A group of Norman residents calling themselves “Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development” is coming together to petition for a referendum on the funding plan for a $1.1 billion entertainment district and new OU arena.
The group began collecting signatures this weekend, just days after Norman City Council voted last Wednesday to approve a controversial tax increment financing district to partially fund the project.
Cynthia Rogers, an economics professor at the University of Oklahoma, is one of the people collecting signatures.
“$600 million over 25 years is a big spending plan,” Rogers said. “General obligation bonds for bridges and roads and things like that are much smaller, but they’re publicly funded, so we get to vote on those. So, in theory, I think it should be treated the same way. We should be able to vote on a very large spending plan.”
Rogers didn’t have to go door to door to find people who agreed with his views.
A simple Facebook post on Norman’s community page led to dozens of people coming to the Yellow Dog Coffee Shop just to add their signature.
“I don’t have a problem with the arena or new development in Norman. I have a problem with how it’s being funded and the way it’s being raised,” said Opal Fraser, a Norman resident who signed the petition. “I think this is something we should decide as a community.”
Others in attendance agreed and said they would vote against the TIF plan.
“How can a decision of this magnitude be made behind closed doors, away from the public eye, with no vote afterwards?” Roger asked.
The group has 30 days to gather 6,200 signatures from Norman voters.
For more information, visit the Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development website here.