CHICKASHA — Local residents voted overwhelmingly Aug. 8 to finance construction of a new water treatment plant with a capital improvements sales tax.
Of the 1,287 votes counted, the proposal was endorsed by a whopping 93.71% yes to 6.29% no: 1,206 to 81. The total vote represented 16% of the 7,958 registered voters in Chickasha’s nine precincts.
The proposition was approved by 81% of the 37 people who voted absentee by mail, 95% of the 160 voters who cast in-person absentee ballots, and by 93.94% of the 1,090 residents who voted on Election Day.
Chickasha residents opted to renew and increase a sales tax that’s dedicated to capital improvements; that levy, three-quarters of 1%, is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The Chickasha Municipal Authority asked residents to renew the levy and increase it by one-half penny, to 1.25%.
If the sales tax measure had failed, the City Council previously voted to automatically raise water rates on Oct. 1, 2023 – by an average of 82%.
“The citizens have entrusted us with this generational project,” Mayor Chris Mosley said afterward. “Engineering for the plant will begin soon.” The City Council “now will prioritize other capital projects to improve roads, water and sewer infrastructure. It is an exciting time in Chickasha as we improve our community.”
Approximately $74 million is the projected cost of the new water treatment plant, including engineering, construction, and buying land, city officials reported.
The CMA intends to finance the water plant project using proceeds from a loan of up to $72 million approved last month by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, coupled with several million dollars in existing capital outlay funds.
The CMA has tentatively proposed to locate the new treatment plant near the existing plant off Genevieve Street, but on a tract of land that’s not in the flood zone; however, no decision has been finalized, Mayor Chris Mosley told Southwest Ledger on July 13.
The new facility envisioned by the Municipal Authority will be capable of producing up to 6 million gallons of drinking water daily “with provisions to expand to 8 mgd.” The treatment process will include pretreatment, clarification, filtration and disinfection, the CMA said.
The project will take approximately three years to complete, including engineering, land acquisition and construction, city officials estimated.
The existing water plant was built around 60 or 70 years ago and is lacking in modern technological advancements in water purification.
“The vote in Chickasha was critical to the future of the City. Among those who voted, 94% approved the plan to spread the cost of a new water treatment plant and other capital improvements across all retail purchases made in the community, rather than saddle current water users with the entire cost,” City Manager Keith Johnson noted.
“This election will also allow the City to begin work on other needed infrastructure improvements such as roads and streets, water and sewer projects, and supporting the capital needs of emergency responders,” he said. “We are eager to begin work on these projects, and we appreciate those who participated in the process and voiced their opinions.”
In one other southwest Oklahoma election Aug. 8, residents of Carnegie voted almost unanimously – 60-to-1 – to renew a franchise with their electricity provider, Public Service Co. of Oklahoma, for another 25 years.