Sequoyah County Commissioners apologized Tuesday to a room full of the county’s volunteer firefighters, and said a proposition to take money from a sales tax fund to pay county bills was a mistake.

District 1 Commissioner Bruce Tabor told the firefighters, “We made a mistake on this and I apologize.”

Last week the commissioners, who are seeking money to keep both county offices and the county jail open, proposed that about $40,000 be taken from a cash account established for the county’s volunteer fire departments. The $40,000 was to pay for property and liability insurance.

Margalo Vix, wife of Darrell Vix, fire chief of the Brent Rural Fire Department, objected, and word spread quickly among the 21 rural volunteer fire departments that the county was seeking money from the fire departments’ cash account.

In the meantime the commissioners checked with the Sequoyah County District Attorney’s office and were told that account, a receptacle for 5 percent of a one-quarter cent sales tax for fire departments, was untouchable. The sales tax for the volunteer fire departments was approved by almost a three-to-one vote in an election, paid for by the fire departments, on May 9, 2006, and the sales tax has been collected and shared between the 21 fire departments since October 2006. At that time the county set up a cash account into which 5 percent of the quarter-cent sales tax was deposited to be saved for projects and possibly large or emergency needs by the fire departments. As of June 10, the fire departments’ cash account had $80,237.34, Trica Yates, county clerk, said.

The county commissioners, in a financial bind to keep the county jail open, have cut the budgets of county offices by 10 percent, and mistakenly thought they could also take money from the fire departments’ account to pay the insurance bill.

Rick Russell, fire chief of the Redland Volunteer Fire Department, spoke for the firefighters at Tuesday’s county commission meeting and asked how money could be taken from their account.

Tabor said it couldn’t.

“We made a mistake,” Tabor said, explaining that he received a letter from District Attorney Jerry Moore explaining how the sales tax for the fire departments was dedicated to the fire departments only.

Tabor said First Assistant District Attorney John David Luton told the commissioners, “The sales tax provides a 5 percent cash fund for such other fire protection as should be deemed necessary by the county commissioners.”

However, the county commissioners cannot decide how the money is spent, but can only approve money spent from the account at the request of the fire departments.

“I personally apologize,” Tabor told the firefighters. “It was a mistake on our part. We will work with you in anyway we can. There will be no taking of money (from the fire department’s account) unless you give permission to the county clerk.”

The use of the money is directed by a 21-member board made up of one fireman from each county fire department, and it is up to that board to suggest how the money in the cash account is to be spent. On average, each fire department gets between $2,100 and $2,600 per month from the quarter-cent sales tax.

Tabor concluded by telling the firefighters, “We apologize and will try to take care of you better. We will not mess with your money.”

Carter said after the meeting that another source will have to be found for the insurance payment.