$13.5 Million Legal Settlement Leads To Tax Frustrations For Wagoner County Residents: 'It Wasn't Our Fault'

Voters in Wagoner County are frustrated. Taxes are going up because a woman died in the Wagoner County jail, prompting a lawsuit that ended up in a $13.5-million settlement.

The county approved the historic settlement last year.

Now, voters have to decide which taxes will rise to pay for the settlement, property tax or sales tax. The special election is on Feb.11.

How the Community is responding:

"It would have been nice had they found other alternatives than this you know," said Megan Ward. "Things are already hard right now just going to get groceries I can't imagine anything going up."

"I think it's wrong that we have to pay for something the county has done just because it wasn't our fault," said Dakota Lantroop.

"I would rather have the sales tax increase that way everyone is contributing it's not just only the property owners," said Sabrina Perrymore.

Sales Tax breakdown:

1. Spreads out the cost to more people including those who live outside of Wagoner County.
2. Quarter of a penny over 15 years.
3. Example: On a $100 purchase, it's an additional quarter in sales tax. So for a family that's spending, say, $200 a week on an annual basis, that's an additional $26 dollars annually for that family.

Property Tax breakdown:

1. Affects only property owners in Wagoner County.
2. Spread out over a 10-year timeline.
3. Example: The increase for the average homeowner with a $200,000 house, property taxes on an annual basis, would go up $41.77 in the first year, and then go down a little bit each year after that for 10 years.

If voters approve the sales tax, there will be no property tax increase. 

How are taxes spent in Wagoner County?:

The County Clerk publishes weekly expenditures at THIS LINK.

Previous Coverage: Wagoner Co. Commissioners Approve Multi-Million Dollar Settlement To Woman's Family After Her Death In Jail

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