ALL RIGHT. OKLAHOMA! WELCOME BACK. 912 IS YOUR TIME ON THIS THURSDAY MORNING. AND FROM THE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY TO HOST SOME OLYMPIC GAMES IN 2028. A NEW POLICE CHIEF AND THE HOTEL TAX COLLECTION. THERE’S A LOT GOING ON IN OKLAHOMA CITY. AND THIS MORNING WE HAVE MAYOR DAVID HOLT IN STUDIO WITH US. LET’S WELCOME HIM INTO THE SHOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON. WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. GOOD MORNING. SO LET’S START WITH THE HOTEL TAX COLLECTION. OKAY. SO EARLY VOTING. IT STARTED TODAY. YOU ACTUALLY TOLD ME YOU’RE GOING TO GO TO VOTE HERE IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. SO SO EARLY VOTING IS OPEN HERE. AND, WELL, ANYWHERE BUT IN OKLAHOMA COUNTY. YOU GO DOWN TO LINCOLN BOULEVARD AND THEN OF COURSE, ON TUESDAY, POLLS WILL BE OPEN 7 TO 7, BUT JUST TO KIND OF GIVE PEOPLE A RECAP ON WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. WE CHARGE A SPECIAL TAX JUST ON HOTEL ROOMS. RIGHT. AND GENERALLY THAT IS JUST PAID BY VISITORS. NOT NOT BY THOSE OF US WHO LIVE HERE. 20 YEARS AGO WE LAST ADJUSTED THIS RATE AND IT GOT 90%. THERE’S A PRETTY CLEAR REASON FOR THAT. IT’S A TAX. OTHER PEOPLE PAY, BUT WE STILL WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHY WE’RE USING IT, AND THAT IT’S LOGICAL AND MAKES SENSE AND IS A RESPONSIBLE USE OF TAX DOLLARS. WE IN OKLAHOMA CITY, AS IN MOST CITIES, USE OUR HOTEL MOTEL TAX TO MARKET THE CITY TO SUBSIDIZE BIG EVENTS. A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE IT. BUT BEHIND THE SCENES, THESE BIG EVENTS THAT WE TALK ABOUT REQUIRED SOME SORT OF INCENTIVE TO COME HERE. AND ALL THOSE TV ADS THAT YOU SEE RIGHT NOW IN OKLAHOMA CITY FOR WICHITA OR NEBRASKA, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY PAID FOR THOSE. AND WE’RE PAYING OR WOULD LIKE TO PAY FOR THOSE SAME KINDS OF MARKETING EFFORTS IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. YEAH. SO SINCE WE LAST ADJUSTED OUR RATE IN 2004, OTHER CITIES, OUR SIZE SORT OF OUR PEER CITIES HAVE HAVE RAISED THEIR RATES CONSIDERABLY ABOVE OURS. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY ARE SPENDING MORE MONEY MARKETING THEIR CITY AND LURING BIG EVENTS THAN WE ARE. SO WHEN YOU GO TO THEIR CITIES, YOU’RE PAYING A MUCH HIGHER RATE ON YOUR HOTEL ROOM, BUT YOU’RE NOT DEMANDING THE SAME WHEN THEY COME HERE. AND SO TO ME, THIS IS LIKE KIND OF ALMOST ROUTINE GOVERNANCE. I MEAN, IT’S A TAX. SO WE HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE. BUT IT IS A IT IS A BIG NO BRAINER. WE NEED TO HAVE A RATE THAT’S AT THE SAME LEVEL OF OTHER CITIES. AND EVEN AFTER THIS RAISE, WE’LL STILL BE BELOW CITIES LIKE MEMPHIS. BUT WE NEED TO HAVE A RATE THAT’S AT THE LEVEL OF OTHER CITIES SO WE CAN SPEND AND MARKET OUR CITY AT THE LEVEL OF OTHER CITIES WE’VE BUILT THIS INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY, THIS GREAT PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO VISIT. WE’VE GOT A GREAT CONVENTION CENTER, WE’VE GOT GREAT HOTELS, GREAT RESTAURANTS, WE’VE GOT GREAT ATTRACTIONS AND AMENITIES. BUT LIKE, WE GOT TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT NOW. AND SO THIS IS SO CRITICAL. WE’RE VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TUESDAY. BUT WE WE KNOW IT’S AUGUST. IT’S THE TUESDAY BEFORE LABOR DAY. THIS IS NOT TOP OF MIND. AND THERE’S NOT A LOT OF OTHER THINGS ON THE BALLOT ON TUESDAY. SO WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET OUT AND TO VOTE. YES. AND AGAIN, ELECTION DAY IS AUGUST 27TH. THIS TAX AND INCREASE TO IT COULD BRING A LITTLE MORE THAN $11 MILLION BACK TO THE CITY. I DO WANT TO ASK, THOUGH, AS WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, INCREASING THE HOTEL HOTEL TAX AND YOU, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW THIS WOULD HELP WITH MARKETING THE CITY AND BRINGING MORE PEOPLE HERE. WHAT DOES THAT SAY? LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, WHEN IT COMES TO HOW IMPORTANT TOURISM IS FOR OKLAHOMA CITY? YEAH. SO YOU KNOW THAT THAT’S A REASONABLE FOLLOW UP QUESTION. WHY DO WE WANT ALL THESE VISITORS HERE? RIGHT. WHAT DO THEY DO FOR US? WELL, VISITORS COME TO THE CITY AND OBVIOUSLY THEY’RE SPENDING MONEY ON HOTEL TAXES, BUT THEY’RE ALSO SPENDING MONEY ON SALES TAX. AND THEY’RE ALSO SPENDING MONEY ON ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE THEIR VACATION OR THEIR VISIT ENJOYABLE. SO THAT IS FUELING OUR ECONOMY. WE ARE NOW ESTIMATING OVER $4 BILLION IN TOTAL ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT JUST FROM TOURISM HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY. WE’VE GOT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS COMING IN THROUGH ALL THE TAXES THAT THAT VISITORS PAY. AND THAT’S FUNDING THE CORE SERVICES THAT YOU AND I UTILIZE. RIGHT. THE VISITOR IS LIKE THE BEST KIND OF TAXPAYER. THEY COME INTO TOWN, THEY SPEND ALL THIS MONEY ON SALES TAX. AND THAT HELPS US PAY FOR OUR FIRE AND POLICE. THESE ARE SERVICES THAT THEY’RE BARELY USING, RIGHT. SO THEY COME IN AS A TAXPAYER. BUT THEY DON’T REALLY USE THE SERVICES THAT THEY’RE HELPING TO FUND. AND VISITORS ARE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO THOSE SERVICES. SO WE WANT THESE VISITORS BECAUSE THEY HELP US PAY FOR CORE CITY SERVICES TO A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE, LIKE POLICE, LIKE FIRE, LIKE STREETS THAT YOU AND I UTILIZE. AND AND AGAIN, WE THINK AS A COMMUNITY, WE’VE GOT EVEN MORE CAPACITY FOR THAT. SO WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE VISITORS. BUT IT’S LIKE WE HAVE TO TELL THAT STORY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. WELL, ONE THING I KNOW IS IF WE DO GET APPROVED FOR THE LA OLYMPICS AND HAVING CANOE SLALOM AND SOFTBALL HOSTED HERE IN OKC, WE COULD EXPECT TO SEE A LOT MORE VISITORS COME TO OKLAHOMA CITY. SO WHAT ARE THE UPDATES THAT YOU CAN SHARE HERE? LAST THING I HEARD IS THAT THE LA CITY COUNCIL STILL NEEDED TO APPROVE THIS. HAVE THEY DONE THAT YET BY THE WAY? FIRST OF ALL, GREAT SEGUE. YOU’RE A PRO. THIS THIS WAS A GREAT TRANSITION TO TO PROBABLY THE BIGGEST VISITOR EVENT THAT ANY COMMUNITY COULD EVER DREAM OF. AND CERTAINLY OKLAHOMA CITY. AND SO, AS YOU KNOW, IN JUNE, THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE BY LA 28, WHICH IS THE THE HOST COMMITTEE FOR THE LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS IN 2028. THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO HOST ALL OF THE CANOE SLALOM EVENTS. THAT’S ACTUALLY SIX DIFFERENT EVENTS. THAT’S SIX GOLD MEDALS IN PARIS THAT WAS TEN DAYS OF COMPETITION. THEY’D LIKE TO HOST ALL OF THOSE EVENTS HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY AT OUR WORLD CLASS RIVER SPORT FACILITY. AND THEY’D ALSO LIKE TO HOST ALL OF SOFTBALL HERE. SOFTBALL WAS NOT STAGED IN PARIS, BUT IT HAS KIND OF COME AND GONE THROUGH THE OLYMPICS TO THE OLYMPICS, THROUGH THE YEARS AND THAT AS WELL IS LIKE OVER A WEEK OF COMPETITION. SO REALLY ALL IN, I MEAN, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT NEARLY THE ENTIRE OLYMPICS STAGING THE ENTIRE RUN OF THE OLYMPICS, HAVING EVENTS BEING STAGED IN OKLAHOMA CITY DURING THE 2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS. SO THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT HAVE TO THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA. AND THAT’S WHY THIS HAS GONE ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME. BEHIND THE SCENES. AND ULTIMATELY WE’RE KIND OF AT THE LAST ONE. AND THAT’S THE LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL WHO HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER SOME ASPECTS OF THIS, SPECIFICALLY THE CANOE SLALOM ASPECT. AND SO WE ARE JUST YOU KNOW, AS I’VE SAID A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND BUT I’M ALWAYS HAPPY TO REPEAT, BECAUSE I SERVE ON A COUNCIL AS WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY DESERVE ALL THE ROOM AND TIME THAT THEY NEED THE REASON IT EVENTUALLY CAME OUT WAS BECAUSE IT HAD FINALLY REACHED THE POINT WHERE IT WAS IN A PUBLIC PROCESS. OBVIOUSLY, ANYTHING THAT A CITY COUNCIL DOES IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE PUBLIC INFORMATION AND SO THAT’S WHY IT’S OUT THERE. NOW. THEY WENT INTO A RECESS AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT. SO WE KNEW FOR A MONTH NOTHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND THEN OF COURSE, A LOT OF THEM WERE AT THE OLYMPICS, UNDERSTANDABLY, JUST FOR THE SAME REASONS THAT I WAS AT THE OLYMPICS. AND AND SO NOW THEY’RE BACK AND WE DON’T KNOW. I MEAN, SOMETIME IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, WE HOPE WE’RE WE’RE DOING ALL WE CAN TO CONTINUE TO PLAN LIKE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS AND OBSERVING AND LEARNING IN THE MEANTIME. SO I THINK WE’RE IN A GOOD PLACE IN TERMS OF TIMING. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE’RE ALL ON THE CLOCK NOW. ONCE THAT FLAG WAS HANDED TO MAYOR KAREN BASS OF LOS ANGELES, AND THEN SHE HANDED IT OFF TO TOM CRUISE, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, YOU KNOW, WE’RE ALL ON THE CLOCK AND WE’RE ALL REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY. AND I DO WANT TO GET TO ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR TIME AT IN PARIS FOR THE OLYMPICS. JUST QUICKLY HERE. YEAH. IT WAS A GREAT TIME. I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT. THERE WAS ABOUT TEN OF US FROM OKLAHOMA CITY, AND IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE OBSERVE AND SEE THAT WITH OUR OWN EYES. AND, YOU KNOW, PARIS, I THINK, RAISED THE BAR REALLY HIGH, ESPECIALLY AT CANOE SLALOM. THEY HAD 10,000 FANS FOR NINE DAYS OF OF EVENTS THAT INCLUDED SPECTATORS AND IT’S IT’S HIGH ENERGY. IT’S NOTHING LIKE IT. IT TRANSCENDS SPORTS. BUT IT’S AN ENORMOUS LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE. RIGHT. AND WE NEEDED TO SEE ALL OF THAT WITH OUR OWN EYES. AND WE DID. SO IT WAS IT WAS AN IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY. AND OF COURSE, IT’S THE OLYMPICS ABSOLUTELY. MAYOR DAVID HOLT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON. AND TALKING ABOUT THIS. THE HOPE HERE AT LA CITY COUNCIL HAS IT ON THE BOOKS FOR US IN A FEW WEEKS. WE MIGHT LEARN ABOUT IT.