Kevin Canfield’s job at The Frontier is similar to what he’s been doing for years in Tulsa — to keep locals informed about the actions of our elected officials. And to dive into other fun news around town.
Though The Frontier’s focus is on in-depth and investigative stories, we aren’t abandoning day-to-day news altogether.
That’s where Kevin’s blog, Hyperlocal, comes in.
He’ll be posting as events of the day present themselves. Follow along on his shoe-leather adventures.
It’s only Tuesday, but a few things have happened at the county this week that I thought you might be interested in.
MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE
The Jazz Hall of Fame has a new tenant, and its business is not music. It’s oil.
That’s right, Tulsa County residents spent $4 million in Vision 2025 sales tax to purchase and refurbish the historic Union Depot building so it could be turned into class A-B office space.
At least that was the concern of County Commissioner John Smaligo, who grudgingly voted to approve the three-year lease with Paisan Logistics LLC at Monday’s Industrial Authority meeting.
Directing his remarks to Jazz Hall of Fame Executive Director Jason McIntosh, Smaligo asked:
“At what point does this building stop being for the mission of the Jazz Hall of Fame, for our community, and simply another office building in downtown Tulsa that doesn’t have anything to do with the Jazz Hall of Fame?”
MacIntosh didn’t back away from the obvious: Paisan does not fit into the Jazz Hall’s mission, but its $4,000-a-month rent payment would help cover the organization’s operating costs. As anyone who has followed the financial woes of the Jazz Hall knows, that has not always been easily accomplished.
“It’s a pretty sheer economic argument,” McIntosh said. “We are a 100 percent privately funded organization.”
The Union Depot at First Street and Cincinnati Avenue was purchased and renovated by the county for the Jazz Hall of Fame’s use.
The Jazz Hall moved into the building in June 2007, and although the Industrial Authority is still the owner of the building, the Jazz Hall is responsible for the operation and maintenance of it.
Paisan will occupy about 5,600 square feet on the ground floor of the historic building. That’s about 10 percent of the building. The other organization leasing space from the Jazz Hall is Deborah Brown School.
County Commissioner Ron Peters joined Smaligo in approving the lease. Commissioner Karen Keith voted against it, saying she would have preferred a tenant whose mission was in line with the Jazz Hall’s.
THE JAIL IS BROKE
I am not talking about the controversies that have been swirling around the Sheriff’s Office. I’m talking cash.
The Tulsa Jail, formally known as the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, has been running short on money almost from the time its budget was approved last June.
On Monday, the county Budget Board moved another $420,728 into the jail operating budget to cover salaries and other expenses.
The good news is that the Sheriff’s Office won’t be asking for any more money to run the jail this fiscal year because it ends in two weeks.
The bad news is the county has had to come up with a total of $3.7 million this fiscal year to cover jail expenses.
The money has been drawn from the Parks Department ($500,000); the general fund ($1.8 million); the special projects fund ($350,000); the risk management fund ($518,901); and the Board of County Commissioners’ payroll account ($420,728).
Most of the additional funding was used to cover payroll, the jail’s largest expense, and other operational costs.
Tulsa County residents pay a quarter-cent sales tax to fund the operation of the jail. But as the inmate population has increased, so has the cost to run the facility.
In fairness to the Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail, Sheriff Stanley Glanz submitted a $32 million budget for this year but had it knocked down to $29 million by the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority.
On Wednesday, the party begins all over again when the sheriff presents his fiscal year 2016 budget. This time around, he’s asking for $31.5 million to run the jail.
COUNTY PASSES A BUDGET
Also on Monday, the Budget Board passed a county budget of $90.6 million for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1.
That’s a 5.32 percent increase from last year.
kevin@readfrontier.com
918-645-5452
