FAQ

A General Obligation bond, or GO Bond, is a common financing tool local and state governments use to fund certain projects – usually large capital improvements like roads, bridges, flood control, parks and public buildings.

In Oklahoma, the property tax received by the City, also known as ad valorem tax, is used to pay the interest and principal on GO Bonds. GO Bonds must be approved by a vote of the people.

City leaders used internal reports and data, feedback from residents received at public meetings, recommendations from community groups that use our public facilities, recommendations from the Citizen Steering Committee, and the results of surveys to compare to a running list of capital needs. Projects were selected based on various factors, such as priority; feedback from citizens, business leaders and Council members; availability of funding and desire to improve the quality of life in Broken Arrow. City Council received the recommended list on Dec. 2, 2025 and opened a two-week review period for citizens to provide feedback before the governing body finalized the list on Dec. 16, 2025.

No. The GO Bonds being voted on in April 2026 will replace GO Bonds that have been paid off. If Propositions 1 through 7 are approved by voters, the city’s levy for property taxes is expected to remain the same, and those taxes would fund improvement projects outlined in each of the first 7 propositions.

Proposition 8, if approved, would include a temporary half-penny sales tax increase to pay for improvements at the public sports facilities in Broken Arrow. That temporary increase would expire after 5 years.

The election is scheduled for April 7, 2026.   

You will vote in the precinct assigned to you by the election board. To locate your precinct, view sample ballots, update your voter registration or complete an absentee ballot, visit the OK Voter Portal.

Only residents who live within the city limits are eligible to vote.

There will be separate propositions for you to vote on. Each proposition will require you to vote either for or against the proposition. Here are the 7 propositions of the no property tax rate increase General Obligation Bond initiative.

• Proposition No. 1 – Transportation 

• Proposition No. 2 – Public Safety

• Proposition No. 3 – Parks and Recreation

• Proposition No. 4 – Public Facilities

• Proposition No. 5 – Stormwater 

• Proposition No. 6 – Drainage

• Proposition No. 7 - South Broken Arrow Library in partnership with Tulsa City-County Library

Proposition Eight includes a temporary 0.5% sales tax increase for major sports facility improvements, with design starting in spring 2026 and construction beginning about a year later. Those facilities would be Indian Springs Sports Complex, Arrowhead Softball Complex, and Nienhuis football/lacrosse stadiums. If approved by voters, the sales tax would expire after five years.

The city can only proceed with what the voters approve. It is not anticipated that the failure of one proposition will have any effect on the projects in another proposition.

Voters in 2018 approved a bond program that addressed critical infrastructure needs. Many of those projects are completed or currently underway. You can find more information about the 2018 Bond projects here on the city website.

The city keeps an up-to-date list of projects on its website that shows the status of the different bond projects. That list is available on the 2018 Bond page of the city website.

This program will increase the amount of outstanding debt, although the millage rate to pay the debt service should remain the same.

The State constitution allows for any excess funds to be spent on other projects with the same purpose as the original project, i.e. excess funds from a street project may be spent on another street project.

The issuance of general obligation bonds allows for projects to be completed in the near term as opposed to an unspecified time in the future when cash financing might be available. The state constitution allows for the use of property taxes to pay for the principal and interest on general obligation bonds and judgments which is the only use of property tax revenues for the City of Broken Arrow.

For Named Projects, if the proposition is approved by voters, state law requires the City to complete these projects as described.

For Unnamed Projects, these projects have been identified by the City of Broken Arrow as potential improvements, but they are not required by state law to be completed if the proposition is approved. Unnamed projects are considered after named projects and take second priority.

First, it's important to understand that approval of the 2026 GO Bond does not mean the entire amount of the bond initiative would be available immediately. Funds would become available each year through a bond sale based on the assessed value of real properties in Broken Arrow.  

The city will first look at how much can be issued with each annual bond sale. Next, it will look at project and initiative priorities, which will be streets and public safety. Finally, city officials will plan funding for projects that take multiple years.

The City will sell the bonds over a 11-year period, which will maintain the City’s current millage rate and not affect property tax rates distributed to the City. After the election, staff will review the projects of the approved propositions and reconcile them with the projected property tax available from each annual bond sale to determine the construction schedule.