Thread: All you OKC fishermen

my apologies....i was not directly referring to Bob Martin and his staff...I was more referring to the city council and the funds that Bob and his crew are given to work with...I am pretty sure that all of our permit money we pay each year is funneled into the general fund and spent on something to fill the councils own pockets. My regards to Bob and his efforts...He has done great for what he is given to work with.

Lazylakedog - Bob is under immense pressure right now by the administration over all the attention given to the hatchery. I suspect the public is bombarding the council members with calls and emails. My councilman,Gary Marrs, indicated that he had received numerous emails and calls. The public must be getting upset over the possible loss. There is something going on under foot,in my opinion, that is not good. I do not know what it is yet but something is not right. The City is receiving money in excess of the annual hatchery cost and instead of cutting 12% out of the hatchery budget the hatchery is being targeted for closure. Think about that for a moment.

I cannot comment any further on this, I'm sorry.

The hatchery: We all recognize that everyone who spends time and money for recreation at our lake contributes to our city's economic health and our quality of life. Every visitor to the lake contributes to the richness of the lake experience and the valueof Lake Hefner to OKC. WE all know how much our activities contrbute to the quality of life and prosperity in OKC but not everyone does.

The time is short. Contact City Council representatives and the Mayor now. City representatives and staff are working to balance the budget in this revenue shortfall and it won't be easy. May 25, the budget recommending closing the hatchery will be introduced to the council. June 8th is the hearing. June 15 is the vote. The hatchery is a revenue producer when you count everything and it can be revenue neutral if all you count is permit fees. The hatchery is good for Lake Hefner, and good for the economy.

Here are a few facts you can share with Council reps to help them make the best decision:

1) The hatchery costs $160,000.00/yr but can be run on $140,000.00.

2) Anglers bought 1,804 City permits in 2008 totaling $140,640.00 which could pay for the hatchery.

3) Retail sales from fishing was $14,825,937.00.

4) Retail sales tax from fishing was $610,696.00 state and $574,241.00 city.

5) 168 median wage retail jobs were supported bt fishing in OKC.

6)Hatchery staff cost is matched annualyy by a $3 to $1 federal grant totaling $210,000.00 for fishing related infrastructure in OKC.

7) State Wildlife Department provides the hatchery 1.2 million fry to raise for the 3 reservoirs and 13 smaller metro fishing lakes annually.

8) Losing the hatchery means losing most of the fish, a significant part of the retail sales and the permits, and all of the $210,000.00 annual fishing infrastructure funding.

9) Losing the hatchery means the cost to maintaining fishing stocks would be $500,000.00.

The council men and women will receive this information very shortly. Based on this information, does it make sense to close the hatchery??????????

You be the judge. Pick up the telephone and make another call to your councilmen or women and discuss these facts with them. If you do not live in OKC but fish the lake then your opinion still matters. See if they understand the numbers. Ask them if it make sense to close the hatchery based on these numbers?

I've got a mistake on this info. I will make the correction later tonight. Please check back for update.

The following items have some changes:
Item 2 - The correct number is 18,004 permits.
Items 3 - The change is $7,250,000
Item 4 - The change is $607,000 and $281,000 respectively.
The Math

$140,680.00 permit income
$281,000.00 City sales tax revenue
$210,000.00 ODWC Federal grant
___________
$631,680.00 Total Income
-$160,000.00 annual hatchery cost
___________
$471,680.00 profit

$471,680.00/$160,000.00 = $2.95 For every $1.00 invested in the hatchery annually OKC receives a return of $2.95. HHMMMM I wish I could receive that in my business. Now let me get this straight in my mind. The Hatchery needs to be closed instead of taking a 12% cut because the City is losing money. The closing is because it is receiving a return on investment of $2.95. Does this make sense to you? Ask your councilmen and women if it makes sense to them.

The numbers come from data supplied by ODWC, U.S. Census Bureau, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and City of OKC.

June 8th is the hearing and the council vote is June 15th. If you want the hatchery to remain open and maintain the quality of current fishing then the future lies in the councils hands and yours. Please call again and discuss these numbers with them and ask the question.It appears that the hatchery is providing a significant profit to the City so why would you, Mr/Mrs Council person vote to close the hatchery????

Suggestion: After asking the question do not say another word until they answer. The longer they are left in the hotseat the better.

In 1995, I believe, Parks and Rec attempted to close the hatchery for the same reason. I have heard, but cannot confirm, that the same person that tried to close the hatchery then is trying to close it now.

Did the council decide anything yesterday ? I can find nothing in the paper, except that Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake donated $39,000 to keep a city pool open.

If Whisenhunt was talking about closing pools or closing the hatchery, well he now has $39,000 more to work with.

Good thing on McClendon's part.

For all the people who bash him over the rowing , he donates a lot of money to plenty of causes in OKC and Oklahoma.

2Bits- The next meeting is 6/8 with final vote on 6/15. Aubrey MecClendon HAS done alot for OKC so you won't see me bashing him.


I have one additional corrrection to the numbers previously posted. I need to double check the number before I make the addition.

The addition/correction is the addition of $69,337.00 to the amount received for City permits which was $140,640.00. So $140,640.00 + $69,337.00 = #209,977.00. The added money is due to the fact that 2/3 of the boaters are anglers. This raises the profit from $471,680.00 to 541,017.00 or a return on investment of $3.60 up from $2.95.

The council members now have these numbers in their possession. The next meeting on this in 6/8/10. Now is the time to again discuss these numbers with your council members. Time is of the essence.