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Ted Wright -- last update 10/4/2007 (ChamberOct4Smaligo.html) www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2007 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma

The county-wide vote on a 7 year (Arkansas River) sales tax (just 5 days away Tuesday Oct. 9th) was the main topic discussed at the Collinsville Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday. District 1 Tulsa County Commissioner John Smaligo also dicusssed many other Tulsa County projects and partnerships active in Collinsville: Broadway Bridge, S-Curve, and asphalt overlay assists as examples. The first year county commissioner (& former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives) explained he felt the voters of Tulsa County deserved the opportunity to vote on the additional sales tax to fund 2 new low water dams, repair of the existing Zink dam, channeling from Tulsa to Jenks, and pedestrian bridges along the Arkansas River.

Commissioner Smaligo indicated his county work on transportion was the most enjoyable. Fuel taxes and car tag revenues provide ~$10,000/mile for county maintained roads each year but ~$45,000/mile is the cost of just a simple 2 inch asphalt overlay.

In reposnse to a question to explain why Tulsa County recently received ~35% of total sales tax distributions to the 77 county governments in Oklahoma?, Smaligo indicted it was due to the existing Vision 2025 and 4-to-Fix tax collections.

The existing Tulsa County sales tax rate is 1.017% (out of the 8.517% typical total in most Tulsa county communities) with the state & city taking the rest. The new river tax would raise the county rate to 1.417% and the overall rate to 8.917%. Note: Oklahoma County (mostly OKC) and several other counties collect no county tax.

Prior to 2004 & Vision 2025 approval the county rate was 0.417% and the overall sale tax rate was 7.917%. 4-to-Fix renewed a portion of the county tax that was due to expire). -- Ted Wright