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Oklahoma City approves 2026-27 downtown business improvement assessment

Oklahoma City approves 2026-27 downtown business improvement assessment

Rule Changes Oklahoma City, OK local

September 29 vote renews a $4.47 million levy funding cleaning, safety, and marketing in six downtown districts

September 29th, 2026: Council holds public hearing on 2026-27 assessment roll

Overview

Updated Oct 26

Oklahoma City Council members adopted the 2026-27 downtown business improvement district assessment on September 29, setting a $4,474,917.99 levy across Automobile Alley, Bricktown, City Center, Deep Deuce, Midtown and West Village. The vote was 6-0, with three members absent.

One property owner objected in writing before the vote. Jessica Nelson, co-owner of Midtown Autohaus, asked the City Clerk to drop her building at 408 NW 6th St from the roll, saying its spot at the district's edge and her business's need for privacy made the funded services of little use; her assessment was $1,413.05 last year. The council adopted the roll at that hearing. A separate hearing on the Western Avenue district's 2026-27 roll is on the October 27 agenda.

Why it matters

The assessment sets downtown property owners' tax bills for the year and funds the cleaning, safety, and marketing that keep OKC's core functioning.

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Key Indicators

$4,474,918
2026-27 total assessment
Total Downtown BID levy confirmed by the September 29 council vote.
6-0
September 29 vote
Council adopted the 2026-27 roll 6-0, with three members absent.
$1,413.05
Midtown Autohaus prior-year bill
Amount the protesting property owner said she was assessed last year.
6
Neighborhood districts
Automobile Alley, Bricktown, City Center, Deep Deuce, Midtown, and West Village.
2001
Year established
Downtown BID has operated since 2001.

Voices

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People Involved

Jennifer Nakayama
Jennifer Nakayama
President and CEO, Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership (DOKC)
Leads the non-profit that manages the Downtown BID under city contract
CM
Cindy Murillo
Downtown BID advisory board member
Spoke on behalf of the board urging adoption of the 2025-26 assessment
HS
Heather Scott
Chair, Downtown BID advisory board (2022)
Former chair per 2022 record
JN
Jessica Nelson
Co-owner, Midtown Autohaus
Asked the City Clerk to remove 408 NW 6th St from the 2026-27 downtown assessment roll; the council adopted the roll at the September 29 hearing

Organizations Involved

Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership (DOKC)
Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership (DOKC)
Non-profit
Manages the Downtown BID under contract with the city

Non-profit operating the BID's cleaning, safety, marketing, and event services.
Oklahoma City Council
Oklahoma City Council
Municipal legislature
Adopted the 2026-27 Downtown BID assessment roll September 29, 2026, by a 6-0 vote, and has a Western Avenue district roll on its October 27 agenda

Governing body that adopts BID assessment rolls annually.

Timeline

2001 September 2026

6 events Latest: September 29th, 2026 · 1 month ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Council holds public hearing on 2026-27 assessment roll

    Latest Hearing

    City Council held the public hearing on the 2026-27 Downtown BID roll, a $4,474,917.99 levy covering Automobile Alley, Bricktown, City Center, Deep Deuce, Midtown and West Village, in the seventh year of the district's third generation. The Stockyards City BID assessment was on the same agenda.

  2. Council adopts 2026-27 downtown BID assessment roll

    Policy

    City Council voted 6-0, with three members absent, to adopt the 2026-27 Downtown BID assessment roll, confirming the annual levy funding the district's cleaning, safety, and marketing services.

  3. Midtown property owner asks to be dropped from assessment roll

    Objection

    Jessica Nelson, co-owner of Midtown Autohaus, wrote to the City Clerk asking that 408 NW 6th St be removed from the 2026-27 roll. She cited the property's perimeter location and her business's need for privacy, and said her assessment was $1,413.05 last year.

  4. Agenda published for annual assessment hearing

    Notice

    City Council publishes agenda scheduling a September 29 public hearing on the 2026-27 assessment roll.

  5. Council adopts 2022-23 assessment roll

    Policy

    Council sets $3,552,763 total assessment for the Downtown BID; no organized opposition.

  6. Downtown OKC BID established

    Establishment

    City creates Downtown Business Improvement District No. 6 to fund supplemental cleaning, safety, and marketing.

Scenarios

3

Property owners object, forcing roll changes

Deadline passed (Oct 15, 2026)

Discussed by: No organized opposition in recent years makes this unlikely

A significant number of property owners speak in opposition at the hearing, leading the council to amend assessments or delay adoption to address complaints.

4

Council adopts Western Avenue district assessment roll

Deadline passed (Oct 27, 2026)

Discussed by: Oklahoma City Council agenda for October 27, 2026

The October 27 agenda lists a public hearing and a resolution adopting the 2026-27 assessment roll for Assessment District No. 10, the Western Avenue corridor. Commercial properties there pay the levy, which funds upkeep and promotion, and the hearing is the only point where owners can object before billing. The roll is expected to pass as routine business.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2001

Downtown OKC BID creation (2001)

Oklahoma City created Business Improvement District No. 6 to fund supplemental services in the downtown core. Property owners within a roughly 1.5-square-mile area pay an annual special assessment based on property value and street frontage.

Then

The district began collecting assessments to fund cleaning, safety, and marketing.

Now

The BID has operated continuously since, expanding to six neighborhoods and funding the Green Team and dozens of events.

Why this matters now

This week's hearing is the annual renewal of the same mechanism established 25 years ago.

November 2019

Uptown 23rd Business Improvement District (2019)

Oklahoma City passed a new BID covering NW 22nd to 24th Streets from Broadway to Shartel. Property owners pay an annual assessment for street cleaning, landscape maintenance, security, and marketing.

Then

The Uptown 23rd BID passed unanimously at city council and is managed by the Uptown 23rd District Association.

Now

It shows the city expanding the BID model to other commercial corridors.

Why this matters now

Downtown's renewal follows the same template: property owners fund district services through a city-administered special assessment.

Sources

(8)
+3
City of Oklahoma City The Journal Record Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership Uptown 23rd District Citizen Portal City of Oklahoma City City of Oklahoma City City of Oklahoma City