Lincoln County commissioners this week adopted a resolution and election proclamation calling for renewal of the one cent county sales tax to be put on the Feb. 14, 2023 ballot.
Commissioners, during their Nov. 21 meeting, voted 2-1 for the election and to change some of the ballot language.
In that meeting, District 2 Commissioner Marlon Miller made a motion to take the overage from anything over the $120,000 the Lincoln County Extension Center receives from the sales tax to go to the Economic Development fund rather than the courthouse improvement fund.
Miller and District 1 Commissioner Carl Munson favored the ballot language change and Chairman and District 3 Commissioner Lee Doolen dissented.
The current breakdown of the one cent sales tax as it stands today is this.
60 percent goes for county roads and bridge improvements.
Thirteen percent goes to the Lincoln County Jail.
Six percent is for the Lincoln County Extension Center which is capped at $120,000.
Another seven percent goes to the Senior Citizen Nutrition sites.
Fire Departments receive 8.5 percent of the penny tax.
TheLincolnCountyFree Fair receives two percent.
Currently, Economic Development receives two percent.
And Emergency Management and the Lincoln County Safety Office receive 1.5 percent.
Pau Simpson, the Rural Fire Defense Coordinator for the Central Oklahoma Economic Development Office (COEDD), explained 17 different fire departments throughout Lincoln County share in the 8.5 percent they receive and then there is a joint account they all use to purchase items the majority of the fire departments need like radio repeaters or a large ticket item that they can borrow from and then pay back.
During their meeting this week, commissioners spent a little over 30 minutes in executive session. Upon returning to open meeting, they adopted a resolution to select Fulmer Sill and Frantz Law Group, APLC to serve as counsel for the county in litigation involving E-Cigarettes for the marketing, sales practices, and products liability which allegedly has caused harm to the county.
They also took no action on the purchase of real estate.
In other business, the commissioners: Voted to repair rather than purchase new scales for the Size and Weights Program in the Sheriff’s Office.
Took no action to approve a new Access Control System for the courthouse.
Opened and discussed six-month bids for rock, lumber and other material that will be tabulated and brought back at the next meeting.
Approved an ODOT form for District 1 for the Kendrick Road project.
Adopted a resolution to disburse OMMA funds to requesting fire departments.
Approved a Declaration of Surplus for the Agra Nutrition Center, District 2 and the Sheriff’s Department.
Approved requesting, receiving and inventory officers for the Health Department.
Heard a presentation from Brian Johnson with Cushing Economic Development.
Discussed appointing board members to the Excise Board and Industrial Development Authority.
Heard from the District Attorney’s OMMA Investigator Mike Hendrickson on investigative services in Lincoln County.