parks, as well as emergency services related to weather events are the key services funded by these revenues.

This vote is a must for yes in our Edmond. If you are wondering if you can vote, look at your trash can. If your main trash can is green, you can vote. If it is blue, you are technically in Oklahoma City even though you may have an Edmond address. Please turn out to vote yes for this renewal of sales taxes.

I saw a post on one of those social media neighborhood pages. There was an informative discussion taking place about the renewal and a person broke in with “No, vote no!” I labeled the guy an idiot. None of us will want to live in Edmond if these taxes are not renewed and your home values will plunge.

Learn more about the two propositions, as well as pertinent voter information, at www.edmondok.gov/salestax.

(Ray Hibbard, publisher of Edmond Life & Leisure, may be reached at ray@edmondpaper.com)