Tax for Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office raises questions

<br>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma County officials have questions about a proposed sales tax to fund the state's largest jail. <br><br>Voters could get to decide later this year on the sales tax which

Monday, September 30th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma County officials have questions about a proposed sales tax to fund the state's largest jail.

Voters could get to decide later this year on the sales tax which would more than double the budget of the sheriff's office. The certified petition calling for the election goes to county commissioners on Oct. 7 and they have 60 days to schedule a vote.

Commissioner Beverly Hodges was one of the more than 30,000 people who signed the petition. Hodges says it is important voters get to decide this issue but stops short of supporting it. She said she is concerned that the tax proposal does not spell out how the $26 million raised by the tax will be used.

``(It) doesn't say it will be used for raises,'' Hodges said. ``It doesn't say it will be used to hire additional help. It doesn't earmark anything for the jail.''

The proposal says the permanent tax is ``to be used solely by the sheriff for the operation of the office of sheriff.''

Another uncertainty is whether authority over the jail will remain with the sheriff's office. A committee appointed by county commissioners is expected to recommend soon whether a trust authority should run the jail. The committee has also been studying whether jail operations would best be left to a private company, such as Tulsa County has done.

Some wonder what would happen to the sales tax proceeds if the sheriff's office lost authority over the jail.

``That may be an interesting question,'' said John Jacobsen, first assistant district attorney. ``That question has not been asked.''

Jacobsen said language in the ballot would support sending some of the sales tax to jail operations, no matter who's in charge.

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said he does not think the jail will be privately run.

Whetsel said he plans to use the money for hiring 100 more officers for the jail and for increasing the salaries of those already there. He said the tax would also ease crowding by decreasing the jail's dependence on payment for taking state and federal prisoners. Whetsel said he spends about 70 percent of his $24 million budget on the jail.

He said he believes the sales tax will pass.

``The citizens really showed their support for us when we were gathering signatures,'' he said. ``I think they'll show support again in voting for this.''