County can plan ahead; one-cent sales tax approved

By a 2-1 margin, Pottawatomie County residents elected Tuesday to make the one-cent sales tax permanent. The permanency takes effect in 2013.
“Pottawatomie County didn’t want to stand still,” County Commissioner Jerry Richards said. “Many counties are stepping backward, but Pottawatomie County is moving forward.”
Residents voted in favor of the sales tax with 3,404 votes, or 67.35 percent. County residents cast 6,374 ballots; 37,374 total voters are registered.
Voters approved the tax with more than 60 percent of the vote in two past elections. The first approval came in 1998 for five years and the second approval, for 10 years, came in 2003.
The tax generates about $6.3 million with it being divided among several county services, including roads/bridges, Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center, emergency services and others.
Sales tax committee chairman Richard Kunze said this election’s approval takes a load off all of those who worked for the past 11 years to keep the sales tax in place.
“We can move forward without any hurdles,” he said.
Committee member Don Britton said there has been a lot of time and effort spent on pushing for the sales tax. The approval is a result of the county being accountable with the tax revenue. The money was spent where officials said it would be spent, he said.
“We need to thank all those involved in making this a successful campaign,” Kunze said.
Pottawatomie County Commissioner Bob Guinn said county officials can now commit to projects. He said officials are starting to plan for projects that will happen about five years from now.
He said, now the tax is approved, the county also can take the opportunity to pursue projects that were not in the plans.
“We will continue to see the money goes where it is intended as it has in the past,” Guinn said. “That won’t change.”
The proposed tax distribution is — maintenance, repair and improvement of county roads/bridges, 60 percent; construction, operation and maintenance of the Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center, 20 percent; Pottawatomie County fire departments, 7 percent; sheriff’s office, 1.0625 percent; county ambulance services, 1.0625 percent; Enhanced 911 — 1.0625 percent; additional county emergency services, 1.0625 percent; economic development, 2 percent; Oklahoma State University extension center, 2.75 percent; senior citizens’ centers, 2 percent; soil conservation center, 1 percent; and Pottawatomie County free fair/junior livestock show, 1 percent.