A petition to the Oklahoma State Auditor to conduct a special audit of the City of Muskogee and its trust authorities has been approved. This comes on the heels of city officials' efforts to convince citizens to vote for a $77 million bond on Aug. 27.
A group of concerned citizens provided the evidence that convinced auditing officials that a special audit was necessary.
A minimum of 1,988 registered Muskogee voters have to sign the petition. The petition has to be in the hands of the state auditor's office by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24. The auditor's office will then provide the petitions to the Muskogee County Election Board to verify registered voters. The board has 30 days to complete this process.
Names on the petition are confidential and may not be released publicly except upon an order from a court of competent jurisdiction, according to the auditor's office.
Citizens can download a copy of the petition at the following Facebook pages: "Stop Muskogee Corruption", "Reform Muskogee" or "Citizen Petition." Petitions can also be downloaded at reformmuskogee.wixsite.com/vote. Signed petitions can be mailed to Citizen Petition, P.O. Box 2032, Muskogee, OK 74402. Questions can be sent to reformmuskogee@gmail.com. If you have a large number of petitions to return, contact us at reformmuskogee@gmail.com and we'll pick them up.
Questions and Answers
Q1. Why is the petition important at this time and date?
A1. City Manager Mike Miller wants us to believe that our property taxes will only increase by 15 mils for 25 years for a $100,000 house. Miller says that is "only" $12.50 for a $100,000 house. That's not true and here's why. (1) The county lost a $20M judgment for the death of an inmate and that will go on our property taxes. (2) The $110M school bond passed in 2019 has yet to peak at the max millage rate and (3) A few years ago the city lost the Vaughn inverse condemnation case and had to pay the Vaughns $6.1M, which was obtained from an adjustable rate bank loan. The same judge that heard the Vaughn case is going to hear the England v. City of Muskogee on July 18, which involves the same issues as the Vaughn's – the city illegally tore down several of England's houses without following state statute 11-22-112. Then there are two companion cases just like the Vaughn's and England's – Sharon Taff and Rachel Lacey. The city will lose all three cases because they violated that state statute. And whatever judgment is awarded to the city, that amount will have to be placed on our property taxes. Miller is not being transparent and honest with us concerning how much our property taxes will be raised over the next 25 years. We have major manufacturing companies in Muskogee like Georgia Pacific whose property taxes will be increased by the millions. Do you think they will hang around for 25 years paying millions of dollars in extra property taxes? If the bond passes, it will negatively impact the poor and renters, who can afford it the least. Landlords will pass their property rate increase on to the renters. And it will disastrously impact small businesses, the heart of Muskogee's economy. Finally, try selling your house when your property rates are sky-high. The city manager's bond proposal is an economic disaster for Muskogee property owners and the fact that he hasn't figured that out is disturbing.
Q2. How much will this special audit cost the city?
A2. According to the state auditor's office, the City of Muskogee can expect to pay between $40,000 to $80,000.
Q3. Is this the same group opposing the $77M bond?
A3. Yes.
Q4. Why do you oppose the bond?
A4. We don't necessarily oppose the projects funded by the bond; however, we are disturbed by the city manager's lack of details for each project and his indifference to detailed discussions about these projects.
Q5. Can you give an example?
A5. Yes. The city manager is asking for $11M for a new police station yet he can't tell us the square footage of the building nor can he produce any tangible construction plans for it. Why should we trust Miller with $77M when he can't properly plan for an $11M project? Miller is throwing $11M against the wall hoping that it sticks and no one notices.
Q6. Since you oppose the bonds, do you have other options?
A6. Yes. Tulsa has five-year bonds for specific projects. City Manager Miller should prioritize the city's needs and use the five-year bond cycle. This would be easier on property owners and fiscally prudent. A property tax for 25 years will cripple the poor and increase renter's rates as property owners will pass their increase on to the renters. The British tried raising taxes on the colonies and the colonialists revolted. The situation here is similar. A second way Miller could raise funds without a property tax is for us to pass a one-cent sales tax that is spread among all Muskogee citizens and doesn't burden just property owners. A one-cent sales tax over 25 years would produce between $108 to $110M, much more than the bond provides. These are more practical and prudent ways to fund bond projects. Why didn't City Manager Miller consider those options? The fact that he didn't is disconcerting. The bottom line is that Miller is not being financially prudent or fiscally sound with our money, which is supposed to be one of his main priorities.
Q7. Do you have anything else?
A7. Yes. The city manager wants us to approve this $77M bond but hasn't "sat down" with us to explain the details of each project and completely answer our questions. Yes, we had a town hall meeting but it concluded with questions still needing to be answered. If Miller wants us to approve this bond, they need to make a 180-degree turnabout in their attitude toward answering taxpayers' questions. The city has the second, and last, town hall meeting scheduled for sometime in July. Tulsa has five-year bonds and in between each bond, they spend a year or more in a community relations blitz talking to citizens about proposed projects in the next bond, explaining the details, and completely answering their questions. Miller is taking only three months to present the projects and yet he refused to answer additional questions at the last town hall meeting by saying "We're out of time?"
Q8. So what's the answer?
A8. The city council hires and fires the city manager; therefore, they should be held responsible for the disastrous rollout of this $77M bond.
Contact Information
City Manager Mike Miller – (918) 682-6602 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday)
Mayor Patrick Cale – (918) 920-2300
City Councilor Melody Cranford – (903) 691-8845 City Councilor Dan Hall – (918) 816-5723
City Councilor Jaime Stout – (918) 276-3020
City Councilor Derrick Reed – (918) 235-7596
Please download the affidavit, sign it, and mail it to Citizen Petition, P.O. Box 2032, Muskogee, OK 74402. You must be a registered voter and live within the city limits. Affidavits must be received by July 22. If you have a large number of affidavits, please email reformmuskogee@gmail.com and someone will contact you to pick them up.
Please download the affidavit, sign it, and mail it to Citizen Petition, P.O. Box 2032, Muskogee, OK 74402. You must be a registered voter and live within the city limits. Affidavits must be received by June 22. If you have a large number of affidavits, please email reformmuskogee@gmail.com and someone will contact you to pick them up.