Oklahoma County Voters Reject Sales Tax for New Jail
Oklahoma County voters rejected a sales tax proposal to fund a new county jail, leaving officials without a secondary funding plan to complete construction.
Voters in Oklahoma County rejected a proposed 25-year sales tax intended to fund the completion of a new county jail. The proposition, which sought a two-fifths-of-a-cent sales tax, failed with 62.3 percent of the vote.
Brian Maughan, an Oklahoma County Commissioner, stated that the county has no "Plan B" for funding the facility. The project was originally supported by a $260 million bond approved four years ago, but rising construction costs created a funding gap. Maughan noted that existing funds are tied to the new site and cannot be used to recondition the old facility, which he described as a discouraging situation.
The new jail is currently under construction along East Grand Boulevard near Del City. County leaders are now discussing whether the United States Department of Justice might intervene to provide assistance to finish the project.
