City Beat November 2, 2021

City Beat

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November 2, 2021

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In Memoriam

Community says goodbye to Ted Lockin

City mourns passage of long-time City councilor, former mayor

The Bartlesville community is mourning the loss of longtime City Councilor and former Mayor Ted D. Lockin, who passed away Sunday at the age of 89.

Whether through his role as a City leader, a 30-year member of the Phillips Petroleum team or the owner/operator of the car dealership Premier Motors for many years, Lockin was regarded as a "gentleman" and a consummate public servant who dedicated his life to making Bartlesville better.

"Ted Lockin was a gentleman, a wonderful friend and a dedicated public servant," said Mayor Dale Copeland. "His attention to our community was constant and his willingness to serve in any capacity requested was the cornerstone of several local accomplishments. I learned so much from Ted in my service with our City Council. I always enjoyed our visits when I could draw upon his depth of knowledge — about city government, cars and more. Bartlesville will miss Ted Lockin and his positive, can-do spirit. We express our heartfelt condolences to his family during this time of loss."

An Iowa native who relocated to Bartlesville in 1970 as an employee of Phillips Petroleum, Lockin was first elected to the City Council to represent Ward 1 in 1997. He served on the council as vice mayor for two years (1997-1999) before being named mayor by his fellow councilors in 2000. He served in that capacity until 2005, when he left the council, until returning in 2011. He retired from the council in 2016.

In his role as mayor, Lockin helped steer the city through several trying times including the relocation of the city's then-largest employer from Bartlesville and a severe drought that nearly drained the City's primary water supply, Hulah Lake, in 2002. Each challenge appeared to help better prepare him for the next one, and he was quick to share the lessons he learned with newer members on the council.

"Mayor Lockin always managed to be even tempered and calm no matter the situation," said Oklahoma Sen. Julie Daniels, a former Bartlesville mayor who served on the City Council with Lockin. "This was helpful to all of us in City government. When I first joined the council he invited me for coffee to get to know each other. He offered one piece of advice. He said, 'Represent your ward but remember when you take a vote you are making decisions for all of Bartlesville.' He loved Bartlesville so much and served her well.”

"I bought my first car from Ted in 1985," said longtime Bartlesville resident and former Mayor Tom Gorman. "He was a gentleman then and retained that stature through life. He was a great supporter of Bartlesville in many ways for many decades — a leader in the Chamber of Commerce and member of City Council and mayor for many years. I had the privilege of working with Ted for many years, and he was always a stalwart supporter of Bartlesville and the business community. Bartlesville is a better place as a result of the service of Ted Lockin to our community."

While Lockin's leadership during the early 2000s helped set the pace for many things to come — ongoing economic development efforts and the implementation of the water reuse system, for instance — much of his work can be seen in Bartlesville every day.

"Ted was a true champion for our community," said City Manager Mike Bailey. "He was instrumental in so many projects over the years that have become a part of our city and our everyday life. It was on his mayoral watch that the City Hall building was acquired, Silver Lake and Price roads were extended and several businesses, including the Walmart Distribution Center, were recruited, creating jobs and bringing additional sales tax dollars into our community. I’ve never met anyone quite like him. He was tireless when it came to advocating for what was right for Bartlesville, and he never ran out of ideas on how to make our community better. I will miss him greatly, and our community is worse off for his passing."

Retired City Manager Ed Gordon agrees.

"Ted was a visionary; he really was," said Gordon. "He had the ability to take an idea and conceptualize that idea, and he knew the right people to pull together to make that idea come true. His work on passing the Half-cent Economic Sales Tax and in helping to secure long-term water storage and supply for Bartlesville decades into the future will have long-lasting implications for our city. Literally, the water we drink tomorrow will be part of Ted Lockin's legacy."

Retired City Attorney Jerry Maddux, a longtime friend and colleague, puts it simply: Ted Lockin will be missed.

“Ted was a gentleman and a great person," Maddux said. "He was a wonderful mayor, and it was a privilege and honor to work with and know him."

Lockin is survived by his wife, Maxine, and children Doug Lockin of Houston, Texas, Ann Lockin Hacker of Ramona, and Linda Lockin Ricks of Broken Arrow, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. See the full obituary at www.stumpffobituary.org.

Services for Lockin are set for 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, in the Community Hall at the Bartlesville Community Center under the direction of Stumpff Funeral home & Crematory.

Council Action

City use tax gets council OK; effective 2023

On Jan. 1, 2023, the City of Bartlesville will begin collecting use tax on items purchased from out-of-state sellers.

The City Council on Monday voted 5-0 to adopt a use tax ordinance that will enable the City to collect existing sales tax on items purchased from out-of-state sellers — which could total as much as $3.7 million annually for the City. The votes comes after a lengthy presentation and discussion during a special meeting held last month.

Adoption of the tax is not a tax increase for Bartlesville residents, but rather allows the City to collect the existing sales tax from out-of-state sellers. While in the past the tax was considered a business-type tax, a change in the law in 2018 now requires sellers to collect and remit use tax, not purchasers.

"Until very recently, use tax had a very low compliance rate for individuals and, because of this, it was primarily regarded as a business-type tax," Bailey told the council on Sept. 20. "Now a majority of use tax growth is related to sales traditionally considered sales tax. In Oklahoma, use tax grew an average of 12 percent from 2019 to 2021, compared to a 2 percent growth in sales tax. The growth in online sales has led to a substitution from sales to use tax, and purchases that have traditionally generated sales tax are now accounted for as use tax. Due to these changes, use tax is no longer primarily a business tax and is increasingly composed of consumer purchases previously taxed as sales tax."

As a result of this substitution, use tax growth is outpacing sales tax growth by a large margin, he said.

"In fact, use tax has grown by 12 percent across the state in the last 24 months, while sales tax has only grown by 2 percent during that same period," he said, noting an increase in online shopping during the pandemic, a trend that is expected to continue permanently.

In Bartlesville’s peer cities, use tax grew 22 percent over the two-year period, Bailey said. Despite these gains, however, sales tax remains the City's primary source of revenue.

“Traditional sales tax is still our largest source of revenue, but much of the growth in retail sales is shifting to online sales,” Bailey said. “Without a use tax, we will likely be forced to continually increase our sales tax to overcome the lack of growth. This is an unsustainable model that requires diversification to avoid long-term disruption to essential services.”

Though approved Monday by the council the tax will not be implemented until January 2023 to allow for

adequate planning by local businesses and resident but before the expiration of the American Rescue Plan Act, Dec. 31, 2024.

"Also, starting the tax in mid-fiscal year (January) allows City staff to budget more accurately for Fiscal Year 2023-24," he said.

News & Updates

Water line valve replacement

Water Department crews are working to replace a water line valve on the northeast corner of Frank Phillips Boulevard and U.S. Highway 75. The northern westbound lane of traffic is closed and water service to several area businesses is temporarily discontinued, pending repairs to the water line and valve replacement. "We anticipate having the water turned back on today by 5 p.m.," Water Utilities Supervisor James Cutler said earlier today. Cutler said the project should wrap up tomorrow or Thursday.

Yard debris collection planned for week of December 6-10

The City's next free residential yard debris collection the week of Dec. 6-10. Residents may place their leaves, grass, lawn clippings and other yard debris at the curb in bags on their normal trash collection day for collection by Solid Waste Department crews.

The collection is for the following items only:

Leaves
Grass
Lawn clippings
Limbs and branches if cut in lengths no longer than four feet and bundled (may not exceed 50 pounds)

During the week of Dec. 6-10, yard debris bags will not require yard waste stickers and clear or colored bags are allowed. The collection is for private residences only; no commercial collections will be made. There is no limit on the number of bags a resident can put out for the collection. Extra bags or items of household refuse outside the cart must have the red refuse sticker attached.

For more information, contact the Solid Waste Department at 918.338.4130.

Cultural Arts

Bartlesville Area History Museum

'Faces of the Lenape' virtual event set for November 16

The Bartlesville Area History Museum and the Delaware Tribe Representatives invite everyone to help celebrate the history and culture of the Lenape people virtually with a live Facebook event set for Nov. 16.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. and includes a long list of special guests including Delaware Chief Brad Killscrow and 2021-2022 Delaware Tribal Princess Morgan Messimore. Additionally, Delaware Cultural Center Director Curtis Zunigha, Archivist Anita Mathis and Language Program Director Jim Rementer will take you on a virtual tour of the special exhibit Delaware: "The Faces of the Lenape."

"This is a special, free event you do not want to miss," Museum Coordinator Delaney Williams.

The Museum is located on the fifth floor of City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. Regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact BAHM at 918.338.4290 or history@cityofbartlesville.org.

Bartlesville Community Center

'An Officer and a Gentleman' opens BIB's 19th season

The Bartlesville Community Center's Broadway in Bartlesville series will open its 19th season with "An Officer and a Gentleman" on Nov. 29. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the BCC.

The national touring Broadway show celebrates triumph over adversity and features music familiar to multiple generations, featuring such memorable tunes as Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes' version of "Up Where We Belong."

There is still time to purchase season tickets to ensure good seats for the show, as well as for the other four shows in this 19th season. Stop in or call the BCC box office 918.337.2787 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays or go directly online to www.b artlesvillecommunitycenter.com. Season seats will be placed in Will Call for your convenience.

BCC's 'Million Dollar Quartet' Christmas set for December 3

There’s no place like home for the holidays, and Sun Records is just that for rock ‘n’ roll newcomers and soon to be legends Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. In a fortuitous twist of fate, all four musicians stop by their famous Memphis recording studio alma mater the same wintry evening, unbeknownst to them that they had the front seat to a revolution.

The occasion is the premise of the "Million Dollar Quartet," coming to the BCC beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.

For more information or tickets to these and other BCC events see www.bartlesvillecommunitycenter.com or call the box office at 918.337.2787.

Volunteer Opportunities

Board, Committee & Commission Openings

The City of Bartlesville has numerous boards, committees and commissions that are driven by citizen volunteers. All citizens are encouraged and welcome to apply.

Board applications are located online and in the city manager’s office, located on the second floor of City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. Applications are kept on file for two years. To view a complete list, see Boards, Committees & Commissions.

The City currently has the following committee/board openings: