Oklahoma County Voters Reject 25-Year Jail Tax
More than 62 percent of voters turned down a 0.4 percent sales tax intended to finish a detention center that now costs over $800 million.
By Layla Petrov ·
Oklahoma County voters rejected a proposed 0.4 percent sales tax on Tuesday. The measure failed with more than 62 percent of the vote. The tax was designed to fund the remaining construction and staffing of the new Oklahoma County Detention Center.
The proposal would have kept the tax in place for 25 years. Proponents argued this duration was necessary to build the facility in southeastern Oklahoma City near Del City. They also planned to staff the site for the next two decades.
County officials previously secured $260 million for the project in 2022. That budget is now largely gone. Construction to date includes an intake center, a kitchen, and a laundry area. The total projected cost has risen to past $800 million. Officials stated the initial figure was under-budgeted.
High-profile supporters included District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan, District Attorney Vicki Behenna, the Greater OKC Chamber, and The Arnall Family Foundation. Their advocacy did not sway the electorate. The current jail faces overcrowding and conditions described as inhumane.
Oklahoma Secretary of Public Safety Tricia Everest warned of the consequences if the vote failed. At a Chamber forum last month, she asked, “Do I need to open up one of our state prisons? I mean, we’ll have to. That’s the absolute, 100% disaster of what’s going to happen.”
Commissioner dynamics on the county board have shifted. Jennifer Mayo, the incoming District 3 Commissioner, campaigned against the tax. District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe also opposed the plan. Maughan is now the sole commissioner supporting the project. Officials have not offered an alternative funding source or contingency plan.
The next step involves the county board determining how to proceed with the unfinished facility. No specific date for a new funding proposal has been set. The $260 million approved in 2022 remains the primary financial anchor for the project.
