The Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 to call for an election to lower the current one cent county sales tax to three-fourths of a cent. However, county residents are questioning the tax that was voted to go away in Sept. 2015.
In a special meeting on Tuesday, District 3 Commissioner Monty Piearcy, who brought the agenda item to the table, suggested the tax decrease by redistributing the current tax for the Logan County jail, roads and rural fire departments.
The current one cent tax was approved by county voters in March 2005.
Along with Piearcy, District 1 Commissioner Mark Sharpton voted yes to pass the decision to the voters. District 2 Commissioner Mike Pearson voted to amend the item and lower the tax from one cent to 9/16 of a cent.
Related story: County sales tax decrease to be decided by voters
In 2005, a proposition was passed to dedicate a sales tax of .75 percent to build a new jail, that opened in 2007, to go with the one-quarter tax for county fire departments. The proposition states the tax is to terminate after 10 years or at the date of retirement of any debt incurred.
If voters were to approve the proposed three-fourths tax on Aug. 26, that would be split evenly (1/4) between the jail, roads and 13 county fire departments, the tax would begin Jan. 1, 2015 and sunset on Dec. 31, 2024.
With a failed vote in August, the tax would completely go away.
“I do not understand how it is a tax decrease when the tax is set to go away in 2015,” resident Phil Nichols said. “As I see it, if the tax is scheduled to go away in 2015 then this is not lowering the tax but extending the tax.”
According to county officials, a failed vote could leave the county in poor condition with the jail, which is the top priority, needing to access the General Government Fund.
“The county government is going have to partially shut down. Which of course is going to clog up the whole system up and give very poor service to our citizens,” Pearson said.
(L-R) County Clerk Troy Cole, Dist. 2 Commissioner Mike Pearson, District 1 Commissioner Mark Sharpton and District 3 Commissioner Monty Pieracy discuss the county sales tax Tuesday morning.
Along with a possible expiring tax, county officials will factor a budget that will see an estimated $100,000 less after Logan County Assessor Tisha Hampton lowered the ad valorem taxes from 12 to 11 percent in Dec. 2013.
The jail currently receives approximately $30,000 a month to hold state prisoners. However, recently, the Department of Corrections has began pulling inmates out of county jails.
“Just the salaries and benefits alone (at the jail) is a million dollars a year. I think its going to take a quarter cent to operate it. I have been to a few (fire) chiefs meetings and they tell me they need a quarter,” Piearcy said. “I told them I would support it and that’s where I stand.”
Nichols says he will vote yes in the Aug. 26 vote, but wants officials to be more forward.
“I will vote for the tax at the city, county and for any school bond that is put up simply because we need to fund these services. I would like for our elected officials and leaders of these organizations to always be straight forward and honest about what is really happening.”
In Oklahoma, 76 of the 77 counties have some form of county sales tax income ranging from 1/8 of a cent to the state maximum of two percent. The only county not to have a county tax is Oklahoma Co.
Of the 76 counties, 22 counties fund a roads tax, 44 counties fund rural fire departments and 51 counties help fund jails.
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