Beware — An update alert from Commissioner Mark Sharpton

This week I am warning folks about a couple of things that have surfaced in  the last few weeks. One issue was brought to my attention by phone calls I received about taxes being charged incorrectly. The charges were on a  phone bill and the other on a bill from a cable company.

Please be sure to check your bills to ensure you are not being charged the tax rate of another jurisdiction. If you live in Logan  County but have an Edmond address, or the address of any other town,  please review your bill. You should not be paying a city sales tax if  you live in the unincorporated part of the county. Tax rates are available at the Oklahoma Tax  Commission website at http://www.tax.ok.gov/publicat/copos/copo4Q13.pdf  Phone and cable companies have been willing to correct errors when they exist. It is  possible that mistakes may be a result of a zip code billing system that does not always recognize jurisdictional boundaries.

Item two was brought to my attention by Logan County Clerk Troy Cole.  A few residents have come into Ms. Cole’s office with what appears to be very official looking letters addressed to county residents. The letters offer to send residents a copy of their property deed for a charge of $83.00.The letters do indicate that the company is not affiliated with any government agency and are a solicitation. However, many are not seeing this. Fortunately, some individuals who received the letter came into the clerk’s office before sending the money. One person actually purchased a money order and was preparing the envelope but decided to check with  the clerk on the validity of this before going to the post office. While what the company is offering does not seem to be illegal, the same information is available at the County Clerk’s office for $1.00 per page. Any information about this should be directed to the Logan County Clerk Office at 405-282-0266.