The Garvin County Board of Commissioners modified how portions of the county’s half-cent sales tax and three-quarter cent use tax will be distributed during their regular meeting on Monday.
Garvin County voters passed a measure to renew the county’s half-cent sales tax in April. That measure designated 80% of the tax for county public safety services and the remaining 20% for essential county services.
What County Commissioners voted to modify during Monday’s meeting was the portion of the half cent sales tax designated for essential services, raising the 5% previously allotted for maintenance and operation of county roads and bridges to 11% and lowering the 11% set aside for general maintenance and operation to 5%.
“We’re essentially just flipping them,” County Clerk Lori Fulks said.
The percentages designated for Garvin County senior citizen organizations and OSU extension services will remain unchanged, with each receiving 2% of the essential services portion.
The board also voted to adjust distribution of the county’s half-cent portion of the three-quarter cent use tax, designating 69% to be divided equally between the three county districts for highway maintenance and operations and equipment and 31% will go to the Sheriff’s Office for equipment. In previous years, the county has put its half-cent portion in the general fund. The remaining one-quarter cent of the use tax is dedicated to county fire departments.
Use taxes are the equivalent of sales taxes charged on purchases from out-of-state vendors. The use tax is typically collected on mail, telephone order, and internet purchases from merchants who have no physical presence in Oklahoma.