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By James Beaty Managing Editor May 11, 2021
McAlester water tower ADRIAN O HANLON III | Staff photo
McAlester city councilors did not pass a measure Tuesday night calling for a special city election on $32.5 million for water infrastructure improvements.
The resolution calls for a July 13 special election for voters to cast ballots to determine whether to allow the McAlester Public Works Authority to go into debt for $32.5 million to address water infrastructure issues in McAlester.
McAlesterâs City Charter requires a vote of the people to approve any expenditures by a municipal beneficiary trust costing more than $1 million. The MPWA is operated by members of the McAlester City Council acting as authority members.
The Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education on Monday unanimously approved a resolution scheduling a June 8th election for voters to decide on a five-year, $414 million bond proposal. Bonds have become a critical source for funding the day to day maintenance and operation to help our district create great teaching and learning experiences for every student, Board President Stacey Woolley said in a statement. Bonds provide safe and state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries, and stadiums, high-quality classroom technology, and importantly this year, support investments in building ventilation and other COVID-19 safety enhancements. Bond funds also support the purchase of buses; a wide range of classroom materials such as textbooks, microscopes, and musical instruments; and computers and networking – which has proved critical to support our students and families in our shifts to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.