Blogging Documents

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 19, 2009, is the big day in Oklahoma for the switch to digital television (DTV). Despite the federal government’s decision to extend the mandatory switch, Tulsa-area television stations are ready for the conversion and plan to switch their signals from analog to digital tomorrow. Some area stations will broadcast in analog and digital while others with cease the analog signal all together.

If you loose your television signal tomorrow, then you weren’t ready for the switch. What can you do to get ready? Visit www.dtv.gov to find out.

Questions and answers about the digital switch can also be found on area station websites. Find a list of Oklahoma television stations, by station number, here.

Tulsa Municipal Court’s Early Settlement Mediation is recruiting individuals from the community who would like to serve the court system as volunteers to mediate disputes and lawsuits. Also sponsored by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, this service helps with mediation cases including consumer/merchant, landlord/tenant, real estate, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), neighborhood, family and divorce, and adult guardianship.

If you’re interested in becoming a mediator, you may call (918) 596-7746 to receive an application by mail, or pick one up in person at Early Settlement, 911 Civic Center, Suite 100-L in the Police Courts Building. Completed applications must be received no later than February 18, 2009, and should be addressed to the Mediator Selection Committee.

Training is free for candidates who are selected to become mediators and who make a commitment to volunteer. The 2009 training will be held March 4, 5, and 6; participants must attend all three days of the training.

Source: http://www.cityoftulsa.org/ENews/2009/2-10/Mediators.asp

There is much difficulty in making heads and tails of all of the corporate bailouts that happened at the tail end of the Bush administration and what is in the works in the opening weeks of the Obama administration. Here are a few sites, that will hopefully help to make some sense of it all. These links are also accessible at www.tulsalibrary.org/govdocs/recovery.php

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424)
This is the original “bailout” bill passed by Congress in October 2008. How is this money being spent? The NY Times is maintaining a running list of funds applied for through the Treasury Department. Access the list here. The U.S. Treasury Department also has a page dedicated to H.R. 1424. with transaction reports, noting who’s received how much, the type of transaction and what the American people are receiving for their investment. Sign up for email alerts to stay current on how the Treasury is distributing $700 billion.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R.1)
H.R. 1 is the “stimulus package” passed by the House that is currently on the floor of the Senate where it is receiving additions and revisions. This legislation is currently estimated at $1.1 trillion. And how will this money be spent? The answer to that is still a bit vague. Track the legislation at Thomas.loc.gov and when the bill becomes a law, track the spending at Recovery.gov.

The House and Senate have both voted to extend the date of transition from analog to digital television (DTV), and President Obama is expected to sign a measure moving the transition date from February 17 to June 12, 2009. The change in date is intended to allow households who have not readied for the transition a bit more time to do so.

The federal government was offering a $40.00 coupon to defray the cost of the digital converter box. Funding for this program was exhausted faster than anticipated. However, there is a waiting list for unclaimed/expired coupons, though receiving one will require work on the part of the consumer. To learn more about the coupon waiting list, click here.

Here are a few programs that might provide tax rebates, relief or assistance to qualified individuals.

Senior Property Valuation Freeze
This State of Oklahoma program freezes the property value of qualified home owners, meaning a home’s value will not increase for tax purposes. This does not guarantee that taxes will never increase, instead the frozen value minimizes the impact of rate increases.

There is qualifying criteria for this program, the first is to be 65 or older. If you have questions about the Senior Property Valuation Freeze program or if you qualify, phone the County Assessor. For Tulsa County, phone 918-596-5100.

Vision 2025 Senior Sales Tax Rebate
This program, approved as part of Vision 2025, provides individuals 65 or over an $18 annual rebate. Vision 2025 rebate forms and pre-addressed envelopes are available at Tulsa City-County Library locations or online from the Treasurer’s office.

Free Personal Tax Return Preparation
The Library’s Tulsa Organizations and Services database has a ready made list of locations offering free personal tax preparation. A link to a map of the locations is also available.