Tulsa’s biggest event venues are getting older, and City Hall is eyeing out-of-town visitors to help pick up the repair tab.
City leaders are weighing whether to ask voters to raise the city’s hotel-motel tax for the first time in more than 40 years to cover major repairs and upgrades to downtown facilities. The idea is to funnel new money into urgent work at the BOK Center and the Arvest Convention Center and, in the process, free up funding that could help renovate the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. City officials told councilors the needs list includes new roofs, ADA improvements, security upgrades and other fixes meant to keep Tulsa competitive for concerts, conventions and other large events.
In briefing last month, Oak View Group and city staff outlined a multi-phase capital plan that puts immediate BOK and Arvest needs at roughly $117.3 million, with about $37.6 million in currently available capital, a shortfall near $79.7 million, according to the Tulsa City Council. The document breaks the work into a short 12-14 week Phase 1 for urgent fixes and later phases running through FY30 for elevator, exhibit-hall and roof projects.
Council members have been kicking around how to close that gap, including the option of asking voters to increase the lodging tax and using bond proceeds to pay for construction. KJRH reports the council has sent broad tax and funding proposals back to committee for more review and public outreach before any ballot language is drafted.
As reported by FOX23, some council discussion has focused on raising the lodging tax from the current 5 percent, a rate in place since the 1980s, into the mid-9 percent range. The city is projecting just over $42 million in lodging revenue at the current 5 percent rate and that, if voters sign off on a hike, bonds could be issued as soon as December so construction can start next year.
How Oklahoma City Factors In
Tulsa officials repeatedly pointed to competition from nearby markets as they made their case. Oklahoma City raised its hotel tax in 2024 and is moving ahead with a large new arena project that city leaders and promoters believe will draw touring shows and conventions that might otherwise land in Tulsa. KOCO and other local reporting show Oklahoma City’s new downtown arena will be at least about 750,000 square feet and is scheduled to open by late summer 2028, and KOSU covered voters’ decision to raise that city’s hotel tax to 9.25 percent in August 2024.
Where The Money Would Go
The City Council’s hotel-tax overview shows nearly half of the lodging tax currently goes to a Convention and Tourism Facilities Fund that supports the BOK Center, Arvest Convention Center and the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, while most of the rest is used for visitor promotion and economic development. The Tulsa City Council hotel page also notes the proposed increase would apply only to hotel guests and short-term rentals, not to a general sales tax on residents. City slides and staff briefings indicate the first phases would prioritize safety and roof work, then move into interior renovations and, eventually, a proposed hotel connection to the convention center.
Next Steps And Timeline
Councilors say they will keep working through committee review, peer-city comparisons and a public engagement process before deciding whether to send a measure to voters. Multiple timelines have surfaced during briefings, including the possibility of an August ballot, but no official election date has been set. City staff and facility operators say the next several weeks of committee work will determine whether the council settles on a specific rate and what, if any, bond schedule will be paired with a ballot proposal.
If Tulsa moves forward, it would be the first hotel-tax change in decades and could reshape how the city courts shows, conventions and hotel demand downtown. Residents and business owners will be watching the committee’s outreach schedule and the council’s next formal report to see whether officials put a concrete rate and ballot date in front of voters later this year.
