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OK-Lawmaker urges Public Safety to reconsider sale of airplanes
03/01/2010 by House Media
(OK) State Rep. Doug Cox said today that the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety should think "long and hard" about selling off highway patrol airplanes in order to tighten the agency's budget."I would just encourage the agency to move slowly and give that a lot of thought," Cox, R-Grove, said. "These airplanes are invaluable assets in man hunts, drug operations, traffic control and numerous other public safety endeavors. I think it would be a mistake to sell them."
Cox said used airplane prices have been trending downward since 2001.
"All of aviation has suffered more than the general economy," Cox said. "Never before has there been such a high percentage of used aircrafts for sale. The simple law of supply and demand say now is a terrible time to divest ourselves of Highway Patrol planes."
Cox noted that the agency would do better to maintain the airplanes on the ground until state revenue in Oklahoma returns to normal levels.
"We all realize that in these hard budget times, these planes may have to remain in the hangar," Cox said. "However, the expense of keeping them on the ground and in a hangar is probably minimal. My concern is that the agency will get rock-bottom prices for the planes in the current downturn and would later pay top dollar to buy them back when state revenue returns to normal levels. In my opinion, while a temporary grounding of these planes may be in the best interest of the Oklahoma taxpayer, selling them at this time is not."
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