Oklahoma County voters could face an April 7 ballot question on whether to approve a sales tax of less than 1 percent to fund the construction and operation of the long-awaited new jail that faces a financing gap of at least $400 million.
As proposed by District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe and pitched by Lowe’s staff to District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan and District 3 Commissioner Myles Davidson, the proposition would ask voters to authorize a permanent 5/8-cent — or 0.625 percent — countywide sales tax to support the new jail and other “public safety operations and improvements.”
The proposed ballot title states, in part:
(…) the purpose of the sales tax shall be to fund public safety operations and improvements within the county, including, but not limited to, operation, maintenance, construction, renovation, equipping, staffing and improvement of adult detention, juvenile detention, diversion, behavioral health, courtroom, sheriff, emergency management, emergency medical services, and public infrastructure located within Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, and/or the payment of debt service and related financing costs on obligations issued for said purpose (…).
If two of the three commissioners approve a resolution sending the question to a vote of the people, Oklahoma County stakeholders will face a complicated political dynamic.
On the one hand, the tax could generate about $120 million per year and ultimately solve a criminal justice crisis that has plagued the community for decades. On the other, metro voters have already created or extended several taxes in recent years, including a property tax for the jail in 2022. In a packed election year, the ballot question would jump to the forefront of Oklahoma County conversations, with business, philanthropic and political leaders feeling pressure to line up for or against the county’s first permanent sales tax.
Friday afternoon, Lowe formally asked District Attorney Vicki Behenna to review the ballot language in anticipation of voting as a commission Jan. 20.
“I have spoken many times about the need to allow the voters of this county to decide the future of Oklahoma County’s jail crisis and the need to build, operate and maintain a new county jail,” Lowe said. “In my time here, it has become very apparent to me that we are on an unsustainable path not only with the detention center, but also with other critical public safety issues within Oklahoma County.”
Learning of Lowe’s proposal Friday, Maughan declined to indicate whether he would vote with Lowe and send the question to the public, but he suggested he has been rebuffed by Oklahoma City business leaders when seeking support for similar ideas.
“I don’t know who would run the campaign since the chamber has declined, and I understand they have yet to locate someone who will do it,” Maughan said. “Someone’s got to make those ads, so I don’t know who is going to do that. I’ve yet to be able to find anybody to run the campaign or serve as the committee chair or the treasurer.”
Lowe and Maughan both said they had met with Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce leaders recently to review the organization’s polling data about the jail project. Lowe seemed to hold out hope that influential community leaders will eventually get behind the proposal.
“It’s up to them,” Lowe said of the chamber. “I think it’s our responsibility as elected officials to bring these matters to the voters. I can’t wait around for someone else to act, respectfully. It’s my job to solve problems. That’s why I was elected to this position.”
Maughan feared the chamber’s decision was already final.
“I was appealing to them to run the campaign, and they’ve declined to do it at this time,” Maughan said. “I understand that you have to have the resources in order for a campaign to be successful, and I think the issue is the same that they haven’t identified someone who was willing to lead that charge from the corporate philanthropy world that usually has been the figurehead types to raise the kind of money needed to run a campaign.”
Cynthia Reid, the Greater OKC Chamber’s senior vice president for communications, said Friday the organization was reviewing Lowe’s proposal and would likely comment next week.
Maughan said he asked Lowe’s chief deputy, John Pettis Jr., whether any significant financial backer had been identified for such a campaign.
Sales tax rates
in OK CountyCurrently, Oklahoma County collects no sales tax. The state of Oklahoma collects a 4.5% sales tax on non-grocery items. On top of that, metro cities collect sales tax at varying rates:
• OKC: 4.125%
• Edmond: 3.75%
• Del City: 4.5%
• Midwest City: 4.6%
• Bethany: 4%
• Warr Acres: 4%
• Choctaw: 5.25%
• Harrah: 4%
• The Village: 4.5%
• Spencer: 5%
• Nicoma Park: 5%By comparison, Tulsa County has a 0.367% sales tax and the City of Tulsa collects a 3.65% sales tax.
“He said they had not but still intended to move forward, and I recognize why. It’s because they’re at a deadline to get it on the ballot. But I just don’t know how you run the campaign if you don’t already have somebody identified to do that,” Maughan said. “I believe this is going to be a very expensive campaign. It’s been estimated about $1.5 million, and that’s just based on the amount spent in the most recent sheriff race and district attorney race — it’s not a made-up figure, OK? And that’s just not a type of campaign that can be raised through grassroots contributions. It would require major philanthropy.”
Still, Lowe said voters deserve proposals for solutions.
“I’m not going to wait around for someone else to act on my behalf,” Lowe said. “I think we just need to take it to the voters and let the voters decide on this issue.”
Davidson did not return a phone call seeking comment prior to the publication of this article, but Lowe seemed optimistic Davidson would support the vote.
“I anticipate Myles being on board with this,” Lowe said.
Maughan said he asked Pettis whether Davidson had “signed off,” but he called Pettis’ response “elusive.”
Like Lowe, Davidson faces at least two challengers for reelection in June. Unlike Lowe, Davidson has been under investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department for allegations of sexual assault and harassment since September. His accuser, who filed for a protective order in Cleveland County, has a scheduled hearing in the civil case next week, but an OKCPD spokesman said Jan. 5 that the allegation “is still being investigated,” with results “presented to the AG’s office when it’s completed.”
Maughan seemed disappointed that the matter remains unresolved five months later.
“It will just continue to, I’m sure, be an issue as the campaign goes forward,” Maughan said. “I’m sure all the parties involved would like to have a resolution.”
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With funding up in air, jail could be built in stages
The new jail at 1901 E. Grand Boulevard in Oklahoma City has also faced its share of problems, most notably cost. Its ballooning price tag has led commissioners to consider an array of options instead of a sales tax, including raising property taxes and a tax on cannabis. Ultimately, Lowe settled on proposing a sales tax.
The jail’s size has also been a subject of debate. District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe favors a 1,800-bed facility, while District 3 Commissioner Myles Davidson wants a jail in excess of 2,200 beds. The current jail averaged about 1,600 detainees in 2025. While Davidson and others have preached planning for future population growth, Lowe said the proposed sales tax language would allow for funding of additional behavioral health and jail diversion resources.
The new jail project includes an attached 60-bed behavioral health center that is already supported by $40 million of American Rescue Plan Act money.
“In addition to the jail and [Behavioral Care Center], the funding derived from this tax will provide for critical investments in juvenile programs and services, behavioral health, diversion, emergency management, the sheriff, EMS, as well as road and bridge enhancements to keep our citizens safe,” Lowe said.
Commissioners have also discussed building the new jail in stages if a sales tax vote fails. Under that proposal, booking and food preparation would take place at the partially constructed new facility while detainees would remain housed in the current jail. That plan would require people and food to be transported back and forth between the two facilities until the new jail is fully funded and built.
Lowe told NonDoc in December that the prospect of using two facilities poses problems.
“My concern is that we have two sites,” Lowe said in early December. “We’re going to have to fund the additional site, and right now, we can’t fund the current site. Now we’re going to build half a jail that we’re also going to have to fund?”
