Oklahoma Legislature budgets for Arkansas River levee work

Much work remains to be done before the state’s actual spending plan for the coming fiscal year can be finalized. In fact, a mismatch of more than $1 billion currently exists between priorities outlined in a House budget blueprint released this week and priorities stated in the Senate’s initial budget document, released March 19.

However, in both plans, line items specify commitments to dedicate $50 million in funding for Tulsa County levees.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said that alignment should make the funding a done deal.

“We have an agreement with the House that if we have numbers that align, … we’re not renegotiating those,” he said. “We’re checking the box and moving on.”

Sen. Cody Rogers, R-Tulsa, who authored legislation to secure the funding, said the commitment of $50 million was needed to ensure an even larger commitment made by the federal government to fund an estimated $191 million worth of work identified as needed in the wake of historic flooding along the Arkansas River in 2019.

At least four deaths were attributed to flooding that year, and more than 1,000 homes, primarily in the Tulsa metro and surrounding area, were affected. Damage was estimated in the range of $3 billion.

Rogers said the catastrophe exposed vulnerabilities of the levee system that have become even more apparent in the years since.

Gov. Kevin Stitt has previously said he would support a commitment by the state of $50 million.

Tulsa County District 2 Commissioner Karen Keith said several million dollars in local funding will be added to the state’s $50 million to ensure the federal match. She expressed her appreciation on Thursday to lawmakers who have toured the levee system and acted to secure the federal commitment of some $137 million.

“(I) hope that at the end of the session these funds will allow us to break ground on this life-saving project,” Keith said in a text.

In a meeting with reporters on Thursday, Treat said the Senate and House found common ground in their budget proposals on more than just the levee funding. While there are differences in the separate budget spreadsheets, he noted some important differences in the way the two legislative bodies arrived at their numbers.

“Obviously we’ll have to see their hand a little more closely. We’re still trying to diagnose where the big differences are,” Treat said. “(But) I don’t think we’re as far apart as $1 billion would appear.”

Treat added that, despite some disagreements about methods aired recently between the two chambers, the state’s budgeting process is on track.

“We’re way ahead of the game. We normally have these fights and blowups that we had (beginning) a week or two ago toward the end of April,” he said. “If you want to measure it, measure when the fights start, and they usually start toward the third or fourth week of April.”