Voters approve Tinker proposal

Oklahoma County voters narrowly approved the latest Tinker Air Force Base bond issue proposal Tuesday.

With all precincts reporting, approval of the plan to buy the abandoned General Motors plant and lease it to Tinker was carried by about 53 percent of the vote, according to the Oklahoma County Election Board.

Oklahoma County Commissioner Ray Vaughn claimed victory.

"We're going to take a facility that was dead and we're going to breathe some life back into it,” Vaughn said. "It's going to benefit the greatest employer we've got in Oklahoma County.”

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Burpee, a former Tinker commander who opposed the plan, said he accepted the choice of the people.

"The voters have voted their conscience, and they voted for the tax increase and that's what we're going to do,” Burpee said.

Passage of the Tinker proposition will cost the owner of a $100,000 home an extra $9.85 a year in property taxes.

Other measures that passed

Two of the other four countywide propositions also passed.

County flood control improvements and renovations to the county courthouse were approved by voters.

Propositions to improve county records management and build a new county extension building failed. Both had been shot down by about 55 percent of voters.