Oklahoma City sales tax revenue lags behind other cities in metro

Oklahoma City has felt the brunt of the continued downturn in the energy industry, reflected in the sharp dip in sales tax revenues when compared to other metro-area municipalities.

The city's sales tax revenue was down 7.7 percent in June from one year ago, and down a total 1.9 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30.

Oklahoma City has tightened spending and projects flat sales tax growth in the coming year, said Doug Dowler, budget director for Oklahoma City.

"We were prepared for lower revenue, but this is worse than we expected," Dowler said.