District 1 Commissioner Bruce Tabor, who serves on the authority, said the money transferred into the new account was a little over $111,000, which will be used to maintain and operate the jail.
In the meantime, a portion of the county sales tax, which helped pay off the debt, will drop off residents' sales tax costs. County voters approved a half-cent sales tax for the jail, with two-thirds of the half cent set aside to pay off the debt and the other one-third to continue to fund jail operations and management. The sales tax reduction is expected to drop the sales tax from 9.75 percent to 9.417 percent.
However, the authority noted that the one-third of a half cent was bringing in only about $25,000 per month, which is insufficient. Jail Administrator Christine Calvert said the salaries at the jail alone run about $30,000 per month.
Tabor and other members of the authority hope to ask county voters to continue the sales tax to raise the money for jail operations in an election tentatively set in August.
Tabor explained that the county jail is having to house state prisoners to raise money to continue jail operations. The state, which is nearly out of beds in state prisons, pays about $31 a day per inmate to county jails to house state prisoners. But, although the state prisoners are a source of income for the county jail, they take the space needed for county prisoners. Tabor has said in the past that if voters approve continuation of the sales tax, the county jail could rid itself of state prisoners and have more room for county prisoners.
The jail has 114 beds and opened in Oct. 27, 2003.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Before the jail authority meeting, the county commissioners met and voted to approve payment of the county's workers' compensation insurance. The insurance is paid in two payments of $101,346 each.
District 2 Commissioner Steve Carter and District 3 Commissioner Mike Huff noted that the Eastern Oklahoma Development District (EODD) in Muskogee and members of state Masonic Lodges are offering assistance for those age 55 and over who need assistance with their utility bills. Those interested in the program may get applications at the commissioners' office in the courthouse annex in Sallisaw.
