Commissioner proposes permanent public‑safety sales tax to fund new jail; public commenters urge rejection
January 22, 2026 | Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
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Commissioner Jason Lowe moved to present a 5/8‑cent permanent public‑safety sales tax to Oklahoma County voters to finance a new county jail, a behavioral health center and related public‑safety investments, and framed the proposal as a way to let voters decide how to address a long‑running jail crisis.
The proposal drew sustained public criticism during the meeting’s public‑comment period. Sean Cummings told the board, “you wanna do a sales tax on the poorest of the poor of the county,” and argued the plan would disproportionately burden low‑income residents while increasing incarceration. Christopher Johnson said he obtained EMSA records showing “a total of 3,130 people have been picked up by EMSA” over a multi‑year period and alleged the county has seen roughly “58 to 60 deaths” since the trust began; he called for more transparency and said jail management, not a new facility, is the core problem.
Lowe told colleagues the tax would be used to issue revenue bonds to complete a new county jail and to fund operational and maintenance costs as well as a new behavioral health center, diversion programs, juvenile services, EMS and road and bridge work. He said earlier voter approvals had provided “over $360,000,000” for jail renovation or replacement but asserted the county remains well short of the funds needed to finish the current project.
Board procedure ended the immediate effort to schedule the measure: Lowe moved to place the ballot question on the April 7 ballot but did not receive a second, and the chair noted that without a second the motion dies. The board then proceeded to other business.
Why it matters: the vote would have asked residents to accept a permanent sales tax that county staff say would be used both to build and to operate a new detention facility and related services. Public commenters and civil‑liberties advocates told the board the county should prioritize bail reform, diversion and management changes instead of new taxation for additional jail capacity.
What’s next: Lowe may seek other procedural paths to put a funding measure before voters; the board took no further formal action on the ballot measure at this meeting.
The proposal drew sustained public criticism during the meeting’s public‑comment period. Sean Cummings told the board, “you wanna do a sales tax on the poorest of the poor of the county,” and argued the plan would disproportionately burden low‑income residents while increasing incarceration. Christopher Johnson said he obtained EMSA records showing “a total of 3,130 people have been picked up by EMSA” over a multi‑year period and alleged the county has seen roughly “58 to 60 deaths” since the trust began; he called for more transparency and said jail management, not a new facility, is the core problem.
Lowe told colleagues the tax would be used to issue revenue bonds to complete a new county jail and to fund operational and maintenance costs as well as a new behavioral health center, diversion programs, juvenile services, EMS and road and bridge work. He said earlier voter approvals had provided “over $360,000,000” for jail renovation or replacement but asserted the county remains well short of the funds needed to finish the current project.
Board procedure ended the immediate effort to schedule the measure: Lowe moved to place the ballot question on the April 7 ballot but did not receive a second, and the chair noted that without a second the motion dies. The board then proceeded to other business.
Why it matters: the vote would have asked residents to accept a permanent sales tax that county staff say would be used both to build and to operate a new detention facility and related services. Public commenters and civil‑liberties advocates told the board the county should prioritize bail reform, diversion and management changes instead of new taxation for additional jail capacity.
What’s next: Lowe may seek other procedural paths to put a funding measure before voters; the board took no further formal action on the ballot measure at this meeting.
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