Gov. Kevin Stitt took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, last week to explain his continued push for personal income tax cuts.
“My philosophy on government spending isn’t anything new or radical. I think government should fund needs, not wants. If we do that, we can absolutely afford an income tax cut this year.”
We agree. Lawmakers need to decide what Oklahomans expect in public services and fund those.
The key is knowing the truth about the state’s needs. So often, the honest number remains hidden among political agendas or not known at all.
Stitt wanted flat budget requests from state agencies this year, along with cuts to the personal income tax. Flat budgets ignore the rise in cost-of-living — such as inflation on everyday items and health care — and lingering capital needs.
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Deferred maintenance of public facilities has finally caught up to Oklahoma. Some state facilities have moved into hazardous conditions. How ironic, considering that the state Capitol got a $280 million renovation this past decade.
With state savings accounts at historic highs, a tug-of-war continues on how to use that cushion. Some want tax cuts. Others want capital improvements or restored staffing that was lost during the nine revenue failures between 2002 and 2020.
Rather than offer unchanged budgets, some agencies are being candid about what it truly takes to operate an effective system and catch up on overdue repairs.
Last fall, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education told legislators that the state’s campuses have almost $1.5 billion worth of leaky roofs, worn out heating and air conditioning, bad wiring, environmental hazards, chipped paint, and buildings that need to be updated or demolished, according to Tulsa World reporter Randy Krehbiel.
In November, Department of Tourism and Recreation Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt told lawmakers the state’s parks have $350 million in maintenance backlogs on the books, including $200 million worth that are considered critical to continued operation.
Parks may seem like want over need, unless you’re among those who’ve been electrically shocked while walking along the shore of Tenkiller Lake by exposed underground electric lines. Rather than have unusable cabins sitting empty at several parks, maybe those could be upgraded and used for state income.
Oklahoma’s highest level of state employees was in 1982, when there were about 37,000 workers. With the revenue failures of the 2000s came staffing reductions, which progressed to the 31,487 employees the state had in September last year.
That means Oklahoma shrank government by 15% since 1982 while the population grew by 26%, putting more demands on public infrastructure and services.
When it comes to budget requests, we prefer honesty.
If Oklahomans want a robust mental health system or better student achievement, lawmakers need details on what that looks like, with the cost. That doesn’t mean everything gets funded. That’s unrealistic.
However, Oklahomans need a dose of reality when it comes to understanding the price of courts, schools, health departments, parks, the Highway Patrol, prisons and safety-net programs.