Wagoner County voters approve sales tax to pay for $13.5M jail death settlement

Voters in Wagoner County have agreed to pay more in sales tax to fund a settlement after someone died in the county jail.

🔗Election Results

92.9 % of voters said “yes” to the quarter-of-a-penny increase, which will fund the $13.5 million settlement.

How much will the Wagoner County sales tax increase cost families?

1. Officials said the sakes tax spreads out the cost to more people including those who live outside of Wagoner County.
2. The tax is a quarter of a penny over 15 years, or earlier if it gets paid off sooner. 
3. 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 annually for that family.

If the sales tax had not passed, county commissioners said they would have voted to increase property taxes.

More coverage: ‘There’s no way around it:’ Wagoner County voters ask questions and raise concerns over tax increase

Changes at the Wagoner County Jail 

During a meeting held in early Feb. 2025, people who live in the county and would be impacted by the tax asked what was being done to prevent another lawsuit from happening. 

Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott told the crowd the jail has hired more than a dozen medical professionals as a response to the lawsuit. Those healthcare workers are available 24/7 to respond to emergencies in the jail.