Following is a condensed list of reasons county officials are asking for the additional sales tax and re-distribution of Sequoyah County 9-1-1 funds. The sales tax propositions are on the same ballot, and the Sequoyah County 9-1-1 proposal is on a second ballot.
All voters in the county will vote on the three proposals even though the re-distribution of Sequoyah County 9-1-1 funds does not affect the 9-1-1 system in the 427 telephone prefix area. Because all county voters voted on establishing the 9-1-1 system, the proposal must now be put to all voters. Sequoyah County 9-1-1 serves all telephone prefixes in the county except the 427 area, which has its own 9-1-1 system.
Proposals on ballots
—One-third of one-half cent sales tax to operate the county jail.
—One-third of one-half cent sales tax for the county sheriff’s department.
—A rewording of the Sequoyah County 9-1-1 regulation which will provide more money for salaries, but does not include a sales tax hike for county residents; if approved the proposal would change the way money, collected through a telephone tariff, is split.
The reasons
—The Sequoyah County Jail is funded by a one-third of one-half cent sales tax only.
—The county jail receives no money from the county budget, which is largely based on property tax.
—It is estimated the county jail needs $850,000 to $900,000 a year to operate.
—The jail is receiving between $30,000 and $35,000 a month from the one-third of a half-cent tax already in place, for a total of between $360,000 and $420,000 a year.
—The jail added to its income by housing prisoners for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC), at a rate of $32.50 per inmate per day.
—ODOC was averaging 38 prisoners per day in the county jail, but that number has dropped to five as of Monday since ODOC is taking prisoners out of county jails and is reported to be housing them in private jail facilities to save money.
—At 38 ODOC prisoners, the county jail was taking in $37,050 per month.
—The county jail is not equipped to house federal prisoners.
—A one-third of one-half cent tax would bring in an estimated $30,000 to $35,000 in sales tax per month for the jail.
—If approved the two-thirds of one-half cent tax for the jail would bring in $60,000 to $70,000 per month, or between $720,000 and $840,000 per year, which county commissioners believe would be the minimum amount of money needed to operate the jail.
—If the proposed sales tax is not approved, District 1 Commissioner Bruce Tabor said the jail may have to close.
—Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart said he does not have sufficient funds to provide the proper protection for county residents.
—Deputies, on average, make $1,200 a year less than a county truck driver makes, Lockhart said, and he hopes to increase deputies’ salaries.
—The sheriff’s office needs to replace vehicles and make other improvements.
—According to county records, the sheriff’s department has a yearly budget of $586,230.57.
—The county, according to statistics Lockhart obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), suggests that law enforcement have at least two officers for every 1,000 in population. The county population, excluding cities’ and towns’ populations and law enforcement, indicates the county should have more than twice the number of officers the sheriff’s office has now, which is 13.
Officials ask for tax
Lockhart said Thursday, “If approved, the sales tax would only be 17 cents on every $100 spent. This tax was voted down in 2007, but we need to try to get more deputies out on the road.”
Lockhart said he has re-directed deputies to county roads and off main highways to provide protection for rural residents, and wants more deputies on patrol, especially at night.
“The need is there and it’s going to get worse if we don’t pass the tax,” he said. “ It’s scary. Public safety is number one in our book.
“Our deputies give 125 percent,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart said he has many plans to improve law enforcement in the rural areas, and has implemented some plans through grants and other funding. He said a deputy is currently attending school to become a school resource officer for rural schools through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. The rural schools have agreed to pay for the officer’s salary, which gives the county an extra deputy — the DARE officer — during the summer months, Lockhart said.
“I’ve got plans to do a lot more, but we need the money,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart and Tabor agreed that returning the jail to the sheriff’s custody would not solve the money problems.
“There is no money in the county budget for the jail,” Tabor said.
Jail operations are overseen by the Sequoyah County Criminal Justice Authority and have been since the new jail was built. Authority members are Lockhart, Tabor, District 3 Commissioner Mike Huff and Gore resident Dennis Fields, a retired police officer.
Tabor said Thursday, “We wouldn’t be asking for a sales tax if it wasn’t necessary. As of Monday, we had $73,000 (in jail accounts). That’s enough for this month and that’s all.”
Tabor said he doesn’t know what will happen if the one-third of a half-cent sales tax for the jail is not passed. He had originally thought that a sinking fund could be set up through the county to pay the jail bills, but the district attorney’s office said there was no law known of which would allow such a fund for the jail.
Sending prisoners to other jails would cost the county even more money, which it doesn’t have, he said.
“I can’t stress it strongly enough,” Tabor said. “We need the sales tax to keep the jail open. Even if it is passed, we’re going to be in the red before the tax is even collected.”
Sales taxes must first be sent to the state, which returns the tax to whichever agency it belongs. Sales taxes differ from rural to urban areas and between towns. In Sallisaw the present sales tax is 9.417 percent per $1 on retail sales. It usually takes two months after a sales tax is collected before it is returned to the cities, towns and other agencies which receive the tax.
Both county officials emphasized that not only residents would be paying the sales taxes, but also those who travel through the county and stop and shop here.
Tabor urged county residents to vote for the sales tax for the jail.
“Please help us retain the jail,” Tabor said. “If this doesn’t pass, we’ll just be up the creek.”
