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Broken Arrow voters voiced their approval of the new franchise agreement between the City of Broken Arrow and Public Service Company of Oklahoma by passing Ordinance No. 3750 on Tuesday.
The ballot proposition passed by a vote of 1,686 to 791.
The ordinance grants PSO permission to access public right of ways to operate and maintain its utility equipment within City limits. The new 25-year franchise agreement defines the relationship between the City and PSO to provide a reliable product, affordable services, and a consistent response that is vital to meet the electrical needs of the community.
“It is wonderful that the voters of Broken Arrow reviewed the agreement and voted ‘yes’ to the proposition on the ballot,” said Mayor Debra Wimpee. “City staff began working on this new franchise more than a year ago with a focus on how to best see to it that our citizens’ high expectations of electrical services are met. It is encouraging to see residents exercising their right to vote and approving this agreement to help improve BA for the next quarter century.”
The agreement calls for a continuation of the 2% Franchise Fee that is used to help fund essential city services such as police, fire, and medical, as well as Parks and Recreation, Community Development, and many other general services of the city’s daily operations.
As part of the agreement, an additional 1% Economic Development Fee will be collected and remitted back to the City for the purpose of growing the local economy through job creation, business retention and expansion, new industry in Broken Arrow, and right of way improvements for utility line relocation. Based on usage, the new fee will equate to roughly $1.25 more per month for the average residential home.
“The private sector has choices about where to locate its operations, and we are consistently competing with other communities to attract new business to Broken Arrow,” said City Manager Michael Spurgeon. “With the approval of this agreement and the new 1% fee, approximately $1 million dollars in revenue will be generated each year. Half of those dollars will go towards the cost of capital improvements and the other half as an incentive to help grow our economy.
Thank you to the voters of Broken Arrow for approving this agreement that continues the critical delivery of electrical services and creates a new revenue stream to enhance the quality of life in our fast-growing community.”
The new franchise agreement is expected to take effect within 30 days.
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