McClain County Commissioners voted Wednesday, July 9, at a special called commissioners’ meeting to call for a special election September 9 to make the county’s sales tax permanent.

Commissioners Wilson Lyles and Terry Daniel met without commissioner Glen Murray, who was absent at the meeting, at the county courthouse with attorneys Kristina Bell and David Floyd present.

Due to the way Oklahoma law is written, each portion of the sales tax must have a specific purpose so they have to break the 1/2 cent tax into two pieces with 3/4 of the current 1/2 cent going to providing funding for public safety services; McClain County rural fire departments; county public safety operations and programming facilities and any other lawful purpose relating to the same.

The other portion of the question before voters will be for making permanent 1/4 of the existing 1/2 cent for the purpose of providing funding for essential governmental public services including, but limited to, 4-H programs, OSU extension services, senior citizen centers, McClain County Free Fair, county economic development purposes, County facilities and any other lawful purpose relating to the same.

The sales tax has been helping fund the county since 2008.

Sheriff Landy Offolter said if it weren’t for the sales tax revenue he would have to lay off 22 deputies.

The election will not raise the tax rate, Lyles said. The tax first was passed for five years and then extended for another eight. The current extension runs through January of 2028.