Throughout the week we’ll try to address why openness is so important and some of the issues on the front lines of the current open records battles in the state and nation.

It’s easy for me to understand the importance of our state’s open records and open meetings acts because I couldn’t do my job without them, but it can be difficult for some to understand how it affects their daily lives. I think many of us take open government for granted, but we do so at our own peril.

Without openness laws, we would be entirely dependent upon what our government chose to tell us. Want to know how the city spends your sales tax? Interested in crime statistics in your neighborhood? Would you like to see how state officials spend taxpayer money when they travel? Openness laws make it possible to find out all of this and more.

Stay tuned throughout next week and feel free to chime in as we talk about open government.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

- Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau

State revenue collections in February exceeded the estimate for the first time since December 2008, but fell short of prior year collections for the same month, state Treasurer Scott Meacham said today.

Preliminary reports show general revenue fund collections in February are $220.6 million. That amount is $17.3 million, or 7.3 percent, below last year, but $800,000, 0.4 percent, above the estimate.

February revenue collections are historically the lowest of the year because income tax refunds are paid out, Meacham said. Collections were, as expected, not sufficient to fund allocations to state agencies for the month even with the previously announced 10 percent across-the-board reductions to agencies.

In addition to available general revenue fund cash, an additional $84.8 million had to be tapped from other funds to make the $321.1 million monthly allocation, according to the treasurer’s office.

Gross production taxes on oil are providing a much-needed boost in revenue collections, Meacham said.

“We received $25 million in gross production taxes on oil in February, while the official estimate anticipated no oil gross production taxes would be deposited to the general revenue fund for the entire fiscal year,” he said.

Meacham said personal income tax collections were also significantly higher than anticipated for the month and are beginning to show signs of recovery.

- Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau

At a previous meeting, city council members selected Oklahoma City-based Triad Design Group to provide architectural services for a new station.

Fire Station 2 will be on State Highway 66 (E Main Street) west of Mustang Road. It will replace the existing station next to the police department at 102 S Ranchwood Blvd.

Triad Design Group will be paid $390,000.

According to the contract, the company is responsible for conducting studies, surveys and developing possible construction plans.

The plans must be submitted to city officials by May 31, according to the contract.  The $6.2 million project will be funded through revenue bonds

When construction is complete, the existing Fire Station 2 facility will be occupied by the police department. The city’s other fire station is at 302 S Fifth.

Tim Henley

Reporter Michael McNutt writes that plans to sell the state’s Workers Compensation insurer might be hitting a few snags: http://newsok.com/compsource-plan-may-be-in-trouble-by-oklahoma-legislation/article/3444319

Remember the budget fight last week. This is the program at the center of it. This story sheds light on the state’s senior nutrition programs, what’s funded and what’s been cut: http://www.newsok.com/oklahoma-nutrition-sites-serve-up-more-than-just-food/article/3444447#ixzz0haxSrRL8

More on the budget and what the bills from last week did: http://www.newsok.com/gov.-brad-henry-oks-bills-to-put-budget-deal-into-action/article/3444382#ixzz0hb3JrLEC

Reporter Bryan Dean took a look at low turnout elections. Yes, every vote does count: http://newsok.com/in-some-oklahoma-elections-politics-is-personal/article/3444695

Dates of birth and state employee privacy, if ever the two shall meet: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-union-faces-ethics-investigation-in-stunt-to-protest-records-request/article/3444423

Okla. conservatives debate divorce legislation: http://www.newsok.com/okla.-conservatives-debate-divorce-legislation/article/feed/139589

It’s deadline week. Just that phrase might strike fear in to some people to get things done ahead of time.  Ha. If only….

By the end of the week, all legislation needs to clear its house of origin. That means House bills have to be voted on by the House to head the Senate and vice versa. Bills that don’t get voted on don’t go anywhere, unless there is a last minute amendment or incarnation.

Language from dead bills can end up in other bills, if the stars align right.

Michael McNutt and I will be combing through the bills this week and be writing a story at the end of the week bills that made the first round of cuts.

Mapping and GIS professionals will be at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 10. More than 47 agencies, cities and vendors who deal with geographic information systems in their jobs will in the Capitol Rotunda from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will show off how they use GIS for analysis in everything from water quality and health to energy and zoning.

Gov. Brad Henry issued the above proclamation in advance of the event, which is organized by the state Geographic Information Council.

GIS Day is free and open to the public.

–Paul

The city currently pays the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department $42.58 per inmate per day to use its jail space. Yukon currently charges $30 per inmate per day for municipalities to use its jail.

As part of the agreement, Bethany would be responsible for inmate records, attorney’s fees if an inmate files litigation for wrongful arrests, and repairs if an inmate causes damage to the facility. 

Yukon would provide basic medical care for the inmates, including over-the-counter medications, but Bethany would continue to pay the cost of hospitalization, prescription medication and surgical or dental treatment.

The agreement with the county will remain in effect in case Yukon’s facility reaches capacity. 

Yukon City Council members will consider this agreement at a later date.  If approved by Yukon, the agreement would expire June 30, and both city councils will decide whether to renew it.

Tim Henley

The broadcast press room was packed with cameras and reporters. The media had come to the Capitol expecting to hear news of furloughs of trooper and corrections officers. The press conference was delayed by an hour. Lawmakers were able to come to an agreement to end the budget standoff that jeopardized funding for the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections.

Coffee joked the press conference was like a “Cecil B. DeMille production.”  Lights, camera, action.

Senate Republican and Democrat leaders spent two days daring the other side to blink. Democrats on Monday voted against the emergency provision that would have allowed about $30 million to be sent to several agencies for the 2011 budget year. Without 32 votes on the emergency provision, the money would not be available until the next budget year. Democrats wanted $2.5 million to fund meals for seniors for the rest of the year, a program that was cut in November. Republicans said Democrats holding agencies hostage and putting public safety at risk.

The tension was high. Troopers and corrections officers filled the Senate gallery Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, members of the AARP filled the gallery, some carrying paper plates –which has become the symbol for the cuts to the program’s woes.

But as the agreement was announced, Coffee and Senate Minority Leader Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, joked with each other and promised to work together. The agreement includes a pledge to ” good faith effort to work together” at finding money for the senior nutrition program in 2011 — a budget that’s still be hashed out. No additional funding was given to the senior nutrition for the current budget year, which ends June 30.

Laster said folks who administer the program said they’d rather be assured funding for a full year in 2011, rather than receive partial funding for this year. Community groups and churches have already stepped in to help keep the program going.

So the agreement boils down to this:

• Senate leaders have agreed to find “fair funding” for senior nutrition.
• They want to move the meal program from DHS oversight to another agency. State funds in DHS’s budget are often intermingled with federal funds. When state money is cut, federal funds –usually a $3 to $1 match follow.
• And no additional funding for this year.

At least one senator wasn’t ready to hold hands in agreement.  Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa, voted against two emergency measures. She said she could not support a solution that didn’t include funding for the current budget year.

Sen. Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau, who has been a vocal advocate of funding for senior nutrition said Democrats plan to hold Senate leaders to their agreement.

“We would have like to have the funding,” Corn said. “They’ve made a commitment to fairly fund the program. If they don’t we’ll use everything in our legislative toolbox to get the money for next year.”

The federal government’s top watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, has added regular podcasts as part of its outreach strategy. From its press release today:

“GAO is always considering new ways to make its findings and products accessible to a wide range of audiences through various media,” said Gene L. Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO. “Podcasting enhances the service GAO provides to Congress and the public by offering an alternative means for people to learn about significant issues and new GAO reports and testimonies.”

The podcasts are available as an RSS feed, so you can add them to your favorite reader program like Google Reader. They’re also available on the iTunes store.

Right now, there’s five podcasts available, dealing with subjects as varied as the federal stimulus package, NASA and the Census.

If you’d rather read the transcripts of each podcast, they’re also available if you click on the associated report that accompanies the podcast. For example, here’s the transcript for the stimulus podcast.

–Paul