Skiatook Voters To Decide On Sales Tax Increase For Emergency Services Upgrade

Skiatook voters will once again decide whether to pay more sales tax to improve police and fire facilities. A similar vote failed last year, but city leaders are hopeful more people will be on board this time.

Signs encouraging people to vote ‘Yes’ are positioned throughout town, including outside of Mike Sharp’s business.

“We’re literally in the realm to start growing at a vast rate,” said Sharp. “We do not simply have the infrastructure in place right now to accommodate that growth for public safety.”

If passed, the sales tax would increase from 3.5% to 4.5%. The money would go towards upgrading fire and police facilities.

“When prisoners start to resist and stuff like that, officers don’t have a lot of area to work,” said Skiatook Police Chief Billy Wakefield.

The police department’s booking room is where they keep some inmates so they don’t have to be put in cells. Wakefield says plumbers have to manufacture parts for the sink and toilets in each pod because they’re dated.

Wakefield says the current cells can also be dangerous for inmates.

“There’s not good security measures on safeguarding the prisoners as well,” said Wakefield. “It gives them lots of functions to do things to themselves that are not healthy.”

The station is also prone to leaks, which Wakefield says costs more money to repair. Turkey pans and trash cans are positioned in some parts of the department when it rains to catch leaking water.

Leaders are hopeful the vote will pass this time around after a previous measure was struck down last year. Wakefield says the potential tax increase now has a 15-year limit, and the price tag on upgrades was dropped by $5 million.

Voters can learn more and ask questions about the proposal during two events on November 4 and 9 at the First Baptist Church. Election day is November 14.