LAWTON – Last week southwest Oklahoma residents deliberated several policies to generate additional revenue for water infrastructure improvements.
According to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the following policies in other states have been useful:
• Sports betting in Colorado allocated 93% of a 10% tax which generated $23.8 million in 2023.
• Fees on water in Kansas from a .03 cent collection per 1,000 gallons on retail, industrial and livestock water use, and fees on pesticides, fertilizer and sand netted $13 million per year.
• New Orleans’ tax on hotels and short-term rentals generated $21.9 million in 2023.
Additional policies the board recommended for considered are as follows:
• Remove the cap on gross production tax to generate $2.9 million annually for water planning and studies statewide.
• Specialty license plate or plate fee.
• Tax on medical cannabis.
• Tax on bottled water or all plastic bottles.
• Reallocation of existing lottery fees.
• Boat registration fees.
• Fee on new development.
• Recreation fee on water- dependent activities such as water parks, boat access, golf courses, etc.
• Fee on aggregate removal or quarries.
• Increase water permitting fee.
• Increase water use penalties.
• Tax on water transferred out of basin.
• Allocate a portion of the state’s rainy-day fund.
The next in-person public meeting of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to discuss the Middle Arkansas, Grand, Eufaula, and Lower Arkansas regions will be held from 1-4 p.m. March 25 in the B.S. Roberts Conference Room at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, 700 N. Greenwood Ave., in Tulsa.