The Tulsa World reports today that the city of Tulsa is putting up new signs to direct drivers and pedestrians downtown. Isn’t that great? Well, it may not be so wonderful for taxpayers, who are stuck with a tax increase to cover the substantial cost of the signage.

The funding for Way Finding, totaling nearly $740,000 for the 148 signs, was through the third penny sales-tax program in 2006, said a Tulsa Public Works Department senior engineer, Glen Sams. The designs were discussed in a committee of downtown and city leaders, he said.

“We started last fall on various options, sizes and color,” Sams said. “This was an art deco design and we thought it needed art deco colors.”

I’m glad they decided on art deco, but who decided on price? Call me crazy, but doesn’t $5,000 per sign seem just a little steep?

Other questions that immediately arise:
*Who was the vendor?
*How was the vendor selected?
*Was this project competitively bid?
*Did the vendor send campaign contributions to city officials responsible for the signage decisions?
*What does Oklahoma City and surrounding towns pay for signage?

I’m not sayin’… I’m just askin’.

Category: sunshine